Indian Prairie Podcast

Candy and Brian are joined by Board President Laurie Donahue, Superintendent Dr. Adrian Talley, and Chief School Business Official Matt Shipley to discuss priorities 3 and 4 of the Strategic Plan and how it guides the district's work and buildings.

Candy and Brian and joined by Board President Laurie Donahue, Superintendent Dr. Adrian Talley, Deputy Superintendent Doug Eccarius and Fry Elementary Principal Laurie Hillman to discuss the priorities 1 and 2 of the Strategic Plan and how it guides the district's work and buildings.

Candy and Brian are joined by Andy Fekete, Instructional Technology Specialist, and Amanda Eischen, White Eagle, 4th Grade teacher. Andy and Amanda discuss last year's STEM Summer Camp experience and plans for future summer camps.

Candy and Brian are joined by the Executive Director of Equity, Nader Najjar. Nader discusses his upcoming work and how his team is supporting teachers with embedding equity instructional practices in their classrooms.

Candy and Brian are joined by Matt Shipley, Chief School Business Official, and John Robinson, Director of Building & Grounds. Matt and John share some of the capital projects that are currently happening and how the team is looking at capital projects in the future to ensure our learning environments are safe and support our educational programs. 

Candy and Brian are joined by Lynn Baranak, Family & Consumer Science Teacher and Grow Your Own Teacher Coordinator at Waubonsie Valley School and one of her senior students who took part in the year long Grow Your Own Teacher program. The episode is a follow-up to our conversation with Dr. Lee and Mrs. Harry about exposing students to career opportunities in education.

Candy and Brian are joined by Rhonda Jenkins, LMC Director at Kendall Elementary School, and two fifth grade students to share about their 5th grade Podcast club. The students provide an overview of their experience and some of the amazing topics they are sharing through podcasts.

Candy and Brian are joined by Anthony Tegtmeyer, Technology & Engineering Teacher at Neuqua Valley High School, and Tylen Fleming, a Neuqua Valley Senior, to share insights about the student experience it the Project Lead The Way Engineering Design and Development course.

Candy and Brian are joined by Daryl Silberman, Waubonsie Valley Orchestra Director, and Dawn Forkner, SEL and Wellness Coordinator, to discuss the importance of staff wellness. Daryl and Dawn discuss their personal wellness journey in addition to sharing resources for our IPSD community.

Candy and Brian are joined by Katie Popp, President of Indian Prairie Education Association, and Piper Kottman, Kindergarten teacher at Kendall Elementary School, to discuss a mentoring program that Indian Prairie School District has partnered with Illinois Educators Association to implement.    Katie and Piper share about their roles as mentors for early career educators and some of the things they have learned during the mentoring process. 

Candy and Brian are joined by Dr. Rachel Mahmood, 5th Grade Teacher at Georgetown and Ann Cluxton, English teacher &  at Metea Valley High School to share their insights about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in District 204.   Rachel and Ann share their learning journey about equity, diversity, and inclusion. They also dive into how  equity, diversity and inclusion emerge in their classrooms and how they support their colleagues in their own journey of learning on the topic of equity, diversity and inclusion.

Candy and Brian are joined by Mike Purcell, Director of High School Curriculum and Quynh Harvey, Metea Valley Assistant Principal of Curriculum & Instruction to celebrate work at the high school level.   Mike and Quynh celebrate the work of the district committees to support students as they started this school and intentional SEL time and lessons that are being implemented at the high school level. Quynh and Mike also dive into instructional flexibility and its benefit to student learning.

Candy and Brian are joined by Don Devany, Fine Arts Department Chair at Metea Valley, and Mark Duker, Fine Arts Department Chair at Waubonsie Valley, to share their insights on preparing for the December music concerts.   Don and Mark celebrate the past 30 years of December concerts and give us a glimpse of what happens behind the scenes as the continuous music performance is happening. Don and Mark also thank all the stakeholders who make this show a success.

Candy and Brian are joined by Tarah Fowler, Director of Middle School Curriculum, and Jessica Bogie, District Math Coordinator, to discuss Middle School Math resource updates.   Tarah and Jessica share the process to adopt the new middle math resource and dive into instructional math best practices. The group also shares resources available to staff this year and the process they will use to make sure common assessments and resources are aligned to state standards and meet student learning needs.

Candy and Brian are joined by Chrissy Ensign, Gombert LMC Director and Sara Voller, Gombert 3rd Grade teacher to discuss their collaboration as Teacher and LMC Director and LMC Director and Tech Liaison. Chrissy and Sara highlight Gombert staff collaboration, Portrait of a Graduate competencies, World of Work connections, and much more. Chrissy and Sara highlight their team's efforts to support all Gombert students

Candy and Brian are joined by Joan Peterson and Charmonique Joiner to discuss curriculum and instruction updates at the elementary school level. Joan and Charmonique highlight the amazing work happening at the elementary school level and share some updates on our updated Social Studies curriculum.

Candy and Brian are joined by Alli Landstrom, Peterson Elementary School Principal and Dave Worst, Springbrook Elementary School Principal to discuss the excitement of starting a new school year.   Alli and Dave share their excitement for welcoming staff and students this school year. The group also dives into some beginning of the year traditions in 204 and great reminders about why education is an amazing profession.

Candy and Brian are joined by Dr. Louis Lee, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, and Carey Beth-Harry, Director of Human Resources, to discuss Indian Prairie School District's Grow Your Own Teacher program.   Louis and Carey discuss the Grow Your Own Teacher program and why it is so important for our district to provide our students an opportunity to explore career opportunities in Education. Louis and Carey also share information about what our staff will see next year to jump start this program.

Candy and Brian are joined by Rodney Mack, Indian Prairie's new Chief Technology Officer, to discuss the future of Technology Services in our district.    Rod shares his educational journey and shares some work that his team will be working on over the next few years to support instruction and student learning. Welcome Rod to District 204!

Candy and Brian are joined by Rachel Witkowski, Peterson Student Services Coordinator, and Sherry Fredericks, Granger Assistant Principal, to discuss inclusive teaching practices in District 204 and their individual buildings.    Rachel and Sherry discuss the importance of an inclusive learning environment for all students in their buildings. Rachel and Sherry dive into a variety of topics to support strong instructional design.

Candy and Brian are joined by Adam Page, Metea Valley English Teacher, and Josh Robinson, Metea Valley Social Studies Teacher, to discuss strategies and ideas on creating a student-centered classroom.    Adam and Josh discuss the importance of building trusting relationships with students in class to build the foundation for a student-centered classroom. Josh and Adam also share helpful ideas to consider in supporting student learning.

Candy and Brian are joined by Melissa Wilson, Neuqua Valley Assistant Principal of Curriculum & Instruction; and Jess Thomas, Metea Valley English Department chair, to discuss best practices in supporting students.   Melissa and Jess share ideas on how to support students in achieving their greatest potential. Melissa and Jess discuss strategies that teachers in their building have used to support student engagement, learning, executive functioning, SEL, and more.

Candy and Brian are joined by Sarah Nowak, Welch Principal and Gina Getting, Welch Student Services Coordinator, to share what they have learned over the past year about teaching and student learning.    Gina and Sarah provide insights into what they have learned during the pandemic. Gina and Sarah dive into the conversations they are having in their own homes and its connections to students and teachers in District 204.

Candy and Brian are joined by Kibbie Lewis, Middle School Assistant Principal, and Joe Parratore Middle School Assistant Principal, to discuss the importance of supporting a building’s culture with a lens on equity.   Building Administrators and teachers are committed to developing a positive culture in their buildings and classrooms. Kibbie and Joe share their story in this episode of the IPSD podcast. 

Candy and Brian are joined by Lisa Traut, Neuqua Valley Department Chair & Media Communications Teacher; and Brian Wiencek, Waubonsie Valley Media Communications teacher, to share how student’s share their school’s story.   Lisa and Brian explain how students play a role at Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley in sharing information about each school. Lisa and Brian also share tips and insights about incorporating student agency into a teacher’s instruction and how students share their voice in their classroom.

Candy and Brian are joined by Al Davenport, Granger Middle School Principal, and Kathy White, Interventionist, to discuss strategies to engage stakeholders.    Granger Middle School staff share some of the innovative ways they have stayed connected to students, teachers, parents and guardians during the pandemic.

Candy and Brian are joined by Julie Many, Instructional Technology Coordinator and Math Teacher, and Jessica Walsh, CEC Instructional Specialists and ELA teacher, to discuss teaching in a concurrent classroom setting, also known as "Rooming and Zooming."   Julie and Jessica share the evolution of their teaching in a concurrent classroom this year. The group discusses ideas to support teachers who are new to concurrent teaching.

Kathy is joined by Tarah Fowler, Director of Middle School Core Curriculum, and Jessica Walsh, Instructional Specialist to discuss the updated Social Studies Curriculum for middle schools.The State of Illinois recently updated its Standards for Learning. In response, the district worked with teachers and instructional leaders to review and revise the district’s curriculum in order to implement the changes.

Kathy is joined by Jen Yavorski, Business Education teacher at Neuqua Valley High School, and Brian Giovanini, Director of Innovation, to discuss the District's development of high school course pathways.A great deal of work has begun in our high school electives to help students discover and explore potential career opportunities in order to help them succeed after graduation.

Kathy is joined by Montrine Johnson, Assistant Principal of Waubonsie Valley High School, and Candy Michelli, Director of Professional Learning, to discuss the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) work at the high school level.School District 204 is dedicated to implement a Pre-K through high school systemic approach in integrating Social Emotional Learning for our students.

Kathy joined by Molly Larson, Instructional Technology Specialist, and Kristen Mattson, LMC Director at Waubonsie Valley High School, to discuss the District's initiative in educating students in the area of safety in the digital world.Over the summer the District gathered a group of educators to develop a systemic approach and created a vision of "Working together, we will empower the community of District 204 with the skills necessary to be safe, savvy, and social digital citizens."

Kathy is joined by Leslie Mitchell, Principal of Gregory Middle School, and Kevin Schnable, Principal of McCarty Elementary School, to discuss Social Emotional Learning (SEL).Two years ago, Superintendent Dr. Karen Sullivan signed a partner with Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) that would provide the District the necessary resources to develop a PreK-12 systemic approach to Social Emotional Learning for our students.

Kathy is joined by Brian Giovanini, Director of Innovation, and Scott Nickel, Project Arrow Teacher at Cowlishaw Elementary, to discuss the District's implementation of World of Work into the curriculum.World of Work was started by Ed Hidalgo in Cajon Valley School District near San Diego, California. World of Work allows students to explore careers and learn about their own strengths, interests, and values allowing them discover their place in the world of work.

Kathy is joined by Brian Giovanini, Director of Innovation, and Tera Nordstrom, Second Grade teacher at Cowlishaw Elementary, to discuss the District's implementation of World of Work into the curriculum.World of Work was started by Ed Hidalgo in Cajon Valley School District near San Diego, California. World of Work allows students to learn about their own strengths, interests, and values through the use of the RIASEC (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional).

Kathy is joined by Tarah Fowler, Director of Middle School Core Curriculum, and Maria Walther, First Grade teacher and Instructional Specialist, to discuss the Volume Reading team's challenge of increasing student reading.A recent report from Scholastic found children are more likely to read outside of school if they are reading a book for fun in school.

In part one of this multi-episode series, Kathy is joined by Adam Smeets, Chief Technology Officer for District 204, to discuss the implementation of the District's new student information system Synergy.

Kathy is joined by Brian Giovanini, Director of Innovation, and Megan Tillotson, Middle School Instructional Technology Teacher, to discuss the importance of teaching our students Computational Thinking.With the advancement of technology in all areas of life we are starting to see the skills involved with Computational Thinking grow across all disciplines.

Kathy is joined by Adam Dyche and Don Pankuch, Social Studies Department Chairs at WVHS and MVHS.Teachers and administrators have been working to outline ways we are meeting the needs of our students through a variety of instructional practices. These range from a traditional model of face to face with the teacher to a fully online course with only online communication.

Indian Prairie School District is excited to announce Indian Prairie Podcast! Hosted by Kathy Pease, Chief Academic Officer, along with various District teachers and administrators, each episode will dive into and discuss the work being done in the District to fulfill the mission: To Inspire All Students To Achieve Their Greatest Potential.