Learn in Burke: a Burke County Public Schools Podcast

BCPS Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan sits down with the GEAR UP team to talk about how this program introduces students to the possibilities of college and university. GEAR UP is a partnership with Appalachian State University designed to prepare middle and high school students to succeed in postsecondary education. Listen to learn how BCPS students are GEARing UP for college.

In this episode of Learn in Burke, we listen in on a conversation between our Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan and Dr. Melanie Honeycutt our chief information officer as they discuss how books and supplemental materials are chosen for our media centers. They even uncover important internet safety tips that all parents need to know! This episode is a great one to take a moment to listen in on as your driving running errands or at home completing tasks off your to-do list. This episode was a part of the Superintendents Snapshot series by the City of Morganton Compas Cable! #ignitelearningBCPS #allinBCPS

It takes about 8 seconds to tie a shoelace, form a first impression or get bored with a video. For Hildebran Elementary School fifth grader William Buff, it takes exactly 8 seconds to win championships.We sit down with William and talk about how he started his career in bull riding and what it takes to be the best! You don't meet students like William Buff everyday, so don't miss out on this conversation!

School safety was the topic of our newest Superintendent's Snapshots TV segment in partnership with City of Morganton, NC Government CoMPAS Cable. We invited Sara LeCroy, our director of student and family services; Lt. Albert Becerra, one of our school resource officers and Andrew Clemens, our BCPS safety officer to talk about the issue of school safety. Don't miss out on this episode! #allinBCPS #ignitelearningBCPS

We have recently unveiled the 2023-2028 Burke County Public Schools Strategic Plan that includes our “All In Promise.” What is it? Why is it important to me or my student? These may be a few questions you have and in this podcast episode we answer them all! Our Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan and our Assistant Superintendent Dr. Karen Auton join us for this episode to break down our new strategic plan and why we are ALL IN for our students and staff!  Please subscribe to Learn in Burke on Spotify, Apple Podcast and many more platforms to keep up with each of our podcast releases. #allinBCPS @ignitinglearningBCPS  

Kindergarteners from Hildebran Elementary School have taken over the Learn in Burke podcast! We wanted to have a chat with some of our youngest students in Burke County Public Schools, so where better to go than KINDERGARTEN! Get ready to laugh, hear some advice about life and participate in sing-alongs! These students are on their way to being talk show hosts! Our kindergarteners are AWESOME!  The students who participated today were Gracie, Greylon, Graydon, Granger and Colt! Thank you to Hildebran Elementary School for hosting us!

Most of our community knows about Burke County Public Schools and Western Piedmont Community College, but do you know their leaders? What about how the two educational institutions partner together to create opportunities for workforce development? BCPS and WPCC are impacting our community in many different ways and together they are preparing more and more for the workforce or higher education. In this podcast, we touch on many different topics with WPCC President Dr. Joel Welch and BCPS Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan, including a special opportunity juniors and seniors have to attend Pioneer Preview at WPCC! So much good information is jam-packed into a 30-minute podcast, you don't want to miss it!

Inside schools we are used to seeing students learning in classrooms, laboratories or gymnasiums, but in the recent years some classrooms are turning into barns, greenhouses and grazing fields. Why may you ask? Agriculture, that's why. A growing trend is taking our students outside to see all the different ways our world grows when it comes to plants, animals and more! For this episode, our Superintendent, Dr. Mike Swan joins us as we visit East Burke High School's agriculture class to talk with student about the program. We might have even taken a stroll to the animal barn! Take a listen to hear first-hand from students as to why this class is growing in popularity.

Special Guests: Jennifer Hawkins, coordinator for MTSS and students success; Elicia Carter, school counselor at EBMS; and Sara LeCroy, director of student and family services.  Here at Burke County Public Schools, we want our students to know that as soon as they walk into their school they will be surrounded by people who care for them. In this episode of Learn in Burke, we dig deep into how we support the mental well-being of our students and staff. It is no secret that the amount of mental health services we provide through BCPS has escalated over the past couple years. We talk about different aspects of our MTSS program, the Mindfulness Classroom and the help that our many school counselors provide for each student and staff. We even offer up advice to parents on how they can help their student who may be struggling. This is a great episode for our whole community to hear! In case you have any questions for our three guests on this episode, please see their email addresses below.  Elicia Carter - eliciacarter@burke.k12.nc.us Sara LeCroy - slecroy@burke.k12.nc.us Jennifer Hawkins - jchawkins@burke.k12.nc.us

More and more we are seeing a generation of our students being raised by their grandparents. The challenges that are presented to these “grand-families” are numerous, but for the past 20+ years, we have helped them and parents who need support raising children succeed through the Burke County Public School's FUTuRES program. The program is led by Lisa Schell and Michael Massey. Take a listen on your drive home or play us during your lunch break to see how this program has changed lives for the better! #ignitelearningbcps Here is a link to the BCPS FUTuRES program site, where you can find the resources and reach out for help! - - - https://www.burke.k12.nc.us/cms/one.aspx?portalId=697882&pageId=10809314 Pictured below are Lisa Schell (left) and Michael Massey, who operate the FUTuRES program for Burke County Public Schools.

Parent Educators are a fairly new position within Burke County Public Schools and hold a very important part in making sure Hispanic students and their families are able to navigate school. Take a listen to the stories of Ted Pedro Mateo (middle), Liliana Javier Zamora (left) and Rebecca Wilcox as they share their experiences of being Parent Educators and why they do what they do. #ignitelearningbcps

It is the work in our schools that most of the time goes unnoticed… Auxiliary Services. Everything from heating and air, electrical, painting, carpentry and so many other jobs that keep our schools up and running. Dr. Bob Acord, our director of auxiliary services and Mr. Kevin Herron, assistant director of auxiliary services take a moment to explain how they keep each of our schools in tip-top shape for our staff and students. #ignitelearningbcps

Burke County Public Schools takes pride in every single one of our students, especially those in our Exceptional Children's Department who need some extra love and support. For this episode of the Learn in Burke podcast, we take a little time with Exception Children's Director Shane Mace to understand all the ins and outs of special education and how we support our students with special needs. This podcast is also for parents who may suspect disabilities in their child and the steps that they can take to get the best support from BCPS! This is a info-packed podcast that you don't want to miss. Thanks for joining us today and Happy Friday! #ignitelearningbcps

There are many who have heard of “shop class” and think it has come and gone and is no longer a part of our schools anymore, but they are wrong. We have morphed these hands-on learning programs into what we now call Career and Technical Education. Same thing, just upgraded to the next level! In this episode of the "Learn in Burke" podcast, we sit down with two of Burke County Public School's leaders in the CTE department: Mrs. Debbie Jennings, director of CTE and Mrs. Jamie Norton, CTE coordinator. They both explain how CTE is paving the way for our students to build their future in the career and technical education realm.  

Burke County Public Schools leaders including Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Karen Auton and Director of Elementary Education Dr. Brett Wilson sat down recently to reflect on the many ways our school district has overcome the challenges COVID-19 has presented. We invite you to listen in on this exclusive conversation to see how even in these trying times we are still igniting learning for a brighter future!

We all know that many things have changed in the world, especially how children are being taught. In this episode of Learn in Burke, we bring on members of the Burke County Public Schools Leadership Team to talk about several different ways we have adapted to school closures, remote learning, food distribution and how we will get through this together. This is a longer podcast, but there is a great amount of valuable information that will be worth the time!

It is National Bus Driver Appreciation Week! In this week’s episode we sit down with a few who help to transport our students to and from school everyday. Bob Acord; director of transportation, Sylvia Phillips; a bus driver and transportation clerk and Terry Lowman, bus mechanic. Pop in your earbuds, turn us on in your car or play us in the background at work. However you tune in, make sure listen to Learn in Burke to see how our bus drivers go above in beyond!                           Pictured above (far left) are Bob Acord; director of transportation, Sylvia Phillips; a bus driver and transportation clerk and Terry Lowman, bus mechanic.

In this episode of Learn in Burke, we sit down and discuss a topic that many teens in today’s society are affected by … vaping. Two of our very own students from Draughn High School, Gillian and Cadence, are members of the Burke Youth Health Coalition. We discuss the negative effects of vaping and what signs parents and teachers should be looking for to determine if their child/student is vaping. The BYHC is also in the process of organizing a new opportunity to learn more about the negative effects of vaping for parents, teachers and students. You don’t want to miss this episode! Don't forget to subscribe to Learn in Burke on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to stay up to date with our latest podcasts! Pictured above are Cadence (left) and Gillian.

In this week’s episode, we discuss with Johnnie Carswell, chair of the Burke County Board of Commissioners, Lance Riddle, assistant to the county manager, and Dr. Larry Putnam, Superintendent of Burke County Public Schools, a topic that affects every single person in Burke County. The 2020 U.S. Census is taking place this year and will have a huge impact on the county in many different ways. Each of these leaders encourages everyone to be counted and they explain how the process will take place. Take a listen to see how you can make a difference for Burke County! #burkecounts #ignitelearningbcps   Pictured below are Dr. Larry Putnam, superintendent of BCPS, Lance Riddle, assistant to the county manager, and Johnnie Carswell, chair of the Burke County Board of Commissioners.

In this episode of Learn in Burke: a Burke County Public Schools Podcast, we sit down with leadership from Chartwells, the schools system’s independent food service management company; Daniel Wall, child nutrition director; and Superintendent Dr. Larry Putnam. We open up and discuss how ‘cafeteria food’ has changed over the years and how it is not ‘your momma’s kitchen’, the goals we have for increasing student and staff participation and what the process is like in bringing in new menu items to students. Pictured above (from left) are Jonelle Bobak, marketing and communications specialist; Daniel Wall, child nutrition director; Superintendent Dr. Larry Putnam; Chef Nick Bobotas; and Aaron Probst, senior director of dining services. Pictured below are several school nutrition personnel at East Burke High School preparing lunch for their students.

Visits to the doctor’s office is a trip that every parent and/or guardian will have to take with their child. Getting sick is inevitable, but Burke County Public Schools is using a program that gets students on the path to recovery quickly and efficiently. In this episode of Learn in Burke, we sit down with multiple health officials including Miranda Michaels, director of nursing for BPCS; Allison Bell, program director for Health-e-Schools; and Dr. Tonya Shuffler (DNP), a nurse practitioner with Health-e-Schools. Each of these women is involved with the telemedicine program that serves every single one of our schools. Through the use of advanced technology, the program brings the doctor right into the school. Take a listen and hear how this program helps keep our students and employees well. We also are given tips on how to stay germ-free not only for the winter season, but all year long. Pictured above (from left) are Miranda Michaels, Dr. Tonya Shuffler (who joined us via video chat) and Allison Bell. Pictured below is a school nurse using the telemedicine equipment during student health visit.

We all know what winter brings. Snow and ice. Some love it and some, such as Dr. Larry Putnam, Superintendent of Burke County Public Schools, do not particularly enjoy what it accumulates onto the roads. With winter approaching quickly, in this episode we talk with Putnam, Doug Setzer, director of auxiliary services and Dr. Bob Acord, director of transportation, about how the decision is made to close school, delay the start or release early due to inclement weather. We look at what is done behind the scene days before a predicted weather storm moves in and how we partner with agencies from surrounding counties to help make the best decision to keep our students and teachers safe. Take a listen so you will know how to sign up for school cancellation notifications! Don't forget to subscribe to Learn in Burke by email, or by looking us up on Apple Podcasts or TuneIn app. Podcast music by Scott Holmes Music. Pictured below (from left) are Doug Setzer, Dr. Larry Putnam and Dr. Bob Acord.

In this episode of Learn in Burke: a Burke County Public Schools Podcast we prepare our students for higher education after high school with help from the Gear Up program coordinators Kim Logan and Jessica Stockham. Crucial advice is given out to parents as well!   We answer many college questions that all high school students and even those who are younger will need to know. Don't miss this one ladies and gentlemen!   Podcast intro and outro music by Scott Holmes Music. Pictured to the right are Jessica Stockham (left) and Kim Logan, who serve as the Gear Up Coordinators for Burke County Public Schools through the Gear Up grant.

Here is the last episode in our podcast series featuring our Board of Education members Sam Wilkinson and Seth Hunt Jr. We sit down to talk about why they decided to join the Burke County Board of Education, what they hope each student is able to accomplish and much more. Take a listen! Podcast intro and outro music by Scott Holmes Music. Pictured below are board members Seth Hunt Jr. and Sam Wilkinson.  

For the second podcast in our Board of Education three-part series, we talk with board members Randy Burns, R.L. Icard and Buddy Armour to learn more about them and why they have a passion for public education. Take a listen to Learn in Burke: a Burke County Public School's Podcast! *Podcast intro and outro music by Scott Holmes Music. Pictured below are board members Randy Burns, Buddy Armour and R.L. Icard.

In this episode of Learn in Burke, we sit down with Burke County Board of Education members Don Hemstreet and Edna Weller to learn more about them and their role in our students education.   Pictured above are Board of Education members Don Hemstreet (left) and Edna Weller.

In this episode of Learn in Burke: a Burke County Public Schools Podcast we are on site at the recent MADE Competition at the Historic Morganton Festival. We take a peek into what students were creating for the competition and talk with their teachers about the purpose of Project Lead the Way.