As Central Lee’s teachers and staff return to school next week, their immediate focus will be on engaging in the district’s top priorities for the 2022-23 school year.
Over the past several years, Central Lee has emphasized workplace readiness for high school students and has been gradually expanding those efforts to the elementary and middle school levels.
“We made incredible strides last year in finding opportunities for all high school students to engage in the workplace,” said Dr. Andy Crozier, Superintendent. “This year, we are working hard to ensure all stakeholders understand the importance of leadership skills in creating high-quality graduates who either attend college or enter the workforce.”
On Tuesday, August 16, staff will gather to engage in continued learning around the district’s leadership initiative, which is The Leader in Me for grades K-5 and Lead for grades 6-12. The district’s philosophy is that leadership is the foundation of creating students who are college and career ready once they leave high school.
The leadership program leverages Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” and also includes goal setting and performance strategies from “The Four Disciplines of Execution.”
“The Leader in Me framework we have instilled has had a very positive impact on our culture for learning and growing for both students and teachers. We create our WIGs [Wildly Important Goals], track the lead measures that impact them, and celebrate successes,” said Angie Fransk, Curriculum Director. “It’s a constant effort of collecting data, making adjustments when we are not on track, and holding each other accountable to our goals. The process can be challenging, but it has been rewarding to our efforts.”
On Wednesday, August 17, staff will tour multiple workplaces in southeast Iowa, including Fort Madison Hospital, Huffman’s Welding, ConAgra, and Climax. The workplace tour, coordinated in partnership with Southeastern Community College, will expose teachers to Lee County workplace opportunities, increase awareness of needed skills, and an understanding of the top economic challenges for Lee County businesses.
Central Lee continues to expand personnel for programming around college and career readiness. Last year, the district hired Brent Koller to oversee the high school’s internship, job shadowing, and workplace learning program. This year, the district has welcomed Amy Fraise to build computer science programming at the middle and high school levels.
Central remains committed to bridging the gap between classroom and industry. The district hopes to build and leverage partnerships with Lee County industries to better serve students. Teachers participating will be able to utilize knowledge gained from industry tours to increase interest and awareness of business and employment opportunities in Lee County for Central Lee students.