District Dialogue

Cecilia C. Douma

Nathan J. Vinzant

Two Roosevelt High School students have been named South Dakota’s Presidential

 Scholars for 2012: 

Cecilia C. Douma and Nathan J. Vinzant

Achieving this title is one of the top honors for high school students in the nation.  Cecilia and Nathan are among 141 students in the entire country to earn this distinction. 

More information on the Presidential Scholar Program from the U.S. Department of Education:

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the 48th class of Presidential Scholars, recognizing 141 high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics or the arts.

“Honoring Presidential Scholars is an important celebration of students showing the dedication, creativity and ambition to become future leaders,” Duncan said. “As national, state and local leaders work side by side with principals, teachers, and parents to make our schools better, we can learn from the students all around us whose hard work and accomplishments embody the kind of excellence we want every child to achieve.”

The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, appointed by President Obama, selects honored scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals. Of the three million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 3,300 candidates qualified for the 2012 awards determined by outstanding performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams, and through nominations made by Chief State School Officers or the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts nationwide YoungArts™ competition.

The 2012 Presidential Scholars are comprised of one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large and 20 Presidential Scholars in the Arts.

Created in 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has honored more than 6,000 of the nation’s top-performing students with the prestigious award given to honorees during the annual ceremony in D.C. The program was expanded in 1979 to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, literary and performing arts. Since 1983, each Presidential Scholar has been offered the opportunity to invite his or her most inspiring and challenging teacher to the annual ceremony where they are honored with a Teacher Recognition Award from the U.S. Department of Education.

The 2012 ceremony will be held June 16, when each honoree will receive a Presidential Scholar Medallion.

A complete list of 2012 U.S. Presidential Scholars follows and is available at http://www.ed.gov/programs/psp/awards.html.

Congratulations Cecilia, Nathan and Roosevelt High School!

At recent School Board meetings when the budget has been discussed, there has been a collective sigh of relief, that as the District receives a meager 2.3% increase in funding from the State (over last year’s 6.6% decrease in funding) – which mostly consists of one-time money which can’t be used to begin programs or hire teachers since it is not guaranteed for following years – we are using our reserve funds to meet student needs:  One way we are doing that is by hiring one more Building Computer Specialist (BCS).

 Up until this hiring, a handful of dedicated individuals were responsible for all of the technology in the District, meaning each person was responsible for 1,300 pieces of electronic equipment. Everything – Smart Boards, desktop computers, laptop computers, iPods, iPads, Android tablets, servers, Wi-Fi equipment, projectors, Apple TVs, Sentio Clickers, webcams, and everything else you can imagine a 21^st Century School District requiring.  Every time a computer doesn’t boot up, someone can’t remember their login password, an iPod’s screen won’t turn on, a laptop won’t connect to the network, or the Smart Board won’t read the computer, our BCSs get a call.  It is never ending, essential work, without which our students would not be prepared to succeed in a world flush with technology.

 But that’s not all.  As technology changes and improves, so must the infrastructure to support it.  The Sioux Falls School District has invested heavily in the transmission of data to and from our servers to schools, between schools and ultimately between the students and the world of knowledge at the tips of their fingers. Our schools now enjoy faster, stronger connections than ever, more reliable wireless connections than before, and the bandwidth and power to support teachers who choose to use a variety of sources to engage students. As promised, after the groundwork was laid, the computers come next.

 And come they have.  In the last 11 weeks, our BCSs have not only continued to answer their frequent calls for help, but they have also installed more than 2,000 new computers at Patrick Henry Middle School, Lincoln High School, Washington High School, Roosevelt High School, Memorial Middle School, Axtell Park Middle School, Edison Middle School, Joe Foss Alternative School, Whittier Middle School, Eugene Field Elementary, Terry Redlin Elementary, Jane Addams Elementary, Renberg Elementary, Laura B. Anderson Elementary, Cleveland Elementary, Pettigrew Elementary, Rosa Parks Elementary, Robert Frost Elementary, Garfield Elementary, Anne Sullivan Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Discovery Elementary, Horace Mann Elementary, Laura Wilder Elementary, John Harris Elementary, Hayward Elementary, Longfellow Elementary, Lowell Elementary and John F. Kennedy Elementary.

 This is a monumental task, and one that deserves recognition and thanks. The addition of one more BCS with the FY13 budget will mean that the ratio of technological equipment to individual able to fix them will fall to 1,000:1… a modest improvement, but a long-awaited one. Virtually everyone can relate to that feeling we get when technology fails us … and the relief when someone can get it back up and running. These people do it for 22,000 students and 3,000 employees every day.

 Thank you, Building Computer Specialists.

Since I began work in the District in early 2008, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of the Teacher of the Year celebration from beginning to end.  It begins with a call for nominations, the selection of a judging panel, many meetings, hours of reviewing letters of nomination and discussion, the selection of finalists, and finally the selection of the Teacher of the Year and the announcement at the annual reception.  Every judge I’ve spoken with has described the painstaking nature of making such selections from among the names of high caliber professionals throughout the Sioux Falls education community.

 On Monday, March 26^th, Donna Leininger was named the 24^th Dr. John W. Harris Teacher of the Year for 2012.  Her visible surprise at this announcement was outweighed only by the pride of those seated in the room.  During Donna’s acceptance speech, she bid each nominee and finalist join her in standing among the rest of the audience to be recognized along with her. In doing so, she reminded the room that this ceremony is not only for those nominated, but is dedicated to all teachers in our community, who grow together and collaborate with each other for one goal – the education of children.

 When Dr. Homan and Board Member Julie Westra first visited Donna to announce she had been named a finalist, she asked the class to run interference, so to speak, and demonstrate what they were learning for the guests.  As I went to interview and record video of Donna at Washington, she was clearly uncomfortable being the focus of such a video and, as a matter of fact, introduced me to her class as being there to see THEM do what they do each day.  As part of the interview, Donna reminded us that each teacher builds on teachers who have come before, and without many years of great teachers affecting students earlier, she would not be able to reach students as well as she does.

 Indeed, the Teacher of the Year celebration is many celebrations rolled into one.  Vern Eide Motorcars’ sponsorship of the award each year, which included a $4,000 check for Donna this year, speaks to the incredible community cooperation our schools, and ultimately our students, enjoy in Sioux Falls.  It is a lasting tribute to Dr. John W. Harris, whose contributions to education in Sioux Falls have far-reaching and long-lasting effects.  And it is a celebration of the entire teaching profession.  Each of the finalists mentioned something about destiny, being born into the teaching trade, knowing from a very early age that they knew what they wanted to do, or the supreme satisfaction they get from seeing a student understand a concept for the first time.

 Donna Leininger is the 2012 Teacher of the Year, but she thanks all of the teachers in Sioux Falls for their dedication and professionalism.  So do we.