Some might think I am just too positive about our school district. Kind of Pollyannaish...if that is a word. Do I ever raise issues or make suggestions to the administration? Absolutely! I just choose to do it one on one, in a respectful, meaningful way instead of beating them up in a public meeting in front of the press and the audience. I would not criticize or try to embarrass my kids in public, why would I do that to staff? We have critics that come to our board meetings, some of them even ran for school board (or ran by proxy) that seem to enjoy making sure that every time we have a success they are there with the "yeah but, you need to do better here here and here".
I have seen much improvement over the years and have participated in the ongoing planning to go from where we are today to where we would like to go. I see the plans executed in the classrooms as I walk around the schools or see what the students are doing in and out of the schools. Anyone that has had a conversation with me knows that I am about as real as it gets. If I have something negative to say to someone and others are around, I will schedule a later time to discuss. Constantly pointing out every area that needs improving does not honor the work that has been done and the success we are experiencing. It also leaves staff feeling defeated and pessimistic as though it will never be good enough for the critics. Would you dismiss your kid's A on their test by pointing out where they didn't do as well in other areas or would you, at least for that moment, allow them to celebrate a job well done? You don't build a great district by tearing people down.
We will continue to have success in our district and get better and better if we have a good team. I hope we don't move backwards with a new school board with members that think it is their role to regularly criticize staff or advocate for a cause. It is not. We have some amazing staff who could work anywhere and they choose to work in our district because they are valued and respected. I fear this could change as the new board members take their seats. How they conduct themselves will make a difference and many of us will be watching to make sure they keep the focus on the kids. This is not a game and it should never be about the adults.
Some people that see me in the Snoqualmie Valley School District Board Room during our formal board meetings might think I don't have much to say, but those that really know me, know for a fact that is not true. It is true that formal public speaking is not one of my strong suits, but there are some great public speakers that have proven to be disappointments as leaders. There are also many quiet leaders in the world often holding up others.
My vision and expectations for our district are known by the superintendent and many of his staff members. I am a consultant, so I have to be a very good listener and observer. You can't solve problems by doing all the talking or just sitting in a meeting twice a month. I like to go visit a school to see a program in action, attend advisory meetings or sit down and talk to staff member that is working on a special project. If I have feedback, questions or concerns about something, I will go directly to the person that is responsible for that area of operation and talk to them prior to a board meeting. When I have an opportunity to attend the Summer Leadership Academy, the professional development training for the principals and executive staff I try to attend most if not all of it. I have been the board liaison for several committees during my first term as a school board director and that is the work I most enjoy as a director.
Over the years, I have volunteered my time on district level committee work and I enjoy being able to make a difference district wide. I have a established good working relationships with many of the staff members, community members, parents and students and I think they feel comfortable asking for my feedback. They will get honest feedback that has a healthy balance of positive and negative aspects and it will be given in a respectful way that honors their experience and knowledge. That is what a leader does.
Here is a speech I gave at the 2010 Two Rivers Graduation as President -
I think it shows a little bit about who I am:
Two Rivers Graduation Speech – June 9, 2010
When I became President of the School Board this year, I knew it was a tradition that the President does the commencement speech at the Two Rivers graduation. As a very reluctant public speaker, I started going over my options. Hmmmm, I could use my power to delegate this opportunity to one of my fellow board members, all of whom are talented, articulate speakers that I am sure would have been brilliant. I could use my strong technical and video skills, put together a video and let it speak for me. Then I thought "now wait a minute". This is the Two Rivers graduation and these graduates are not unlike me. For whatever reason brought them to Two Rivers they challenged themselves to find a way to another way to get an education that would work better for them. I knew I needed to challenge myself to do something that I am uncomfortable doing, and that I will be better for doing it anyway. So here it goes and it is truly an honor to be part of your graduation ceremony. Thank you Tom, for inviting me to speak tonight.
First I want to say, as a board member, I always enjoy the Two Rivers graduation. The smaller group and personal approach of this graduation allows us to learn a little something about each of the graduates as they receive their diplomas, something we really can’t do at the larger Mt. Si graduation. I know I will enjoy this evening very much.
Looking back on my own education, I realize that had I not been an Air Force brat and moved about every three years, my education could have been very different. When I was in Kindergarten in North Carolina, my parents put me in a Catholic school. After a month or so, the teacher called my parents in and started talking to them about possibly getting some special services for me. I wasn’t able to learn my numbers, alphabet, etc and I just wouldn’t talk in class. They were concerned I am sure, but we were also getting ready to move to Alaska, so they figured they would pursue this problem at the new school that I would be attending there. Once we moved to Alaska and I started attending kindergarten, I quickly rose to the top of the class and my parents were amazed. What was up with that? My guess, as a very shy five year old…I was terrified of the nun. Some people are afraid of clowns, I must have been afraid of the nun. If circumstances hadn’t caused a change of my learning environment, who knows what the rest of my education experience would have been like. Of course, maybe if the first teacher had just been in regular street clothes instead of a habit, I would have been okay.
As Dr. Seuss said "Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple."
Two Rivers give students an alternative learning environment and a more personal approach to learning. Two Rivers students benefit from being in a district that understands that kids learn different ways, that life happens and we are willing to work with them towards success. There is not one perfect path to an education that will prepare students for their future. We as a district are working to offer more and more options for all students. In a way, the Two River students might be considered "early adopters" of the some of the possibilities in education.
In preparing for this speech I reviewed our mission statement:
Expect the Best:
From Our Students · Of Our Staff · For Our Community
It is the mission of the Snoqualmie Valley School District to meet the individual learning needs of its students, thereby enabling them: to identify and realize their potentials, to develop skills and attitudes for life-long learning, and to be knowledgeable, productive, and involved citizens.
Those of us responsible for providing education to our students in the Snoqualmie Valley are striving to meet this mission. I hope that as you graduate and look back, that you can say we accomplished our mission for you as an individual or at least came close. I am proud of you all for taking responsibility for your education and reaching this importance milestone in your life. You worked hard, you persevered and you did it! I know through the night we will hear about family, friends, teachers and others that may have played a role in your success and I thank our community for being there for you. I have always said there is something very special about our Valley.
So one more Dr. Seuss quote:
"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
Congratulations, best of luck and enjoy the rest of your life’s journey! Thank you!
Caroline Loudenback
SVSD School Board President
June 2010
It was an honor and privledge to serve on the Snoqualmie Valley School Board. I have lived in the Snoqualmie Valley for over 19 years and have been a SVSD parent since my oldest daughter, Marika began first grade at Opstad in the MAP (Multi Age Primary) class. She is now a 2010 Mount Si Graduate. She also received her Associates degree from Bellevue College a week after graduation. She was accepted and attended University of Washington and Bellevue College following graduation and will soon be entering nursing school. I was impressed with the district she started attending Opstad and have become increasingly so over the years as I have spent countless hours in the schools, on various school and district committees as a volunteer and a parent of three SVSD students who all have very different academic needs. I have a vast understanding of the challenges that our kids face. As a family, we have been a part of North Bend Elementary, Opstad Elementary, Snoqualmie Middle School, Twin Falls Middle School and Mount Si. We have also taken advantage of our new Online Academy for several classes. Currently my daughter Anika attends Mount Si and Bellevue College and my son Gerrit is a Twin Falls student. Over the years as a volunteer and school board member I have had the privledge to work with parents and staff from all of our schools and we have some incredible talent and dedication throughout our Valley.
As a school board member I was able to participate in the leadership training that has been provided to our leadership team as they plan and figure out ways to get even better as a district. I was able to put my own leadership skills to work while serving as President, Vice President and multiple stints as Board Liaison to various committees. As I walk around the schools and visit schools I see the strategies discussed in planning sessions being executed in the classrooms. Since I am self-employed and had quite a bit of flexibility in my schedule that allowed me to visit schools or sit down with a staff member to get more details about a certain initiative or program. The most recent example was visiting Snoqualmie Elementary, Chief Kanin and Mount Si with Nancy Meeks, our Director of Special Services to see the Netbook, Smartboard and Ipad technology pilot in action. It was amazing to see how the technology engaged and challenged each of these special students. In my previous career, I rolled out technology on a large scale in a corporate environment, so I could appreciate the work our Director of Technology, Jeff Hogan and his team had done in the way of logistics, security and creative methods of maintenance and mobility of the actual hardware. The Ipad charging solution was one of my favorites. The Technology Kick-off Event and Summer Academy for the teachers was an exceptional opportunity for our teachers to get trained on the latest technology and learn strategies and skills to use the technology effectively to engage and instruct our students.
I have seen continuous improvement and success in our district while on the school board despite the budget cuts, challenges and adversity. This does not happen by accident. I have witnessed the planning and training that goes into the work that is done by our district staff and teachers. My role on the school board was to help facilitate student achievement by providing policies, support and resources so that each of our students can define and achieve life success in their own way.
As the need for 21st century skills increases and we move away from specific career paths and into developing skills that can be used in a variety of careers, we will continue to be creative and open minded. While I will no longer be serving on the school board, I am by no means going away. I will continue to do field and special project work in the schools and the district. We have much to be proud of and we have some exceptional staff and students and I am excited about our future and community. As long as the school board continues to make it about the kids and not about themselves or their individual communities we can and will go far.
Click on the tractor to see our community in action!
Opstad Playground Project - Summer 2005
