Governor Tim Pawlenty gave ninth-grade student Janice Holdvogt a high five and told her “keep up the great work,” after learning she had scored a 100 on the reading section of her basic skills test (BST). Before this event, Holdvogt talked with the governor and Commissioner of Education Cheri Pierson-Yecke about how reading used to be difficult for her. “I had a reading problem in elementary school,” said Holdvogt. She continued to describe how she had trouble with phonics, since she never really learned or understood them when they were taught to her in fourth grade. The staff at EV-W recognized this problem and worked with Holdvogt. In elementary school, a teacher worked every day with her for an hour. At the high school, she recalled having a separate English class taught by the school’s art teacher, during her prep hour. Holdvogt said, “She caught me up on phonics.” Holdvogt also credits her success to EV-W teacher Ms. Denny, who worked with students and gave them practice tests to prepare for the BST. “A month before the test, Ms. Denny took me during her prep hour and went through pre-test material. Afterwards, she told us what we did wrong.” When the test results came in, each student was brought in separately and told their results. As Holdvogt came into the room, Ms. Denny was crying. Holdvogt reciprocated the emotion, thinking she had missed passing by one point. “Then, she told me I passed with a score of 100,” said Holdvogt. At first, Holdvogt didn’t believe it and then she was just in shock. “I was proud because I really wanted to do well on my test.” The governor’s visit The gym full of Eden Valley-Watkins students exploded with applause and cheers on Wednesday, April 30, as Governor Pawlenty said, “We are here to celebrated your accomplishments … [you are] one of the best school districts in the state.” Commission Yecke added, “We want to take these islands of excellence throughout the state and learn from them. Then, we want to share this information with everyone around the state.” All in a day’s work EV-W was given a one-day notice to prepare for the big event. Upon finding out the governor would visit, the administration announced the news to their students. High School Principal for seventh-ninth-grade students, Bruce Kiehn said, “The halls were just buzzing when the students found out. The students were excited and eager.” The administration quickly organized two groups to meet with the governor and the commissioner. They asked teachers to identify and select students for the honor of meeting with the governor. Another group of elementary and high school staffers was organized. Their purpose was to tell the state officials about their experiences in the district and to share what they felt EV-W was doing right. Students’ advice A group of more than ten high school students met with the governor. They told him how the teachers test the students and split them into different groups based on their abilities. The school teaches a high, middle and low skill level section of each subject. Like most schools, EV-W teachers spend about 30 minutes of their class time in lecture. The rest of the time is given to the students for them to work on homework problems and ask questions if they don’t understand. Teachers also spend the beginning of class periods reviewing previous lessons and going over students’ questions. The students also told the governor and commissioner that there is an option to move up to a different section if they are beginning to understand the concepts. One student said, “Teachers gradually make sure you can keep up your grades and then they will move you up.” The students also cited an example of how one student was having trouble in an upper-level class. They explained that she struggled with her homework and had a hard time understanding some of the concepts. However, this student worked really hard and the teachers didn’t want to move her down into a different section. They didn’t want to discourage this student or take away her challenge, since she was seeking help. “The one thing that stuck out [when meeting with the students] was that the staff members are not just teachers. They care for the students like they are their own kids.” Faculty advice About twenty faculty met with the governor after the students. They wrote up a cheat sheet for the governor, entitled “Educating One Child at a Time: Keys to Success.” The faculty identified the school’s curriculum process, wide range of opportunities and small class sizes as keys to success. They also talked about the faculty team effort and dedication. Most impressive was how the school staff worked together. Teachers gave examples of how all paraprofessionals are treated and respected the same as teachers by students and staff. The teachers, no matter what their area of expertise, support all fields of study. A math teacher may provide a social studies context in his or her class, and all teachers make sure grammar is correct on students’ assignments. The faculty is also very supportive of the students in everything they do. Many teachers described how they are involved outside of the classroom. Staff members described how they went to student’s extra curricular activities to know the students on a more personal level. One teacher noted that she could write a book about all of the great things that were happening at EV-W school. She said she has seen so many staffers go out of their way for students – one faculty member give a student lunch money, another told a student how great they were at a certain sport and another teacher helped provide funds for a student to go on a field trip. Best of all, the educators noted that this was done behind the scenes and teachers did not do it for recognition, they only did it for the students. One teacher said, “The administration on down takes time for the kids.” Finally, the faculty spent a lot of time talking about how they were constantly reviewing their curriculum. High school and elementary staffers would meet to talk about what was working and what was not. Combining efforts, the separate schools could learn where students were struggling in the high school and how this could be traced back to what they learned or struggled with in elementary. The staff said that this really worked well to make sure that the students and staff were on track. While meeting with the faculty, Gov. Pawlenty described their efforts as “a switch lever to self-motivation [in the students].” Before leaving, Gov. Pawlenty and Commissioner Yecke had time to meet with other community members who were involved in the success of the students. EV-W administration – in it for the students After talking about the success of the students on the BST, Superintendent and principal for tenth- to twelfth-graders, Larry Peterson noted that while the students did great on the test, “You can’t just measure a school on one test.” He continued to describe how the school is great in many areas, but they are always looking for ways to improve. “We may be doing great, but we are not perfect, we still need to keep working [to make it better].” Kiehn added, “We are continuously looking for areas to improve and we will always do this.” Both men pointed out that their students succeed because the school does what works best for the students. After visiting EV-W, Governor Pawlenty also went to Sartell and the Twin Cities Academy. The EV-W visit was a very worthwhile experience, not just for students and staff, but for the government officials, too. Commissioner Yecke said, “We have had a great conversation with the teachers and the kids. You guys are all doing something wonderful here.”
