Parents and board meet Black Butte School teachers

Board members and parents gathered on June 24 to meet the teachers who will teach at Black Butte School next year.

The day began with a session to work on the school's core values, vision, and mission statement. It was followed by the teachers presenting their plans for the coming year.

Black Butte School is unique in that it uses "differentiated centers" for instruction so all the kids are challenged and growing at their own pace. Centers are academically based, not based on whether the child is a fifth-grade student or a sixth-grade student. Language Arts, Grammar, Spelling, Writing and Reading all have their own center.

Coursework is structured to show the relationship of one area of study to another.

Teachers at Black Butte School must re-apply each year. BBS has hired one new teacher and re-hired two of the existing teachers.

Deedee Cashwell returns after having taught last year. She earned her master's degree in education in 2001 and will be teaching kindergarten through fourth grade. She previously taught fourth and fifth grade in southern California for seven years. She likes the challenge at BBS of teaching multiple grade levels.

Cashwell plans to start a buddy reading program and a school newspaper, which the students will write and publish.

New hire Toni Coleman received her master's in teaching from Columbia University. She will be teaching fifth through eighth grade Math, Science, and Social Studies. She has previously worked for the Sisters School District teaching the home school children, TAG (Talented and Gifted) children and ELL (English Language Learners).

She plans to start a school-wide chess program. Science will include outdoor environmental education with fossil studies, a rainforest simulation, and a hoped-for trip to Pine Mountain Observatory. There is a Science Fair in the spring. She plans to add Lego robotics to the students' technology training.

This year students are focusing on world history and are considering doing a Renaissance Fair. She would also like to start a Math Night to involve the community.

Carol Dixon, who received her Bachelor's and Master's from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, has been teaching for 36 years and will be teaching Language Arts to grades five through 12.

The ninth through 12th grade Camp Sherman students will go to Sisters High School.

A retired high school English teacher, she just keeps coming back because she likes working with the kids. She has taught part-time in Camp Sherman for three years.

This year, kids will keep a portfolio of their writing and will create a literary magazine. They will study Shakespeare, and Dixon hopes there will be a springtime trip to Ashland's Shakespeare Festival.

Scott Pillar replaces Toni Brown as Business Manager, effective July 1. His credentials include being Chairman of the High Desert Education Service District Board of Directors, Secretary Treasurer of the Oregon Association of School Boards, and he is a member of the Federal Relations Network of National School Boards Associations.

He assists teachers in delivering effective curriculum, and has oversight over things like transportation, equipment and school supplies. He reviews the Oregon standards to ensure compliance.