There is an overwhelming passion in regards to education that has lived in me since I was a young boy running around the campus of Nebraska Christian College in Norfolk, NE. This college has since moved to Papillion, NE, and with it the many memories that shaped who I am today. I will never forget this small community of people who helped raise me into understanding the importance and significance of a school as family.
Fast forward to 2017, and I am currently in my 9th year in education. I serve as PK-12th grade principal at Lyons-Decatur Northeast, a school of approximately 276 students grades PK-12th. Our communities of Lyons and Decatur are typical of rural communities, seeking to revitalize our towns. However, our communities are also quite unique in that we are seeking to attract people through our some innovative features that we are so proud including a storefront theater that has already won a national award (see this link for more info http://www.cfra.org/news/160617/lyons-storefront-theater-honored-national-award, a new swimming pool that attracts people from several towns and communities, a Veteran's Memorial in downtown Lyons, the Missouri River and two restaurants (POP-n-DOC's & Green Lantern) with a third coming soon in Decatur, and a local arts and culture group of people who work tirelessly to offer opportunities to all ages of people. (I did not name everything, so my apologies in advance to those I left off this list.)
This is a special place, and yet, there is something that makes this place really standout, and it is the way in which the school engages the community. Our people and especially our teachers have taken it upon themselves (Thank you especially to Mrs. Sharp, Mrs. Mace, and Mrs. Wakeley!!!) to offer a myriad of opportunities for our students to be involved in their communities. It has become a tradition for our students to do community service in Decatur and Lyons every year. We continue to set new records for the amount of goods we raise for our local food bank called Hearts & Hands. We do a program called Empower Your Genius that partners ALL of our students grades PK-12th grade to engage in activities together in a mentoring-style manner, so that our older students learn how to be leaders through a variety of activities once per month. We raised nearly $12,000 to help get the Veteran's Memorial project completed (discussed earlier) through our Empower Your Genius program and the tireless work of our special teachers. Did I mention that this was a special place? :)
I also have the tremendous opportunity to teach government to our seniors. This is where Community Studio comes into the picture. This project started four years ago following a technology conference that inspired me to offer opportunities that extended learning from the classroom to the community. Over the summer, these ideas inspired research into Google's 20% Time project where employees use 20% of their time to be innovative and creative. We ran with the idea, and thanks in large part to Jamie Horter, a local artist and independent contractor with the local newspaper in town, we created what is now known as Community Studio that every senior in our school takes part. The requirements are simple: produce a product or achieve a goal that benefits the community. However, the process is tedious, and we continue to find ways to improve how we work with students.
Anyway, our project has evolved and seniors now also participate in a mini-project called Senior Spotlight that helps students prepare for the larger project of Community Studio. Students interview a senior citizen of their choice from Lyons or Decatur. They also must take several photos of the senior citizen, and they produce a professional quality portrait and interview that is displayed downtown Lyons and at the Sears Center in Decatur. Each student presents their project in both communities in a gallery-walk style that draws nearly 60-75 people the past 2 years.
While I am still learning how to be a better community person, it has been an honor and a pleasure to work with the people of Lyons and Decatur communities. These people will do ANYTHING to support their kids. And...the kids will do anything to help their communities. Please check out our class website http://www.communitystudio.xyz/ to read and see the amazing things our students have done for their towns. And...if you can make it, we will be doing our annual presentation of projects on Friday, April 28, just in time for the seniors to leave our doors and make an impact on the world around them in whatever capacity they are so called. I am so thankful for my Lyons-Decatur family who continues to teach me more of what it is to be engaged in community!
