Juniper Elementary students are hoping new traditions of kindness and caring take root at their brand-new school. They recently planted a new tree outside to represent their hopes and dreams.
On this episode of the Supercast, we join Juniper students, staff, and parents for a tree planting ceremony. It was the planting of not just any tree, but a Juniper, a type of tree best known for its strength and ability to grow almost anywhere in any conditions.
Audio Transcription
Beckham:
With the Juniper tree, we want it to grow and become strong. So with the students and adults here, we want them to grow their minds and become strong too.
Victoria:
I think that Juniper Elementary should be a place that we can feel safe at and not be judged.
Caitlin:
The students are the roots and love is the water in the watering can. We can come together to make a beautiful tree.
Shem:
The teachers are the branches of Juniper.
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Juniper Elementary students are hoping new traditions of kindness and caring take root at their brand new school. They recently planted a new tree outside to represent their hopes and dreams.
On this episode of the Supercast, we join Juniper students, staff and parents for a tree planting ceremony. It was the planting of not just any tree but a juniper, a type of tree best known for its strength and ability to grow almost anywhere in any conditions.
[Music]We're out in front of Juniper Elementary as students head to their buses, their rides home and it's an exciting time. The school year has just started and we're here with Principal Kaleb Yates. How are things going so far with one month down?
Kaleb Yates:
It's going great really. We have great students, good teachers, and today's our PTA carnival so we've got a lot of great parents that want to help out.
Anthony Godfrey:
I did see the huge inflatable saber-toothed tiger and thought something is afoot, something's happening. Tell us for those who are not familiar what the unique design is here at Juniper Elementary.
Kaleb Yates:
Yeah, the thing that is unique about our school is we're 4th, 5th, and 6th grade and we share the same boundary with Ridge View Elementary. It's unique that we have the older students here and it's unique that we share families and are still trying to keep our community together and provide what we can for our families. Give them a good experience.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's unique for us not only to have a school that has grades 4, 5, and 6 only but also to have a growing population at one of our elementaries and simply decide we're going to keep that same boundary just to add another school into the mix so that we can manage the numbers. You know you talk about keeping the community together, yes that means that now students are at elementary 1, elementary 2, middle school, and then high school but it also means the boundary is the same so you're not saying goodbye to friends in the same way that you might have to if there were a boundary change.
Kaleb Yates:
Yeah, we have a shuttle service that goes back and forth between the two schools which has been great. It's been a good experience for kids to be able to meet up in one spot. Parents don't have to shuffle over to find their kids. So that's been good.
Then the other nice thing is that we've been able to, we've had a lot of concerns that happened prior to the school being finished and parents have been happy. We've had a lot of positive comments about how things are running and we're only dealing with about 540 kids here instead of 1300 kids is what it used to be.
Anthony Godfrey:
Right, 1300 at one elementary school. I think we decided that was maybe a 4A high school, maybe a 5A. I know things are just barely underway but what are some of the things that you think you're going to be able to do to offer to students to accomplish that might have been more difficult with all seven grades in the same school?
Kaleb Yates:
Yeah, a lot. So this year we're trying out one-to-one iPads with all of our students which is, the young kids are definitely capable. They can use cell phones better than most of us can but with the upper grades, the responsibility of taking care of an iPad, we can set expectations and they can try new things with STEM, with art. We've been using them for a lot of the Wit and Wisdom curriculum to be able to access art. We're still putting a lot of pieces together but one example is the iPads. We can have the kids use their iPads and they take them from different classes with them and so far it's been working out really well.
Anthony Godfrey:
How does the school feel different having fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students only?
Kaleb Yates:
Transitions are a lot faster for sure because we're dealing with a bigger body so they get from outside to inside and from class to class a lot faster. We don't have kids getting lost like kindergarteners and that kind of stuff in the building.
Anthony Godfrey:
You're not teaching kids how to be in school. They've all been in school. They all have a sense for what's expected.
Kaleb Yates:
And this is a great age group. They love their teachers and want to do the best they can for their teachers and so they're working really hard and getting used to the new building and the floor plan but things are working out really well.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's not a full middle school but it does have very much of a middle school feel to it. There are a few things that if it were ever to be converted in the future, and that was the Board's idea. Rather than build less than a mile away, less than half a mile away, build a second elementary, let's build a school that might have some versatility in the future and could be adapted in the distant future, I'll clarify. So some things need to be added but essentially it's a middle school.
Kaleb Yates:
Yeah, a middle school floor plan.
Anthony Godfrey:
Big halls, more offices and very generous sized classrooms, a big stage. Tell us about how that feels in comparison.
Kaleb Yates:
Yeah, if you ever get a chance to come by and see the building, we have a lot of big windows and big hallways so that the kids can transition quickly. Our classrooms have the TVs in them instead of projectors which have been a great asset for instruction for our teachers. And then the cafeteria, the gym, it's traditional as far as elementary school, we still have half of it as the gym and half of it is the cafeteria, but if they were ever to expand it there's room on the property to add full-size gym and full-size auditorium and plenty of parking. There's no shortage of parking.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, it is nice to have lots of parking, especially on a PTA night like this one. When I was here the first day of school I had toured it over the summer, it's really a beautiful building on top of all that.
Kaleb Yates:
Yeah, they've done a phenomenal job. We have the different colored hallways that match each of the grades and the architecture in there you can see for visibility and from a principal's perspective you can see into all the classrooms and all the big spaces and for supervision and also I get a lot of waves through the windows and stuff so it's been fun for me.
Anthony Godfrey:
Do the kids feel a little bit of a bigger deal now that they're separated from the younger kids?
Kaleb Yates:
They for sure do because it's just a bigger building and so coming from Ridge View with that traditional elementary school for a plan of coming here it definitely feels more like a middle school and they’re feeling fancy for sure.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's good, that's what we want, that's what we want. And the third graders now at Ridge View get to be top of the heap where it was sixth graders. Now there's one more opportunity to feel like you're in charge of the school.
Kaleb Yates:
And they can really focus on the early literacy piece where over here, we can focus on reading to learn and not learning to read. We're excited about the new curriculum and getting the kids going on it so it's been good.
Anthony Godfrey:
Now tell us about the ceremony today, we're here with a big hole in the ground, and dare I say that this might just be a Juniper tree that's going to be planted.
Kaleb Yates:
Yeah, we have a couple of Juniper trees here. I asked the construction company if we could since we were named Juniper Elementary I figured we should have some Juniper trees on the property. To make it involve the students more we had them write essays about what they want the culture of our building to be. We had about 80 students- it was an optional thing. We didn't want to require it over the summer but it was an optional thing. We had about 80 students submit essays. We read through them and they had some phenomenal things to say. A lot of things about kindness, and supporting one another, and getting rid of bullying. They did some great metaphors with what the Juniper tree represents and how that parallels to us here at the school. We'll be able to hear them read some of their parts here in a moment but it was inspiring to read what the kids want. It's a lot of the same things that we as the adults want in the building.
Anthony Godfrey:
I love the approach of starting off with asking the students, what do you want it to feel like to be at Juniper Elementary?
Kaleb Yates:
Yeah, they want the same things we want. Kindness,a welcoming environment, and a place where they can thrive and learn new things. That's what we want as well so we're on the same page.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's wonderful, that is wonderful. We look forward to hearing those speeches and look forward to a great year and many years to come here at Juniper.
Kaleb Yates:
Agreed. Thank you.
Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back more with the students of Juniper Elementary School.
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Break:
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Kaleb Yates:
So thank you for coming out and these are our essay winners so if you guys can give them a hand real quick. [applause]
I think all of you are aware of what the contest was, but these four winners– we had a lot of great essays that were submitted. These four seemed to capture what we want as a school and so they're going to take a minute and just read just a brief part of each of their essays. So, if you guys can listen closely this is what we want for our school and then we'll go ahead and plant the trees.
Victoria:
My name is Victoria and in my opinion, I think that Juniper Elementary should be a place that we can feel safe at and not be judged for how we look and act. We should not pull the tree's branches but we should also not pull hair. We should not poke the tree but we should also not poke each other's feelings. We should also not touch the tree, we should just admire it and with the students, we should not touch people and or make them feel ashamed of how they look or act. And finally, in my opinion, Juniper should and shall be the perfect place for people to share their feelings. People should not be treated harmfully in any way.
Beckham:
My name is Beckham Peña and this is the kind of school I would like for Juniper Elementary. We should show kindness instead of being rude or mean. “Why?” some might say. Well, being rude puts others down and hurts them, but when we show kindness and respect to others we uplift them and they will feel more confident in themselves. With the Juniper tree, we want it to grow and become strong. So with the students and adults here, we want them to grow their minds and become strong too. This is the school I’d like Juniper to be.
Shem:
My name is Shem and the students are like the leaves of Juniper. The teachers are the branches of Juniper. The vice principal is the trunk of Juniper. The principal is the roots of Juniper.
Caitlin:
I'm Caitlin and I think that Principal Yates and the staff members are the dirt. The students are the roots and love is the water in the watering can. We come together to make a beautiful tree.
Anthony Godfrey:
Now we're talking with the four students who are part of the program who won the essay contest and got to plant the Juniper trees out front. Hopefully, you'll be able to drive by for many years to come and say I planted that tree over there as it gets bigger and bigger. Tell me your name, your grade and what you love about being at Juniper Elementary.
Caitlin:
I'm Caitlin Rawlings and I'm in fifth grade. I like being at Juniper Elementary because there's a lot of windows.
Anthony Godfrey:
A lot of windows, yes. They designed it with a lot of natural light. There are even windows out into the hallway from your classrooms. Does that feel better to learn when you can see some sunshine?
Caitlin:
Yes.
Shem:
My name is Shem Leavitt and I am nine years old, I mean ten years old.
Anthony Godfrey:
Time goes quickly, doesn't it?
Shem:
What I like about this school is that it has tons of cool teachers and a cool principal that lets us get to do really fun stuff.
Anthony Godfrey:
We really worked hard to get you a cool principal that would then get you really cool teachers. I met with them a couple of times and I know that's true. You have some great teachers here.
Victoria:
My name is Victoria and I'm in sixth grade and I like Juniper because it makes me feel welcome and appreciated.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's wonderful. Where did you come from? Were you at Ridge View before?
Victoria:
Yes.
Anthony Godfrey:
And did you feel like things feel welcoming and people are glad you're here?
Victoria:
Yes.
Beckham:
I'm Beckham Peña, I'm in sixth grade and I'm eleven years old. My favorite thing about Juniper here is that everyone is super nice and I just love it.
Anthony Godfrey:
Lots of great people here. Tell me how does this feel different from being at a school that's kindergarten through sixth grade?
Shem:
Like there's more older people and like there's like no portables and like it feels different because like it's just like one school. There's no portables like outside in there.
Anthony Godfrey:
So there's space for everybody. There are a lot of portables where there were over at Ridge View more than we've had in a long time in one of the schools. Your essays are a big part of setting the tone for the school and making sure that this is a really welcoming place. So thank you for being awesome students and great writers and great planters. You didn't even know that you could do that either.
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.
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