Getting Personal with Your Principals: Unveiling the Lives of Three Elementary School Leaders
Sep 14, 2023
Superintendent Mark Kopp
What would you say if you had the chance to get an intimate glimpse into the lives of the individuals shaping our children's education? Prepare to have that curiosity satiated as we engage in a candid conversation with Beth Lodmell, Nick Barton, and Cassie House - three remarkable elementary school principals in our district. As they share about their personal journeys, their families, and their passion for education, you'll begin to understand what fuels their dedication. You'll also get a deeper insight into their schools' unique cultures - a tribute to their commitment to nurturing a love for learning in every student.
Now, how about we take a stroll off the beaten path? Join us as we explore the lighter side of our guests. Beth, Nick, and Cassie share amusing tidbits about their favorite foods, hobbies, and entertainment. Whether it's Beth's love for Friends, Nick's Survivor obsession, or Cassie's penchant for Dexter, you'll discover a whole new side to these devoted educators. What's more, they share delightful snippets of their lives outside the school premises - from family time to quiet moments of relaxation. So, buckle up for this exciting ride and don't forget to subscribe to our weekly podcast for more engaging content like this!
What would you say if you had the chance to get an intimate glimpse into the lives of the individuals shaping our children's education? Prepare to have that curiosity satiated as we engage in a candid conversation with Beth Lodmell, Nick Barton, and Cassie House - three remarkable elementary school principals in our district. As they share about their personal journeys, their families, and their passion for education, you'll begin to understand what fuels their dedication. You'll also get a deeper insight into their schools' unique cultures - a tribute to their commitment to nurturing a love for learning in every student.
Now, how about we take a stroll off the beaten path? Join us as we explore the lighter side of our guests. Beth, Nick, and Cassie share amusing tidbits about their favorite foods, hobbies, and entertainment. Whether it's Beth's love for Friends, Nick's Survivor obsession, or Cassie's penchant for Dexter, you'll discover a whole new side to these devoted educators. What's more, they share delightful snippets of their lives outside the school premises - from family time to quiet moments of relaxation. So, buckle up for this exciting ride and don't forget to subscribe to our weekly podcast for more engaging content like this!
Speaker 1:
Welcome to FCS. Unscripted. A new podcast for one team, fcs, where we look at the stories behind every one in Franklin County schools. Welcome to the podcast. We are so excited today to have three of our elementary principals with us. We have Beth Laudmau from Collins Lane. Say hi, beth.
Speaker 2:
Hello.
Speaker 1:
You're supposed to say hi, beth.
Speaker 2:
Hi Beth.
Speaker 1:
Nick Barton. Nick, hello, how are you, and Nick is our principal at the ELV Early Learning Village and Cassie House.
Speaker 3:
That's me. I'm at Peaks Mill.
Speaker 1:
Cassie's at Peaks Mill. So we're going to have a series of these podcasts throughout the course of the year. This one is the first in a series of Meet your Principal and we're going to get to know Nick, cassie and Beth a little bit better today. So first question we'll just kind of go around the table here. Cassie, you started soft. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 3:
Well, I am a Franklin County resident. I am a product of Franklin County schools. So I was Collins Lane, bondrant, western Hills. My entire teaching career has been in Franklin County. So when I say I'm invested in a part of this community, I live here, I've worked here, I've been a product of it. So you know that's a little bit about me. I have a wonderful husband who's also a coach in the district, and two girls teenagers Lord help me and two boxers that also make me crazy.
Speaker 1:
So that's me. Oh, that's great. That's great, Nick. Let's go to you.
Speaker 4:
So I too am a Franklin County native. I can't say that I've been in Franklin County schools my whole life, but I have lived here my whole entire life and formerly I was a basketball coach before I became a principal, and that was my craft. That was something that I really enjoyed doing and working with those kids in the coaching world. I have a wife who is a principal as well, at Herne Elementary, so she and I are able to sharpen our swords every single night, so we have a lot of fun conversations.
Speaker 4:
I bet A lot of fun conversations, for sure.
Speaker 1:
The time to unplug. Probably isn't there a whole lot right.
Speaker 4:
That's correct.
Speaker 1:
That's correct. So, Beth Collins Lane, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Speaker 2:
Okay, I'm also a Franklin County native.
Speaker 3:
Not a product Representing today.
Speaker 2:
Oh no, Not a product of Franklin County schools, but I always wanted to be.
Speaker 1:
We won't hold that against you.
Speaker 2:
Right, but I have been in Franklin County schools now for about 13 years, started as a teacher at Collins Lane, then to the assistant role and now to principal. So I've got five kids of my own. They are all products of Franklin County schools. Very proud of that and yeah.
Speaker 1:
Awesome. So, beth, staying with the same theme of tell us a little bit about yourself, why don't you go ahead and tell us a little bit about your school? Talk a little bit about Collins Lane, beth.
Speaker 2:
Okay, so many years behind Collins Lane lots of traditions. You know, in all my years at Collins Lane we started in the old building. We're now in our new building and we love our new space and welcoming atmosphere. We have a lot of fun at Collins Lane. We just adopted a hamster into our Collins Lane family this week yeah. So that is something we strive for every day is to have fun learning, because if we're not having fun, the kids aren't having fun and enjoy that great community atmosphere.
Speaker 1:
I love it. Nick, tell us about ELV.
Speaker 4:
ELV is a very unique institution in the fact that we just serve as preschool and kindergarten students, so it gives our students an opportunity to ease their way in to their educational journey and begin that process with students that are just on their level. It makes it awesome for us to be able to flexible group. We can collaborate well with each other throughout the building so we can accomplish a lot of great things with just having a couple of grade levels in one building so very unique place. We put a lot of stress on our literacy program, making sure our students can read and write. We truly believe that if our students can read and write by the time they leave, they're going to have a leg up and they're going to have a lot larger chance to be successful in life.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, 100% agree. What about at the mill Peaks, mill Cassie Over at the mill.
Speaker 3:
Well, I think our big thing is we're really a family centered institution. We do pride ourselves in really trying to get the students to feel comfortable and safe, you know, in their learning environment. So we hope that that's something you feel every time you visit and come to our building. Instructionally, we spend a lot of time really talking about our thinking, strategies and workshop model with just teacher talk, for we really want the kids to be doing the heavy lifting and we set the bar high with those expectations. You know kids have a lot that they carry in and we try really hard to, as soon as you cross that threshold, clean slate you know you're here to learn and just making them feel welcome so that they can learn and feel comfortable. And that's a little bit about what we're all about.
Speaker 1:
Well, we have great principles and we got three of our best here with us today, and I'm awfully glad to have you. The next question will start with Nick on this one, and that is what makes your school a great place to be.
Speaker 4:
You know, I really have truly great staff. I have great adults in my building who truly care about kids. They're there for the right reasons and that's what makes our place very special and unique. They understand that we have lots of special needs in our building. That doesn't matter to them. They want to service every student and they want to see every child succeed. So all the praise, all the accolades, goes to my staff and the hard work that they put in each and every day. I have staff members who stay till six or seven o'clock every single night, making sure that they're prepared for their students' lessons the next day. So they deserve all the credit.
Speaker 1:
Sure Cassie, what about you?
Speaker 3:
I think I'd echo that. You know and thinking about you know, one of the things we try to do is make the kids feel comfortable, but building relationships is something that it's not an easy task to do. You have to know the kids and know their families and really be invested. And so I think one of the things that makes us special really is that we take the time to get to know. You know. You know, are you a Rams player? What do you do in there? You know, like being a part of that, going into, going out into the community and trying to remove some of those barriers, because sometimes school can be intimidating for adults and we really want to just pave the way. Our FRC and our counselor social workers do a whole lot to really help with that, and our teachers are great about really spending time to get to know the families and the kids so that when they come in, you know, like we know, if it's been a tough day, you know we'll help you get through it.
Speaker 1:
And move on. That support is so important, Beth. What about you?
Speaker 2:
I would echo the same thing. I think it is our staff. They work so hard and I've got to give credit where credit is due and they work hard to get to know the individual student and do whatever it takes to help them meet their needs.
Speaker 1:
Well, that's is a perfect segue into this next question and, beth, we'll start with you on this one. What are you doing to focus on our district hashtag, and that is hashtag everyone? What are you personally doing, as a principal, to focus on every single one of the people in your building?
Speaker 2:
Well and I think it goes from staff to students I make an effort every day to be up and down the halls talking with the staff and talking with the kids, and the kids often say how do you all remember everybody's name and how do you keep up with all of that? It's because each of them are important to us. That's great, you know.
Speaker 1:
It makes you feel good to know that the kids notice it, cassie, what about you?
Speaker 3:
I think, a lot of the same things. You know our goal is to make sure we know who they are when they come in the building, anything that they might need from us. I think, just thinking about every single kid, we have a lot of different learners that come into our building and meeting them exactly where they are, so that we know what they need in order to get them growing. You know that is part of our mission and our value and promise to our families is that you know, our purposeful patriots will grow, and so, in order to do that, we have to know where you are, what you need from us, how we can work with our families to move us forward.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, 100% Nick.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, I think relationships is key and that's something that I try to do every single day, not just with our students, but with our families. Our families are our students' voices. Right now, as kindergarten and preschools, they're not able to speak up and tell us a lot of times how they're feeling or what's going on. So having those strong relationships with those families, letting those families know that their child does matter and what goes on in our school is important to us and what goes on in their lives is important, and trying to eliminate any barriers that they might have to learning, I think is key, especially for our young learners at the ELV.
Speaker 1:
Well, that's great. Let's shift just for a second and talk about what's the most rewarding part of your job, Beth. We'll start with you. What is the most rewarding aspect of being the principal at Collins Lane Elementary?
Speaker 2:
It goes back to the kids. I mean each and every time Seeing the light bulb go off and seeing their excitement when they get something new. And just yesterday I was in a second grade classroom and the teacher gave them a problem that I told her that she had to count a thousand straws out yesterday and I hung in there with them for a little bit and we were working on counting a thousand, strategies for counting a thousand, and I ended up having to leave before they made it. But they all stopped me in the cafeteria and said Miss Laudmau, we made it to a thousand. So just seeing their excitement for learning and that light bulb, that's awesome, Nick.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, I mean absolutely. What we can see at ELV is where they grow from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year. They come in knowing very little, most of them, and a lot of them leave our school being able to read and write, be able to complete arithmetic. It's a special and it's a really cool feeling to see that at the end of the year, when you've taken a child who knew very little and by the end of the year they're reading books, they're writing stories. So it's very rewarding. It all does come back to the students and I think if you speak to any of our principals in this district, we're all student-centered and that's the most important thing to us, bar none without a doubt 100% accurate.
Speaker 1:
I am so blessed to be the superintendent of this district, because every single principal does make student center decisions, as does every single board member. So, cassie, what about you? Most rewarding thing.
Speaker 3:
I think it's just like the energy. You know kids are bucket fillers, just naturally. You know they are so much more resilient than adults. There's not going to be any administrator in our district that goes. You know what it makes me super happy just man, paperwork and meetings. You know they just just art. So when you start to feel like that cumbersome and it's just like weighing you down, you know going and grabbing a piece of carpet and just listening and being a part of their learning and you know, challenging them to some dodgeball gets pretty fierce out the mill sometimes. So seeing their smiles and being able to interact with them, you know we're not always like wearing our principal hat. We're humans, we're moms, we're. You know we're people too and trying to help them see that.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely. Well, let's shift again to time for fun facts. So these are going to be quick, rapid fire. We'll go around the table very quickly, Don't give it too much thought. But we're going to start with what is your favorite food Cassie House.
Speaker 3:
Funions. It's my guilty pleasure. Don't tell my husband, I'm not spraking the diet.
Speaker 4:
All right, nick, nothing better than a good ribeye steak.
Speaker 1:
Ribeye, specifically the ribeye, absolutely Nothing better.
Speaker 3:
You look like a steak guy Steak and baked potato baby.
Speaker 1:
All right, Beth.
Speaker 2:
Anything Italian? Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:
We had the kids a few weeks ago. All three of them picked fettuccine Alfredo, which I thought was just the greatest? Yeah, All right. The second one what is your favorite thing to do outside of work, Nick? We'll start with you.
Speaker 4:
Probably spend time with my kids getting to go their ball games, watching them be successful. That, to me, is the most rewarding thing and you know that's pretty much consumes our life right now. When you have kids at home, you're working, and then you're going home, and then you're taking them to ball games and you're being the taxi service and doing all that, and so that's pretty much what we do.
Speaker 1:
All right, beth. What about you Favorite thing to do?
Speaker 2:
Same thing Spend time with my kids.
Speaker 1:
I've seen you at a lot of those games. I've had a lot of games.
Speaker 2:
Spend a lot of time at the soccer field, so definitely watching my kids do something they love.
Speaker 1:
Great Cassie.
Speaker 3:
You guys are so good, I'm like, yeah, that's part of it, just like sitting on the porch, just front porch sitting sometimes. That's how I need to recharge and if we're not at, like you know, taxi volleyball. I just need time to unplug.
Speaker 1:
Oh yeah, a little front porch sitting, all right. Next one what is your favorite movie of all time, beth?
Speaker 2:
Oh, I'll always love a feel good movie. I'm going to remember the Titans.
Speaker 1:
Oh, football movie, Nice movie. I like that. That's a good one. All right, nick.
Speaker 4:
Well, I have a one in one. Am I allowed?
Speaker 1:
to do that. You can do it. You can do it. Yes, sir.
Speaker 4:
So my first one is Hoosiers. Okay.
Speaker 1:
Another sports movie Great.
Speaker 4:
And then Goonies. I know Miss Whitney did that a couple of weeks ago, but Goonies is a great movie.
Speaker 1:
That's great. That's great. All right, Cassie.
Speaker 3:
I miss a romantic at heart, the notebook and everyone's going to go but you know you're the second person to do the notebook.
Speaker 1:
I love the notebook and then cocktail.
Speaker 3:
But you know, if that's fun it's a great fun.
Speaker 1:
Movie Sure and the last one is what is your favorite TV show or streaming show? Cassie, let's start with you on that one.
Speaker 3:
Well, I don't know, gosh, I feel like this is.
Speaker 1:
And it can be of all time.
Speaker 3:
You know it doesn't have to be on right now Okay, well, I mean Dexter's probably one of my favorites. Wow, I feel like, I don't like, so I feel like I froze more.
Speaker 1:
That's good.
Speaker 3:
No, no, that's a great show, it's pretty chilling Kids don't watch it, but you know there's something about it being so outside of like who we are as people and it just you know, like a complete the spectrum from where we're going great, acting in that.
Speaker 1:
So, yep, alright, nick.
Speaker 4:
I'm a big sports fan, so if there's an athletic event on I'm probably watching it. But if you want an actual show, I enjoy survivor. It's a good competition. A lot of a lot of fun there and I like to watch those. Those teams compete and you know kind of see how they Strategize their way to the end of the game there.
Speaker 1:
So yeah, but well, the tribe is spoken. What about you?
Speaker 2:
friends.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I own all the.
Speaker 2:
DVDs and my husband makes fun of me every time I watch it, because I can still die of laughter Watching the same episode over and over again.
Speaker 1:
So, yes sure you know. It's amazing that that show was on at the same time that Seinfeld was on, just to that you can watch you know hundreds of time, and the office is another one. Yeah, really good answers.
Speaker 3:
What's yours mark now? I'm curious.
Speaker 1:
Well, I'm gonna go with Nick in terms of of hockey, you know I'm. If there's a hockey game on, I'm watching it. But if I have to truly give you my favorite show of all time, it's colombo, because that shows my age right. I love peter falc and the. You know the colombo is great.
Speaker 3:
It's also something nice about like being tied up by the end.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, you know, like you know the resolution by the end of those shows.
Speaker 3:
Nowadays you have to wait.
Speaker 4:
You know he usually figured it out the first five minutes, Guys it's.
Speaker 1:
It's been great to get to talk to you today. We're really happy to get to know our principles. Thank you for being part of this. We sure appreciate you and we will catch you all the next time on fcs unscripted. Well, that wraps it up for this week's episode of fcs unscripted. Thank you for listening in and I encourage you to subscribe and follow this weekly podcast when we will share updates, information and interviews with hashtag. Everyone the wonderful students and staff who make up one team, fcs have a great week everybody.