Building a Culture of Care and Connection

By Jillian Daley

North Marion School District leaders and the School Board Chair offered information and a warm welcome during New Staff Orientation this week, in keeping with a school community culture that emphasizes care and connection.

“We stand behind you guys and are very appreciative of the work that you are going to do for us,” School Board Chair Glenn Holum told the crowd.

About a dozen employees gathered in the Middle School Library Friday morning to delve into the foundations of the School District’s website, vision and mission, and specific work details (such as how to access tech help, employee pay and benefits details, and online safety training sessions). The group also discovered the crux of Teaching and Learning, which also helps create the School District’s culture of care and connection.

North Marion’s Culture

To demonstrate the critical nature of establishing this kind of culture, Teaching and Learning Director Cherie Stroud presented a video that tells the story of a boy named Jordan spending a day in school with two different scenarios. In one of them, he experiences a gray day with cold and unfriendly staff prone to shushing him and the other children. In the other scenario, he experiences a lively day at school in which the staff is friendly and listens to him and the other students. The video, created by a national center for language and literacy called Atlanta Speech School, offers insight on how culture influences learning.

“This video is slightly dramatic in some places … But you will get the gist of the importance of every interaction a student gets from the time they get on the bus to the time they arrive home,” Stroud explained.

At the end of the less than four-minute video, Jordan offers school staff some tips to best support students.

“What can you do?” he said. “Learn all that you can so that you can challenge us to be our best. Share yourself with us and show us how to share ourselves with others. Give us courage. Give us compassion. Help us find our own voices. So we can become who we are meant to be.”

Stroud noted that welcoming students makes school a place kids want to be and helps them to thrive in the classroom.

“Care and connection is one of our highest-held values and those daily interactions, no matter your job in the district, are really important,” Stroud said.

Superintendent Ginger Redlinger said that culture of welcome means valuing physical and emotional safety, exemplified by a staff member who supports a child no matter how hard it may be, standing up and speaking out when someone else has said something inappropriate.

“We’re letting the kids know that we support all of them — and we care about them enough not to let things go,” Redlinger said.

That culture of acceptance, of care and connection also extends to staff.

Payroll/Human Resources Assistant Amy Lieuallen said wherever staff might be, they will have support from the North Marion community: “We take care of you.”

The new staff seemed to appreciate the welcome. English Language Development Teacher Cecilia Carrillo and Kindergarten Teacher Marlene Duran, both joining the Primary School, shared a table and were relaxing during the half-day training session’s mid-morning break.

“It’s very exciting and informative and lets us know the district’s goals and expectations,” Carrillo said of the training.

Duran felt similarly about the experience.

“I can feel the support from everyone,” Duran said. “I know I will have support from my grade team, but also everyone in the district.”

High School/Middle School Band Director Leah Suderman, another new staff member, simply cannot wait to meet her students.

“Being able to make music with the students again is very exciting,” Suderman said.

It is almost time to play those first notes in the classroom, as day one of the school year is September 8.

Please Welcome Our New Staff Members

High School CoPrincipal of Teaching and Learning Bill Rhoades
High School Vice Principal/Athletic Director Mark Sundquist
High School Custodian Sarai Garcia
High School PE/Health Teacher Shane Sheppard
High School/Middle School Band Teacher Leah Suderman
Middle School English Language Arts/Humanities Teacher Kestrel Lockwood
Middle School English Language Arts/Social Studies Teacher Mathiew Demski
Middle School Science Teacher Marie Vandecoevering
Middle School Math Teacher Kara Van Zandt-Handran
Intermediate and Primary School English Language Development Teacher Kelly Dehning
Intermediate School Fourth Grade Teacher Annie Coleman
Intermediate School Fourth Grade Teacher Kelli Finnagan
Intermediate School Fourth Grade Teacher Madison Kluken
Middle School English Language Arts Teacher Kelly McGuffie
Intermediate School P.E. Teacher Matthew Prom
Intermediate School Special Education-Foundations Teacher Emily Gibson
Primary School Instructional Assistant Iain Culp

Please Welcome Familiar Faces in New Roles

Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Title Programs Irma Patton
Assistant Director of Assessment and Learning Charyl Dyer
High School Counselor Michael Stewart
Intermediate School English Language Development Instructional Assistant Cheryl Hauser
Middle School Family Liaison Elbia Espinoza
Primary School Kindergarten Teacher Marlene Duran
Primary School English Language Development Teacher Cecilia Carrillo

To share your story about the North Marion School District, email Communications Specialist Jillian Daley at jillian.daley@nmarion.k12.or.us.