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Hear Hoover podcast releases first student created episode

Hoover’s sixth grade class was inspired by listening to their favorite influencers over the summer, and requested a building-wide podcast of their own this fall. With support from principal Tom Harskamp, and sixth/eighth grade teacher April Kleinschmidt, students were able to dive right into creating their first episode.

“Students decided to share school-related information for Hoover families to listen to, detailing academic curriculum, athletic competitions, and art explorations in addition to student and faculty interviews,” said Kleinschmidt.

The Hear Hoover podcast is an after school activity open to all Hoover middle school students.

While the podcast is being shared internally currently, Kleinschmidt says after learning the content rhythm of a few episodes, they may begin to share them publicly as well. For now, Hear Hoover’s creators are excited to share their voices, crafting their own narrative of what being a Hoover student means to them.

“I think podcasts help us to get off screens and just listen,” said sixth grader, Zoe Van Der Veer. “They help us get the news without a screen, and highlight our day with a bit of comedy.”

Hoover parents can find the first episode of the podcast in their weekly school newsletter.

Career Inspire Event Creates Waves of Innovation for Waterloo Schools Students

Students flowed through the Career Inspire catalyst Thursday and Friday last week, soaking in their potential with each step and innovation. Cedar Valley professionals were equally enthusiastic, beaming with pride for their industries, personal passions, and love of sharing their craft with the next generation. This inaugural Career Inspire event enabled the Waterloo community to come full circle, sharing information across generational lines while expanding the foreseen career horizons for middle and high school students.

“It’s a moment for me,” said Amy Hunzlman, experiential learning coordinator. “There has been such a rapport with these eighth and ninth grade students with the business sector. It’s been pretty special these past couple days seeing how students are connecting with careers, finding their ahas and interests, and endless possibilities.” 

Upon entry, each class of students was assigned one of six designated industry-specific rooms for a twenty minute exploration period. After each elapsed session, students would rotate to the next, absorbing the potential careers for applied science (math, engineering, and mathematics),  agriculture and natural resources, transportation/logistics/architecture/construction, health sciences, human services, arts/communications/information solutions, and business/finance/marketing/management. 

One unique component of the event is the separation between the displaying companies and their featured experiences. While John Deere showcased their $80,000 3-D modeling equipment, students only saw Career Inspire volunteers instead of the company’s iconic green and yellow branding. This intentional detachment helped participants to focus conversations on the technology itself and the many career opportunities available to students. 

“We are honored to be a part of this experience for students. We have been a long time partner with not only Waterloo Schools, but Junior Achievement,” said Mindy Schmidt, Community Relations Manager at John Deere. “This is just one wonderful opportunity to be able to have our students just kind of dip their toes into career exploration to say maybe there’s an interest and it can build on the plans that Waterloo Schools is doing.” 

According to the Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa (JA-EI) team, the event takes roughly a year to plan, with designated committees responsible for each industry sector. 2022 marks the first year for the event, and both Waterloo Schools and JA-EI are eager to get planning underway for years to come. 

“The planning team really thought about what are those core businesses within the Cedar Valley that we can lean into that would make sense in the six pathways that align from the governor’s perspective of education – and tying that in,” said Schmidt.

Many education officials celebrated the launch of this Waterloo centric event, including Dr. Ann Lebo, Iowa’s Director of Education. 

“We have so many opportunities within our own communities,” said Lebo. “We need to sell who we are. We need to engage our schools and communities together, so we can support new businesses, and let kids know there’s real opportunities for them right here.” 

The Career Inspire event was hosted by JA-EI in collaboration with Waterloo Schools.  In total over 1,500 students attended the event from Waterloo middle and high schools. Cary Weiland, Expo Alternative Learning Center principal, believes that this event will have an impact on his students for years to come.

“Our students were able to experience careers that in most cases they weren’t even thinking about,” said Weiland. “I would one hundred percent recommend this opportunity. I wish I had this type of experience when I was their age.”

According to Dr. Jared Smith, Superintendent at Waterloo Community School District, the Career Inspire event is one of many career-focused experiences across students k-12 curriculum with Waterloo Schools. 

“Our career development initiatives are a top priority for Waterloo Schools,” said Smith. “And Career Inspire has been a powerful and exciting opportunity for our students to take another big step to discover where their passions meet professions.”

The Influence of Positive Parent Engagement

Parent-teacher conferences have wrapped up, and with them, a reminder of the infinite impact our communities have on our students. From teachers, to coaches, parents, and siblings, the environment we create around each child influences their education in a way beyond books or test scores. 

A large piece of this interactive environment is derived from parent engagement with the school system as children grow through their different buildings. Everything from assisting with homework, attending extracurricular activities, and listening to students when they have ambitions and concerns that need to be heard helps students know the work they’re engaged in is valued and important to those they hold dear. 

According to A New Wave of Evidence, “When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more.” 

Additionally, the CDC says, “Research shows that parent engagement in schools is closely linked to better student behavior, higher academic achievement, and enhanced social skills.” 

At Waterloo Schools, our teachers can see the positive impact of parental engagement every day within their classrooms. 

“Students are so excited to share their goals, achievements, and pride binders with their families,” said Bridget Brandt, second grade teacher at Dr. Walter Cunningham School of Excellence. “Knowing that their families will participate in conferences gives them an extra boost of confidence and excitement to their learning throughout the school year.” 

The same can be said for potentially negative impacts students receive inside or outside the home. 

“When a student does not have a family member actively involved in their schooling, the student is aware of this lack of engagement.” said Emily Nickel, second grade teacher at Lou Henry. “They may respond to a teacher’s redirections or consequences toward their negative classroom behaviors with defensive remarks, which can lead to that negative behavior continuing, causing further disruption.”

Teaching takes a community, and at Waterloo Schools, we want to help give educators and parents all the information and resources needed to succeed. Thankfully, parent-teacher conferences are just one piece of the puzzle – offering an opportunity to talk specifics about a student with teachers in a one-on-one setting. 

“Parental involvement is collaboration between home and school,” said Hattie Graves, kindergarten teacher and team lead at Dr. Walter Cunningham School of Excellence. “There can be a very high positive effect on students who have parents that are involved, and collaboration should build trust between all parties involved. Parents are powerful; they can provide teachers with insight and knowledge when the focus is on improving student achievement.”

We understand that not every parent can attend every parent-teacher conference, but we greatly appreciate the opportunity to get to know those in attendance, and encourage absent parents to make the time as often as they are able. 

Together as a community, we can continue to lift our students up as they show the world how bold they can be. 

 

Career Inspire event encourages students to explore local Waterloo careers

On Thursday and Friday, October 6-7, 2022, Waterloo Schools eighth and ninth graders engaged in hands-on career-ready experiences with more than 60 Cedar Valley businesses at the inaugural Career Inspire event at the Waterloo Convention Center. 

 “This year, we were thrilled to partner with Junior Achievement (JA) to offer Career Inspire to every single eighth and ninth grade student,” said Waterloo Schools Superintendent Dr. Jared Smith. “It was very exciting to see our community coming together to support our students and our districts.” 

According to Smith, this experience expanded upon Waterloo Schools’ career development work which officially began in 2016 with the opening of the Waterloo Career Center. 

“Exposure to professionals in a variety of industries and careers allows students to see their potential future in action through the Career Inspire event,” said Amy Miehe, Lead Administrator at the Waterloo Career Center. “More importantly, students got to interact with professionals in industries and careers of underrepresented populations such as male nurses, women in the trades, etc. The hope is to encourage students to see their future opportunities and be inspired by the many role models working within our community.”

“Think of the Career Inspire event as a shopping mall of careers,” said Amy Hunzelman, Experiential Learning Coordinator. “Students will shop around to different activities figuring out what ‘fits’ and what sparks their interest.”

The Career Inspire event is a hands-on career exploration experience for eighth and ninth grade Waterloo Schools students. Many local businesses from the community showcased their career paths for students, including the steps needed to obtain a specific job, and how to start preparing for their desired career while attending Waterloo Schools. More than 60 businesses participated in the event including Veridian, Hawkeye, UNI, and John Deere.

“We reached out to several community leaders in each of the six service areas within Iowa, and they did a great job of actively recruiting a diverse field of businesses,” said Jeff Frost, Executive Director of Professional Technical Education. 

According to Frost, students find their passions and path to careers throughout their K-12 journey with Waterloo Schools. 

“We have some students that lock onto their career interests early and follow that all the way through graduation and beyond,” said Frost. “Programs we offer, such as LifeLabs, Career Inspire, our own Middle School Exploratory, all help students narrow that focus.” 

The Career Inspire event, unique to the Cedar Valley and its direct connection to the Waterloo Schools’ district-wide K-12 Career Development strategy, was attended by Iowa’s Director of Education, Ann Lebo.

“Our career development initiatives are a top priority for Waterloo Schools,” said Smith. “And Career Inspire has been a powerful and exciting opportunity for our students to take another big step to discover where their passions meet professions.”

 

Learning About Mental Health Resources with Autumn Scrage, LISW

According to school-based mental health therapist, Autumn Schrage, LISW, depression and anxiety are the two most commonly diagnosed mental health issues for adolescents and teens today. With the compounding effect of social media and the COVID-19 pandemic, she says the trend of comparison culture without the participation of in-person interaction has given rise to the increase of mental health issues across the country. 

“Comparison culture is where people are comparing themselves to other people their age,” said Schrage. “Often making them feel less than or that they are not living up to the same standards as other people their age.” Overall, she cites this as a key factor to the unrealistic expectations students often begin to hold for themselves, leading to significant distress and potential feelings of worthlessness, low self-esteem, poor sleep habits, and nervousness. 

While the effects of mental health issues can be trying to work through alone, there are support resources for both individuals and caregivers through school and community programs. Schrage’s first recommendation for a student who is experiencing mental health issues is to encourage them to share that information with a parent or caregiver. “If they would prefer to talk with a school staff member, I would recommend that they reach out to their guidance counselor or administrator,” said Schrage. “They can get them connected to a variety of different mental health services and resources.” Mental health therapy sessions are available to all Waterloo K-12 Schools students.

For individuals who are in an active crisis, Schrage recommends using the newly established 9-8-8 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This is a 24/7, free, and confidential service available to anyone experiencing a mental health crisis, concerns with substance abuse, thoughts of suicide, or any other kind of emotional distress. Services can be accessed by calling or texting 9-8-8 or through live chat at www.988lifeline.org/chat. Either way, the person will be connected to a trained crisis counselor who will listen, assess their needs and concerns, provide support, and get them connected to appropriate resources in their area. It is important to note that the calling option is available in 250 languages whereas the texting and chatting options are only available in English. All of these options are available to those who are experiencing a mental health crisis or someone who is concerned for another. 

For parents who want to discuss mental health with their children, Schrage says it’s important to listen. “It is important to remain calm and listen non judgmentally. It is better to ask and be wrong than to not ask at all.”

While many discussions can lead to an open dialogue about ongoing mental health, if a child or teen reports having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, assess whether they are in immediate danger, and if so, seek emergency services right away. If there is not an immediate risk, encourage them to speak with a professional. 

Within the schools are Resource Navigators and other professional staff that can also assess students’ needs and provide them direction to the proper resources. “To receive mental health therapy services, a parent or guardian will need to provide consent for the child,” said Schrage. “If a student is 18 or older, they can consent to therapy services without a guardian’s permission.” 

Schrage notes that the pandemic has created immediate and lasting effects on the mental health of people of all ages. “Many young people and their families have been significantly impacted by the pandemic due to job loss, isolation, death of loved ones, loss of relationships, and health concerns.” She says that all of these factors can lead individuals to feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, grief, increased sadness, sleep disturbances, and/or increased anxiety. “Clinically, I have seen an increase in social anxiety with more students who are nervous about being in public places because they feel they do not have the social skills and friendship they once had.” 

While mental health issues continue trending upwards, thankfully mental health awareness and understanding are trending upwards with it. 

Autumn Schrage, LISW is a Lead School-Based Mental Health Therapist at Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Center – Unity Point. 

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