Education

PROGRESS • FEBRUARY 26, 2017

EDUCATION What’s inside?

“It’s nice to connect in a positive way. It’s just a fun way to connect with people.”

— DIANE SCHULTZ

SIBLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

Recognizing everyday

HEROES

A man of many hats From Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea to the school board, Mark Ciota is one busy person.

Page 2

Teachers’ art What kind of art do the art teachers within the Albert Lea district make?

Page 3

Making a difference

Albert Lea’s Ted Herman has been a school resource officer for 17 years.

Page 4

Tyrone Stout in Mike Olson’s third-grade class reacts as his name is read out for the everyday heroes program at Sibley Elementary School. COLLEEN HARRISON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

Sibley Elementary students recognized for good deeds

By Colleen Harrison

colleen.harrison@albertleatribune.com

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A

nyone can be an everyday hero.

That’s the thinking behind the everyday hero program at Sibley Elementary School that has steadily gained momentum since its introduction.

Diane Schultz, in her second year as the school’s principal, said the program was introduced last year. When it didn’t have much momentum initially, Schultz said the school staff took it upon themselves to make it more prominent this school year.

The program entails students getting nominated for good deeds by fellow students and teachers. Schultz said some of the deeds have ranged from helping others pick up their things, shutting lockers and being consistently prepared for reading time and other assignments. Nominations are made by filling out everyday hero cards, which are then submitted to Schultz. Schultz reads the nominations out during morning announcements, and then either emails or calls the nominees’ parents to share the good news.

See HEROES, Page 2

PAGE 2 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PROGRESS 2017 | EDUCATION | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017

HE’S A MAN OF MANY HATS NEVER A DULL MOMENT FOR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, CEO

By Sarah Stultz sarah.stultz@albertleatribune.com

Long gone is the traditional 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job for Albert Lean Mark Ciota.

In the middle of duties at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin, Ciota serves on the Albert Lea School Board, among numerous other committees.

He has been with the Albert Lea hospital — now known as Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea — since August 1995, after completing his training in Dayton, Ohio.

“I get to help people who have injuries — get them back to doing what they’re doing,” he said.

He started out as an orthopedic surgeon and got into administration after one year — beginning on the committee level.

He became chief executive officer of the Albert Lea location in 2004 and CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin in 2012.

He is also on the board of trustees for Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin, serves as chairman for a committee on community engagement for locations in southeast Minnesota and is the chairman of surgery in that region, as well. He serves on a board at the Hormel Foundation and on the Riverland Presidential Advisory Board.

Despite his administrative duties, Ciota continues to practice in the orthopedics department and is partners in Albert Lea with Dr. Michael Eckstrom.

He conducts surgeries on Tuesdays in Albert Lea and on Wednesdays in Austin.

“The orthopedic side, if it’s broken you replace it or fix it,” Ciota said. “The administrative side, it’s

Students along with teachers and other Sibley Elementary School staff can nominate someone at the school as an everyday hero by filling out a card and turning it into school Principal Diane Schultz. COLLEEN HARRISON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

HEROES Continued from Front Page

Before Ciota started in administration at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea, he began as an orthopedic surgeon. He serves in both roles today. SARAH STULTZ/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

“The orthopedic side, if it’s broken you replace it or fix it. The administrative side, it’s a whole different part of your brain.”

Mark Ciota became CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin in 2012.

— Mark Ciota a whole different part of your brain.”

He said administration allows him the opportunity to help large groups of patients at a time and meet with more people.

In addition to his roles in the medical field, Ciota was first elected to the Albert Lea school board in 2010.

A product of public education himself, his father was a principal and his mother a public school teacher.

“It’s part of the community that affects everyone,” he said. “I wanted to get involved to see if there’s something I could do.”

In his time thus far on the board, he said he has enjoyed

seeing the Pathways to Success program grow. He said he is a big believer that not every student may be bound for a four-year college and that it is important for students to see that they are not failures if they decide to pursue other programs at smaller schools.

He said he looks forward to having three new board members and a focus on the children and how to improve the quality of education for these students.

When he is not working or involved with one of his other commitments, Ciota said he enjoys traveling with his wife, Allison, the former Albert Lea dance

team coach; and spending time with his two daughters, Alexandra, 25, and Morgan, 23. The oldest daughter is in her last year of medical school with plans to go into urology. The younger daughter works for the Target corporate office out of Mankato.

Ciota and his wife have been married for 27 years.

He credited the support of his family in all of his endeavors.

He was slated to be inducted in January into a hall of fame at his alma mater at Morris High School in Morris, Illinois.

“I’m very humbled by that,” Ciota said.

Schultz said the students love hearing their names read over the intercom, and said the opportunity to communicate with parents and guardians about positive topics helps strengthen the partnership between home and school. She said the communication makes it so that talks with the principal aren’t automatically associated with negative reasons.

“It’s nice to connect in a positive way,” Schultz said.

“It’s just a fun way to connect with people.”

She said the parents’ reactions are always proud, and she is glad to see that so many students are excited to be named everyday heroes.

Schultz said the average amount of nominations varies from day to day; some days she’ll only receive a handful of nominations, and other days the submissions box will be stuffed full.

In meetings for the building’s leadership team, she said there have been some brainstorming sessions on how to expand and build upon the program. They’ve considered putting the nominations into one big drawing in the future for prizes, such as lunch with the principal.

Schultz said they want the students to be intrinsically motivated to do good, not just because they think they’ll get something in return. She said the staff is looking to find a balance where students get rewarded for going above and beyond, but also realize

“To make us good people we don’t always need a reward.”

— Sibley Elementary School Principal Diane Schultz that they’re expected to do well and do what they’re supposed to.

“To make us good people we don’t always need a reward,” she said.

Schultz said the program is part of the building’s “vision in mission” — part of an initiative started to get everyone in the building on the same page. Schultz said the initiative looks to build consistency throughout the school and build on logical consequences for students. The staff has different lesson themes each month, dealing with important topics such as respect, safety and responsibility, among others.

Parents were given handbooks at the beginning of the school year to help coordinate the school’s mission so that those lessons could resonate with students at home, as well — and again building on the school’s strive for consistency.

According to Schultz, the ultimate goal is to work on how everything ties together, bringing the subject at hand back to keeping children’s best interests at heart.

“Communication is key,” Schultz said. “What are we doing that’s best for our kids?”

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017 | EDUCATION | PROGRESS 2017 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PAGE 3

The creativity behind Albert Lea’s art teachers

THEY TEACH ART, BUT WHAT KIND OF WORK DO THESE TEACHERS MAKE THEMSELVES?

Alissa Sauer

What do you like about it?: I am so lucky to be able to teach art and get to know all the students at Hawthorne Elementary. I get to teach students how to draw, make colors, cut and glue, paint, make clay into really cool things and use lots of glitter. Most importantly, I teach kids how to use their imagination to create art.

I come to work every day loving what I do. I have the best job around!

Age: 24

Where do you teach?: I teach at Southwest Middle School, Albert Lea High School and the Area Learning Center. So, I’m the awkward teacher that goes pretty much everywhere. It works for me, though, so far.

I knew I wanted to teach at the middle school or high school level, but I could never decide. I consider myself blessed to now have experience teaching 7-12 art.

Mark Blong Age: 54

How long have you been teaching art?: I started in January this year, but I was only part-time working at Southwest and the ALC here in Albert Lea. I graduated from Bethany Lutheran College (Mankato) in December of 2015 and just dove headfirst into my career as an art teacher at the beginning of the second semester.

What do you like about it?: What I enjoy the most is building relationships with my students. I am almost never at my desk. I love sharing stories about my victories and struggles as an artist and love hearing about students’ lives

Where do you teach?: I teach at Sibley Elementary School. I teach art in grades K-5.

How long have you been teaching art?: I have been teaching for 19 years between Dassel-Cokato and Albert Lea. What do you like about it?: I like the kids and seeing the creative process.

I really enjoy being back in the town I grew up in.

Alissa Sauer has worked in the Albert Lea school district since January 2016. PROVIDED outside of the classroom, places they have gone, experiences they’ve had, etc. I strive to make my

classroom not just a place to create art, but a place where students can feel accepted and learn life skills (problem-solving, cooperation, creative thinking, communication, etc.)

Cammie Tennis Age: 55 Where do you teach?: Lakeview Elementary How long have you benn teaching art?: 33 years What do you like about it?: As an elementary specialist, I see students from kindergarten through fifth grade. I love to see the their personality and skill grow and develop each year.

Andrea Harves Age: 38

Mark Blong has taught art for 19 years between the Dassel-Cakota and Albert Lea districts.

Where do you teach?: Hawthorne Elementary Cammie Tennis has taught art for 33 years and teaches at How long have you been teaching art?: 14 years Lakeview Elementary School.

Andrea Harves has taught art for 14 years and teaches at Hawthorne Elementary School.

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PAGE 4 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PROGRESS 2017 | EDUCATION | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017

MAKING A DIFFERENCE — 1 CHILD AT A TIME Ted Herman

By Sam Wilmes

sam.wilmes@albertleatribune.com

More than 30 years ago, Ted Herman was an Albert Lea High School student, soon to be a Marine. Today, he is making sure Albert Lea students are given a safe education.

Herman — a 1983 Albert Lea High School graduate — is the school resource officer for Albert Lea Area Schools.

As the resource officer, Herman helps enforce city and state statutes, school rules and regulations, serves as a liaison between the district and the Albert Lea Police Department, and oversees programs.

“Basically, it’s my own community as a police officer,” Herman said.

“There’s 3,300 students in Officer Ted Herman reviews surveillance video at Albert Lea High School. SAM WILMES/ the district, so I deal with ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE the students, the parents and the staff. So, I kind of a regular police officer — the whole gamut.” in the Marines from 1983 do everything, kind of like drugs, fighting, domestics, Herman — who served to 1987 — took satellite courses at Central Texas College. He later attended technical school in Rochester and Austin.

Overseeing students in his hometown holds a special place in Herman’s heart.

“That’s the drive in it, is NRHEG Public Schools provide that you are from Albert students the opportunity to Lea,” he said. “You want to see the Albert Lea kids be reach the full potential of their successful, because this is gifts and talents through the your hometown, you have following benefits: roots here. You want your district to be successful, 10 to 1 student/teacher ratio you want the families to be successful, you want QUALITY COLLEGE PREP EDUCATION the city of Albert Lea to be successful, because I COUNSELING have been here all of my RIGOROUS & ADVISEMENT life. That’s huge for me.”

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1996, and he has been a school resource officer for at least 17 years. He was selected for the position after taking a written test and undergoing interviews. The hiring process makes it clear that Herman was interested in helping Albert Lea youth.

“Working with students and kids in general, you can make a positive impact on them,” he said. “It’s just another way of helping. I think most people who get into law enforcement want to help people, and this is a great opportunity to be able to be a positive role model for the young people.”

Though 17 years may seem like a long time, Herman does not view it as such.

“There’s something different every day here,” he said. “It’s kind of like being on patrol, except you are dealing with students.”

His wife, Laurie, is a teacher in Austin. They have two children, Zachary and Jessica, who both graduated from Albert Lea High School.

Herman enjoys seeing graduated students keep in touch with him.

“That’s kind of cool to see that,” he said.

Herman said he hopes each student who graduates realizes that he or she fulfilled his or her mission.

By the numbers 1983

3,300

Year Herman graduated from Albert Lea High School

Students Herman oversees in the Albert Lea school district

5 Years Herman was an active-duty Marine

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Age: 51 Address: Albert Lea Livelihood: school resource officer at Albert Lea Area Schools Family: wife, Laurie; son, Zachary; daughter, Jessica

“And that they knew if they had a problem, they could come and talk to me, and I would try to help them, if I could,” he said.

“And I was there to keep them safe.”

Security issues have evolved during Herman’s tenure. As social media has grown, cyberbullying has become an ever-present reminder of the dangers it can present.

“Everyone can be tough behind the keyboards,” Herman said. “It’s just when you see them face to face, all of a sudden it makes for a reality check.”

A difficult part of Herman’s position is clarifying the limitations of his job duty and requests from students and staff.

“It’s a fine line of making sure you are doing your job, but yet not crossing that line where you are impeding someone’s civil rights,” he said.

Herman’s favorite part of the job is helping students, which can be life-changing.

“You see that they made that change in their life, and you get to see that student every day,” he said.

“And you just gotta keep tabs on that person. Not necessarily what I’ve done, but just maybe them talking every once in awhile.

Especially kids who have threatened suicide, and stuff like that. If you talk to them, and you get them the help, and you see that are still moving forward, and they are still going on in life. That makes it, you know, be like, ‘hey, I made a difference.’ And it makes you feel that this was a good thing.”