Teachers experience workforce

Rollins at one point in his life had serious thoughts about a career field in the surgical industry, so this was special for him to be in the room for procedures

Josh Rollins Jackie Dawsey

For the past two years, Howe's Economic Development office has sponsored two Howe teachers to participate in the Workforce Solution's Business Education for Teachers (BET) program The program places the teachers in a workforce environment for one week to give them an idea of what the current workforce and workplace is like in the immediate community The teachers are paid a $1,000 stipend for the week of summer vacation that they miss The reason for the BET is to the experience to translate to real-life knowledge for students in that particular teacher's classroom

Howe High School Science teacher and coach Josh Rollins spent a week at Heritage Park Surgical Center and for someone with a passion for science, to Rollins it seemed like a week's paid vacation

"It exceeded the expectations that I had " said Rollins

The week started with a day of orientation at Workforce Solutions before Rollins spent three days in various locations of the surgical center He had the option of not participating in the program on Friday, but opted to go

"They had some more surgeries going on, so I took the opportunity to be in the O R (operating room) as long as I could." said Rollins.

"My wife asked me after the first night if I wanted to go back to school and I said no That could've been really fun to go in to " Rollins explained

Having had students in the surgical rooms before during operations, the nurses were taking bets as to whether Rollins would pass out They told him that tall guys always pass out However, according to Rollins, he kept his head the entire time But he did start to doubt himself before the first procedure. "When they started joking about bets, I thought, maybe they know something I don't and this is going to be different than I thought "

The burly coach stood right behind the surgeon and watched 18 procedures in three days "I got to see everything " said Rollins "I saw plastic surgery, eye lid raises, breast reduction, tummy tuck, ortho scopes, knee scopes, a reconstruction of an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), and a circumcision "

But it was the last day that Rollins saw an extreme surgery A patient had Diverticula are small, bulging pouches that can form in the lining of your digestive system They are found most often in the lower part of the large intestine Rollins said that the patient had a colostomy bag placed

"They pulled out like four feet of the guy's intestines and placed it on his chest and sutured it back continued on page 6 continued from page 1 be retiring after 29 years in education She loves the job, but it requires a tremendous amount of mental energy and creativity to keep all the programs constantly fresh and innovative

The Howe Community Library is a joint venture between the City of Howe and Howe ISD Without the cooperation and funding by both entities, the library would not exist For many years, it was run by Jean Norman and her group of volunteers Now it serves the elementary and middle school, as well as the public, by providing books, computers, DVD's, audiobooks, copier, fax machine, snacks, after school programs (such as Garden Club), Wee Readers on Friday mornings for preschoolers, “Teen Scene” area for middle schoolers, play area with toys for toddlers to pre-K, Summer Reading programs, a state-of-the-art computer lab, adult classes on computer literacy and Genealogy, the Howe Enterprise newspaper archives, magazines, local newspapers, tax info, and flyers for upcoming community events

Not only does every student in elementary and middle school, get a class visit to the library once a week, but our Howe Community Library gathers them into “The Cove” where a carefully planned 10-minute lesson is presented by Joyce Parks or Hogenson. Books are read out loud to them or concepts are taught Topics range from the history of the voting process in the U S , to famous painters, to the discovery of a Northwest passage from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean by Lewis and Clark

Parents might think that students in 2016 do not want to a person to read them a book, but teachers report a myriad of protests from their students if their “Library Day” is missed

Question: What were some of your expectations when you got to Howe? And then what did it turn it out to be?

Answer: I didn't really know what to expect - just a new adventure I had always been in elementary schools before and taught kindergarten and second grade Then I was at an elementary school library I was ready for something different And then this position as library director came up and I had heard about it being a combination library And that sounded intriguing So as far as expectations - it was more intrigue and excitement to see what this was all about And then what it became I think it was a new adventure every day And what I really like is having the school aspect and but also having the city aspect, too They are very different, but much the same in a lot of ways And I think the biggest thing, is showing how the library can be a part of the community And it ties together the community with the school Many times, we (the librarians) are the ones who are that connection because there isn't any other group in a school We know who the parents and grandparents are and we can pass on information about Peggy's Porch and Feed My Sheep and let people know

Sometimes we've had parents come in with little bitty ones and we say, “Hey, they could be going to preschool and this is where you need to go to sign them up.” So we end up being the eyes for the school, but also being the eyes for the community and being able to tie the two together Typically, school libraries are isolated. They want the parent input, but I think a lot of people are scared of schools, especially those parents that had a hard time in school They won't go to parent conferences and they won't respond to the teachers So, the library in a way, can be a buffer Our library can I don't think all libraries can because those doors to the school library are closed You have to be a student to come in For instance, the Howe High School Library is only open to high school students and faculty This community library is such a unique situation to combine the school with the community

And also it has helped that I've gotten involved in the Howe Chamber of Commerce and Keep Howe Beautiful I've been able to expand even more and tell other groups about the library and about the school “Hey, did you know that the school has got this and this going on?” or “They need some help with a project ” And it's really neat because even though I didn't grow up here, I can go to Abby's restaurant in downtown Howe and walk by a table and I know people I've only worked here 10 years and I did not go to school here nor grow up here

Question: You bought a house and moved here to Howe?

Answer: Yes I grew up living in between Denison and Pottsboro, out in the country and I went to Pottsboro schools Then I worked in Denison schools and lived in Denison When I got the job in Howe, driving back and forth was hard, so I bought a house here in

Howe I really do like it here This is such a nice community, small and friendly. And it sure is nice to be close to work

Question: What was your first experience meeting the people of Howe?

Answer: Oh my goodness, when I first came, Jean Norman, the Library Board, and The Friends of the Library hosted a reception for the new Librarian. School wasn't out yet, but it was after school and teachers came, principals, administrators, and I couldn't believe that the Postmaster came It felt very welcoming. Typically, in a school environment, you are not going to see that kind of reception Yes, a retirement party, but not a welcoming reception So, I thought, wow, this is where I'm supposed to be

Question: How did you come to the realization that you wanted the library to be so open, welcoming and a place where people can talk?

Answer: Having an elementary background, especially having taught Kindergarten, noise just continued on page 4