Latest / Inside the OSD / S1 E19 - Graduate Walks

Transcript

S1 E19 - Graduate Walks · Inside the OSD

• 0:01
  SPEAKER1: Class of 2023.
• 0:03
  I just want you to know that it has been a pleasure and an honor to serve this group, and we could not be more proud of you.
• 0:10
  Way to go.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER2: We are getting close to the end of the school year, and that means our seniors are getting ready to put a wrap on their time with us and prepare for their next
• 0:20
  adventures. There are many events going on in these last few weeks to celebrate our seniors, and one very important one is taking a walk through their
• 0:28
  elementary schools.
• 0:30
  This is great both for our seniors to look back and reflect and also for our elementary students as they look to their future.
• 0:38
  Today, we're going along to Brooklyn Elementary to hear about this memorable experience.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER3: Welcome to this episode of Inside the OSD podcast, where it's all about the kids.
• 0:52
  Here is your host.
• 0:53
  Lifelong educator, and our superintendent, Dr.
• 0:56
  Leslie Bergstrom.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER2: Thanks for taking a few minutes to talk with me after you just took a walk through your school where it all started for you.
• 1:07
  So first, can you introduce yourself?
• 1:10
  SPEAKER4: I am Eve Garty.
• 1:11
  I'm a senior at Oregon High School.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER2: And what was it like to walk through your elementary school?
• 1:16
  SPEAKER4: It was a really fun and rewarding opportunity.
• 1:19
  It was a little emotional to be able to see some of my old teachers and it kind of just a wrap up of like, this is where you started and it's super
• 1:28
  rewarding because I remember some of the seniors going through when we were freshmen and it was super rewarding.
• 1:35
  I got to see the kid that I nannied the past summer and she kind of made me cry because I got to see her with all of her friends and I remember that time in my
• 1:45
  life. So it was a really rewarding opportunity.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER2: And she was proud of you, right?
• 1:49
  So it was fun to see that all of the kids were cheering for you as you walked through.
• 1:54
  Yeah, that was really special.
• 1:56
  And Brooklyn Elementary School had a very special person who was there.
• 2:01
  Retired fourth grade teacher Dale Schultz was there and he stood at the -- well.
• 2:06
  Ms. Modjeski was there, too, former Brooklyn principal.
• 2:09
  So she stood at the doorway as all of you entered.
• 2:13
  And I hear she got everybody's name.
• 2:16
  And then Mr.
• 2:18
  Schultz stood at the doorway as all of you left and gave every one of you a hug, which was special, but it was really special for you.
• 2:27
  And Mr. Schultz told me why.
• 2:29
  Do you want to share that with our listeners?
• 2:30
  SPEAKER4: Yeah. So Mr.
• 2:32
  Schultz has a very strong connection with my family.
• 2:35
  And it was really emotional for me because my dad was Mr.
• 2:41
  Schultz's first ever class that he taught, and I was his last before he retired.
• 2:45
  So it's always -- it's kept a very special place in my heart to have that sort of connection with him as well as my dad.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER2: Absolutely. I was really touched when I heard that, that there was that bookend to his career in the Garty family.
• 3:01
  What are some of the things that you remember about Mr.
• 3:04
  Schultz's class in particular?
• 3:06
  SPEAKER4: I remember it always being a really fun and welcoming place.
• 3:10
  He had these like values, like I forget how many it was.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER2: I think it's Mr. Schultz's rules or something like that.
• 3:17
  Rules for life.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER4: Yeah, life rules.
• 3:19
  And I remember always trying to live up to those and being like some of those are, were, were happening in my life currently and then some
• 3:29
  of them were things to work towards.
• 3:31
  And, and it was really -- I always remember it being a very rewarding class.
• 3:36
  I had a really great class going through and I remember at the very end of the year we did a fundraiser to get his son, who's in a wheelchair,
• 3:46
  an electric wheelchair, so that he could go and do a lot more things with his dad, especially like fishing on the pontoon boat.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER2: So that -- that is wonderful.
• 3:55
  I forgot that you did that fundraiser back then.
• 3:58
  That was pretty terrific.
• 3:59
  Yeah.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER4: I always remember his class being a super, super fun place to be.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER2: Well, elementary teachers, all teachers are very special people.
• 4:06
  But elementary teachers, when I can still remember my kindergarten, first, second grade teachers, I mean, it's been a lot longer than it has been for you.
• 4:15
  Yeah. So what is it like to -- what does it feel like to be nearing the end of senior year?
• 4:22
  SPEAKER4: It's super exciting.
• 4:23
  I am super excited to go on to what's next for me and to, like, live
• 4:32
  my future dreams that I've had for a couple of years now.
• 4:37
  But it's also a little emotional.
• 4:40
  It's somewhere that I've spent like 12 years or 13 years of my life and it's -- it's going to be hard to leave, especially the Performing Arts Center, which is
• 4:49
  where I spend half of my day anyways right now.
• 4:52
  So it's going to be a little emotional to leave and leave my mom and all that stuff.
• 4:56
  But I'm super excited to move on and see what's next for me.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER2: So, well, explain what you do in the Performing Arts Center, because I bet some people listening will wonder why does she spend half her day there?
• 5:07
  SPEAKER4: Yeah. So I have a really unique position.
• 5:12
  I work for the Performing Arts Center.
• 5:14
  I have for a couple of years now, and I do the house management there and I do the lighting.
• 5:21
  Occasionally I'll do sound, but that's not really my thing.
• 5:25
  And Nate Mendl, who is the director, kind of lets me run a lot of the events that come through, and it's been a super rewarding opportunity for me.
• 5:36
  Yeah. That's what I do there.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER2: Well, and then explain how that connects to your next steps, because it sure does connect.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER4: I -- my freshman year I was in "Guys and Dolls" with the Oregon High School and acting was really not my
• 5:53
  thing. I realized, like, I always -- I have always loved theater ever since my mom first took me.
• 5:59
  But I realize that acting was not my thing, and that's okay.
• 6:03
  But Mendl, one day he kind of pulled me into it and was like, "Hey, why don't you try doing this?
• 6:07
  Can you help me out with something?" And I was like, "Yeah." And I fell in love with doing theatrical lighting and stage management.
• 6:13
  And so that's where I'm heading to do next.
• 6:16
  I'm going to college for lighting design and stage management.
• 6:22
  And so I get to I get to live that dream that I've had for a couple of years now.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER2: So I find it really exciting when our high school students have work experiences that really help them understand what their path is.
• 6:35
  And it's really cool that you have that experience.
• 6:38
  So what is one thing you've learned during your time in The OSD that you'll take with you?
• 6:43
  SPEAKER4: I think one thing that I've learned is to find where you belong.
• 6:50
  And -- and that's something that I didn't really find a lot until I found the music and theater community.
• 6:58
  Music has always been super strong, ever since fourth grade or third grade when I joined choir.
• 7:04
  But I think just finding where you want to be versus where people want you to be.
• 7:10
  If you like -- I think one of the things that I've found super important is to not let other people define where you want to be and who you want to be.
• 7:21
  And so when I found my community and that was a little bit different from one of my friends, we kind of broke apart a little bit, but I found where I was
• 7:30
  ultimately happier.
• 7:32
  And then now we're back to being friends after we found our way and our two separate communities.
• 7:36
  So I think finding where you belong in your community is super important.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER2: That is some really great advice.
• 7:44
  Is there any other advice you have for our elementary students as they continue on their journey through the school district?
• 7:51
  SPEAKER4: Yeah, I think making sure to stay on top of your work.
• 7:57
  I know a lot of those students probably will hear that a lot soon, but making sure that you are paying attention and that you
• 8:07
  you elementary through high school is a very exciting time.
• 8:13
  Even if you don't see it as that right now.
• 8:16
  You learn so much in just a few short years and your time at your elementary school is so important.
• 8:24
  So just soak it all up and stay on top of your work in future years because we're all very important things.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER2: And don't let other people define you.
• 8:32
  Find your own place.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER4: Don't let other people define you.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER2: I love that.
• 8:36
  It's been great talking with you, Eve.
• 8:37
  So on behalf of the OSD, I want you to know how proud we are of you and of your classmates.
• 8:42
  You're on to truly amazing things.
• 8:45
  Thank you. So now we're going to talk to OHS principal, Jim Pliner, who is in the thick of these final few weeks with the class of
• 8:54
  2023. Jim, this is a busy time of year for our students and especially our seniors.
• 9:00
  What is the feeling like as you work with students to prepare for some of their last experiences in the OSD?
• 9:07
  SPEAKER1: It's all across the board.
• 9:08
  I mean, our hope is that we're creating memories that they'll take with them and last a lifetime that really captures their K 12
• 9:17
  experience, gives them some some highlights and some opportunity to remember backwards.
• 9:23
  And certainly we want to also give them a send off that is, you know, that is appropriate given how
• 9:32
  special this group is.
• 9:34
  And we know that they're off to do wonderful things and we want to honor them as they leave us.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER2: Well, what has stood out to you about the class of 2023?
• 9:43
  SPEAKER1: They're a high achieving group.
• 9:45
  They have accomplished so much in their four years here and they've endured a lot.
• 9:50
  They have this is a group that, in the spring of their freshman year, of course, you know, the Covid closure hit.
• 9:57
  And so it's a group that, you know, has grown so much and they've demonstrated a lot of resilience along the way.
• 10:05
  And I think that that has given them perspectives that really has shaped who they are as young adults.
• 10:11
  And that's really clear when I think about our graduation speakers and what they're bringing to the table.
• 10:17
  Our perspectives on the life beyond high school that are shaped by the need to be resilient and to when you encounter adversity,
• 10:27
  how you step up.
• 10:28
  And that is so important.
• 10:30
  And I think that, you know, that is going to -- and they're just a -- they're a great group of kids.
• 10:35
  They're compassionate and caring.
• 10:38
  They have been leaders and they have been peer tutors and mentors and have looked for ways to make things better
• 10:47
  for their peers in this community.
• 10:49
  So they're a special group.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER2: So why is this particular experience, The Graduate Walk, special for our seniors?
• 10:57
  SPEAKER1: It is a different lens for them to see themselves through.
• 11:01
  And when they go back to their elementaries, it is the spontaneous kickball game broke out before they got back.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER2: I received pictures of that, Yeah.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER1: Four square and for a minute there -- and they came back to school.
• 11:16
  They got off the bus and they talked about how they wanted to be back there playing longer.
• 11:23
  And they just had this look that transported them back in time.
• 11:27
  And at the same time, they're able to see themselves as young adults through the eyes of kids who are looking at it,
• 11:36
  grown human beings who are off to do amazing things.
• 11:40
  And that gap, that space between a second grader looking at a graduating senior seems infinite, but it really
• 11:50
  isn't in a blink of an eye, right?
• 11:52
  They've been able to navigate the system.
• 11:55
  And so I think it gives them a perspective.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER2: So knowing that you have to write your speech for the graduation ceremony, I won't ask you to give anything away, but do you have any words of wisdom or
• 12:07
  advice for our seniors as they finish these last couple of weeks?
• 12:11
  SPEAKER1: Do your best. Believe in yourself.
• 12:14
  You know, know that -- Spoiler alert -- if you stay in the game and you work hard and you build relationships with people around you and you
• 12:24
  cultivate, you know, your interests, it works out.
• 12:28
  It does.
• 12:29
  It does. I can remember my own senior year fraught with wonder and anxiety about what am I going to do and how is this going
• 12:39
  to going to play out.
• 12:40
  I never would have foreseen.
• 12:42
  But I think for me, the rule is you just continue to follow the path of best opportunity, that you just stay in the game and things things
• 12:52
  work out.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER2: Now, I know that there may be parents and families who who are listening and you've had two children go through this process before and you've seen it so
• 13:02
  many times in the course of your career.
• 13:04
  So do you have any advice for parents of seniors as they move through these next few weeks with their students?
• 13:12
  SPEAKER1: You know, you're gradually releasing responsibility to these 18 and 19.
• 13:17
  It's a hard
• 13:18
  SPEAKER2: thing to do.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER1: It's really hard. And you have to be encouraging.
• 13:22
  And yet at the same time, you have to know that everything is a learning experience.
• 13:27
  And, you know, to give them some space, to know that if your students go off to school, for those that do, they're going to come
• 13:37
  back different. They're going to come back different.
• 13:39
  They've experienced, you know, a lot more freedom and they've a lot more responsibility.
• 13:45
  And that is an enormous growth opportunity for kids.
• 13:49
  And even if they've made some mistakes and they've fallen down, it's your job to pick them up, dust them off and to let them take care of -- let them take
• 13:58
  care of those issues on their own, because that's part of adulting.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER2: Thanks, Jim.
• 14:04
  We'll look forward to the celebrations ahead and, of course, to the final culminating experience for these seniors -- The Class of 2023 commencement
• 14:14
  ceremony. Thank you.
• 14:17
  Remember that you can find links to all episodes of Inside the OSD and submit topic ideas on our website at
• 14:24
  OregonSd.org/Podcast. You can find this podcast anywhere you can find podcasts.
• 14:32
  Make sure to subscribe if you're listening on one of these apps to get notifications on the most recent episodes.
• 14:38
  We'll see you next time on Inside the OSD, where it's all about the kids.