The staff at Indian Lake Schools is looking to the future and finding ways to adapt in education as we enter the 2023-24 school year.
The entire staff gathered recently for an all-district Opening Day meeting in the auditorium. Indian Lake Superintendent Dr. Rob Underwood started off by encouraging all staff members — from teachers, to custodians, from educational aides to bus drivers — to be proud of their role in educating future leaders in our community.
“Share your story and be positive,” Dr. Underwood said. “You do something that’s really, really important and that’s vital to our future.”
Then the superintendent asked everyone in the meeting to take out their cell phones and send a quick text of appreciation to someone who inspired or supported their dreams.
Next, Dr. Underwood and Indian Lake Director of Curriculum Kelli Tebbe-Miller unveiled the theme for the year, “Adjust the Sails.”
They agree that educators must continue to adjust methods of instruction to target what is best for students, including what it looks like to teach with the insurgence of artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT.
“We’re getting you the resources so that you can use it (AI) effectively. Our kids are going out into a work world that’s just different from the world we used to prepare them for, so we’ve got to keep evolving and adapting.”
During Opening Day, Indian Lake School also recognized staff members for their years of service with special awards.
They are:
IL District- Carrie Cummins (5 years), Kelli Tebbe-Miller (5 years), Jeff Courter (15 Years) and Molly Hall (20 years)
Transportation- Barb Scherer (5 years), Amy Stevens (5 years), Dan Young (10 years) and Holly Dalton (10 years)
ILHS- Paige Dukowitz-Holt (5 years), Amber King (5 years-kitchen), Ryan Lillard (10 years), Richard Yocum (10 years), Jessica Tussing (15 years), Alexis Scheiderer (20 years), Brian Sutton (25 years) and Greg Tuttle (25 years)
ILMS- Christina Fullerton (10 years), Hillary Wickline (10 years), Elizabeth Kopus (10 years), Pam Minnich (15 years), Valarie Rapp (15 years), Kelly Wagner (25 years), Jana Core (25 years) and Amy Fatone (30 years)
ILES- Michelle Parsell (5 years), Amber Barnett (10 years), Sarah Beres (10 years), Kristen Soon (10 years), Holly Klauer (10 years), Tonya Neer (10 years-kitchen), Liz Wolf (15 years), Jennifer Downing (15 years), Wes Hall (20 years), Christi Warnecke (20 years), Pamela Mendenhall (25 years), Sarah Elliott (25 years), Deb Maddox (25 years) and Kris Crockett (30 years)
Prior to the Opening Day Meeting, the ILHS Food Service staff prepared breakfast for the staff to enjoy together as they begin the year.
The rest of Opening Day was filled with additional building and grade levels meeting and classroom preparations.
School starts on Wednesday, Aug. 30.
Indian Lake Curriculum Director Kelli Tebbe-Miller explains the meaning behind the theme for the year, “Adjust the Sails.” (Indian Lake Schools Photo)