Always Alpha Phi GAMMA IOTA-TEXAS TECH
Alpha Phi Educator Leads the Way
W WHILE PARENTS AND STUDENTS ACROSS
the globe have been learning how
to tackle virtual classrooms and distanced learning, Dr. Kathy Kinnison Rollo (Gamma IotaTexas Tech), Superintendent of the Lubbock Independent School District (ISD), has been empowering her staff and families to keep students engaged with their peers, their teachers and their education. When she began teaching 32 years ago, educating through a pandemic may not have been in the forefront of Kathy’s mind, but throughout her career she has focused on three pillars, valuing data, loving people and developing leaders. Those values were instilled in her during her college experience as an Alpha Phi. “I knew from the time I was little that I wanted to be a teacher. I always wanted to play ‘school,’ and my favorite Christmas and birthday gifts were school supplies…My mother was an educator, and she has always been my hero,” said Kathy. She began in Lubbock ISD as an elementary teacher immediately after graduating and grew into leadership roles as assistant principal, principal, Associate Superintendent for Elementary and Superintendent. When the district learned that a return to the classroom was unlikely following their spring break, equity was a key focus for Kathy. The very first thing she and her team made a plan for was providing breakfast and lunch
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for their students. “Seventy percent of Lubbock ISD’s children are economically disadvantaged, and many of them rely on us for nutrition,” said Kathy. “…With Aramark, our food service partner, we [created] 16 curbside feeding sites. With Durham, our transportation partner, we developed 24 bus routes to deliver food into neighborhoods. Since March 23, we have served an average of 8,200 children a hot lunch, and breakfast for the next morning, Monday through Friday.” Ensuring students had access to the technology devices was another priority. As the shift to virtual learning began, nearly 4,000 of the Lubbock ISD students did not have access to WiFi. Kathy and her educators teamed up with Cisco to develop 13 “Park-N-Learn” sites around the city and also worked with Verizon and Suddenlink to provide jet packs to families without WiFi. While the engagement of faceto-face instruction cannot be completely replicated in remote learning models, teachers in the Lubbock ISD, like many districts nationwide, are finding ways to virtually collaborate with and encourage students. “Our parents, guardians and caretakers have been absolutely amazing throughout this crisis. We
“Since March 23, we have served an average of 8,200 children a hot lunch, and breakfast for the next morning, Monday through Friday.” have connected with over 99 percent of our students, and I attribute that to parents ensuring their children are engaged in learning,” said Kathy. She and her staff encourage their families to develop schedules that allow not just for schoolwork but also time together, time outside and giving one another “buckets of grace” to function amidst a lack of normalcy. Thank you, Kathy, for finding ways to connect your community and lead the way! Alpha Phi Quarterly
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7/15/20 11:46 AM
