As students, teachers, and staff of Eminence settle in for the third week of classes all of us are noticing some changes in our school system. Some major changes include: a 9 period bell schedule, some new staff and teachers, as well as many others. And our administrative team is no exception.
Firstly our Education Coordinator/Athletic Director/School Safety Specialist/Jack of All Trades Mr. Brian Burelison is bringing many new ideas, protocols, and sports to Eminence. In regards to school safety Mr. Burelison is making headway with the new protocol knows as ALICE. He is also “plan[ing] on starting a school safety team and meeting regularly to make sure we are ensuring everyone’s safety at the school.” As education coordinator he intends to “provide more assistance to teachers to better assist our students in need.” In administration he plans on continuing to improve and monitor the Senior Academy. Mr. Burelison has also introduced a new sport to Eminence athletics… wrestling. He has brought with him the first ever wrestling program in Eminence history. For only his second year here at Eminence he sure has made some major changes, and all for the better!
Next up is our second year guidance counselor Ms. Hannah Sightes, who is also making some big changes to our lovely school. One of her goals for elementary students is to “include a lot more social-emotional learning (SEL), social skills, coping skills, and emotional regulation integrated every day in the classroom and also through monthly lessons from me[Ms. Sightes].” To do this she plans to implement “morning meetings” every day. These are “a 20-30 minute meeting where students work on building a strong sense of community, improving the climate and culture of the classroom, and learning social skills.” Another one of her goals is to also introduce some “social-emotional skills as well as have a strong focus on employability skills,” she plans to do this with weekly lessons in Pathways that “focus on things like emotions, mindfulness, stress, and employability skills.”
Our long time favorite Mrs. Ashley Wilcoxen is also excited to see lots of great things this school year. She hopes to be seen more in classrooms, and watch more students grow throughout the year.
Mr. Dustin Adams, our principal, is also making a few changes this school year, such as “enhancements to the baseball field, a STEM-focused food lab, development of an athletic complex, and a couple surprises.” He also hopes for there to be less bullying, fewer discipline issues, and happier students and teachers. These are just a few of his hopes for this year, and we all hope to see them come to fruition.
So as you can see our administrative team is reaching for new heights. I’m sure we are all excited for them to see these through!