Small school, big goals: Glacier View embraces challenges

Although Glacier View School has a small student population, big goals are approached with confidence. Glacier View School is facing major changes during the 2013-14 school year.

Challenges include adapting to only two teachers for middle/high school classes, keeping the beat of our band\choir healthy, and finding the best outlet for our schedule.

The thought of this year charging at us scared everyone. Since one of our most experienced teachers at Glacier View — Mark Owen — traveled to new adventures, we were caught in a wedge with only two high school\ middle school teachers. Having only two teachers for both middle school and high school creates unique challenges.

Imagine having only one teacher who instructs five different classes, varying from math to history to theater, a day to the whole high school together. Our teachers had enough patience, commitment, and wit to devise a schedule that mostly resolved this problem, yet their will continue to be a struggle in our high school and middle school as these teachers are stretched to teach new subject areas. In spite of these changes and struggles our school has some lofty goals for the year.

Joyful noises once came from the music room every day from our band and choir led by Owen. There was trepidation that the music program would cease to exist with tight schedule, but our beautiful sounds will be on mute. Mary Donalson, the third- through fifth-grade teacher will instruct music theory and choir. She will also organize an after school band ensemble for anyone who wants to join the existing band players. The schedule has made it difficult for Donalson to teach the upper level students about music theory but with her passion and student interest we will do our best to keep the beat alive.

Further changes have been made this year in the realm of reading. S.H.R.I.M.P. is the acronym for our reading theme — “Shhh, Reading Is My Passion.” One Glacier View teacher has come up with the idea of a chain system based on how many books each student reads and, since reading is out passion, we are showing it through this ever growing chain. When a student reads a book, a paper chain link is added to their classroom paper chain. Each class has a chain growing as the year progresses. The schools goal is to continue the chain until our annual Love of Reading Week in April. At such time, the chain should have made its way around the entire school.

Last year, we devised the buddy group teams in which an upper level student is paired with an elementary student for activities and mentorship opportunities. Often we meet with our buddy for short periods of time to read a book, converse about their day or their favorite things, or just sit down and talk. This year we continued the buddy program and we have high hopes to make it far better than the previous year by participating in monthly buddy activities, teambuilding activities, and projects with our buddies. The buddy group idea is to help the older students become role models for the elementary students and give the elementary students a person to look up to and seek help from.

Glacier View School might be considered a small school but this year we have big goals. We are working hard to keep our music program beating with the dedication of both students and one fantastic teacher, reading is our passion and we are letting it show, and we are continuing our buddy group teams to promote student mentorship opportunities. All in all this is shaping up to be a fantastic year.

Sheridan Pegg is a sophomore at Glacier View School.