STC Schools Supt. Kerri Nelson

Letter to the Editor

It looks like school is off to a great start. As I reflect on this past week I feel good about the work that is being done. Sometimes, the broader community may wonder what it is that educators do at work when students are not in session. I thought I would share some of the highlights of this past week to give you just a glimpse of the type of work staff was involved in.

Local area banks sponsored a welcome back luncheon for all of the STC staff. Thank you for your support: Home Federal, Lincoln Savings Banks, and the State Bank of Toledo. The staff sincerely appreciates the ongoing support you provide for our students and staff each year.

Kristina Guerrero-Sisneros, a guest speaker for the staff, shared her personal journey about being a teenage mom and attending school. Today she is an attorney, but she shared the reality of her challenges, the difficult decisions she made along the way, and how teachers intervened to help her succeed. She gave the staff a vivid reminder of the importance of their work and the role teachers have in the lives of students.

There was excellent participation and dialogue at the professional development sessions and building level meetings. There were sessions on school improvement, analyzing assessment results, using JMC and other new software, the Iowa Core Curriculum and time for mentors to work with new staff members. I was very pleased to see the number of staff members who took advantage of the voluntary technology sessions. It was an excellence demonstration of the staff’s professionalism. In addition to administration, we had several teacher & staff leaders help facilitate different sessions. Thank you for your assistance with pre-service professional development: Micki Behounek, Colleen Burke, Karen Mixdorf, Mary Mixdorf, Deloris Ryan, Anita Townsley, & Kathy Wilkerson.

We had an excellent transition with the students returning to school. Reportedly, things went very smooth in each of the buildings. The students I spoke with were happy to be back and appeared ready to dig in. There was one 9th grade student I spoke with at freshman orientation who shared with me he is counting the days until “homecoming”. He has heard this is the best part of the high school experience. So in keeping balance…we do need to have a little fun around this place too.

I hope you enjoyed the Gator Bowl and Koplin Open. They are great activities that highlight our students, involve the community, and are just great fun!

Looking forward to a great year,

Kerri Nelson

STC Superintendent

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