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Successful Collaboration
One collaborative model that has been very successful for over 10 years in the West Babylon School District is the yearly Authors’ Recognition Program. The School Media Specialist is the Chairperson of the committee that includes administrators, teachers and parents: Principal (Michael J. Rizzo), the Assistant Principal (Scott Payne), the President of the Parent Teachers’ Association (Roe Basile), four teachers representing grade 6 (Julie Powers, Susan Gottlieb, Diane Grimsley-Goldberg, & Heidi Strickland), and three representing grades 7 & 8 (Lauren Belesi, Diane Carrozzo & Natalie Wronsky). The authors for the program are selected from the BOCES Arts in Education program booklet. Communications with the selected authors are initiated and references are checked by the Chairperson and another committee member. The PTA pays the honorarium and negotiates with the presenters as necessary.
The School Media Specialist researches the authors’ life and publications, and distributes the findings to committee members, who in turn share them with their respective departments. Sometimes three or four committee meetings are held to discuss the assembly programs. Ongoing communications are facilitated via emails or memos.
The School Media Specialist communicates frequently with the presenters and informs them of the bell schedule, directions to the school, the number of students expected at each session and any paperwork needed by BOCES, and also determines whether a presenter needs special equipment or tables to display their books or artifacts. Selected committee members compile lesson plan activities and share these with grade level teachers.
Based on the school activity calendar, and in consultation with the Principal and the Assistant Principal, two committee members devise the assembly schedules. Students who do not have reading or language arts during the scheduled periods are given individual passes for the auditorium where the program is being held. A few days before the visit a bulletin board is decorated announcing the visit, notification is placed in the Daily Staff Notice, and flyers sent to nearby schools and local media outlets. Other staff members, for example, the Director of Language Arts & Testing (Carol Varsolona), the chairpersons of the English department (Tara Hoffman) and Music program (William Doran), were also involved in rescheduling and preparing the auditorium for the visit. This year we were lucky that two teachers (Diane Carrozzo and Ian Rodgers) received a professional learning grant from Suffolk Edge Teachers’ Center (SETC) of Western Suffolk BOCES and that was instrumental in paying for transportation and hotel accommodations for one guest, as well as a Collegial Circle meeting with members after school.
The 2007 Programs
This year, after two unexpectedly postponed visits, the committee welcomed dynamic Virginia educator and poet Kwame Alexander on June 11, 2007. His presentations included poetry readings from his many books and the stories behind them; he also used the students’ comments to spin new poetic lyrics. Even students who thought they were not interested in poetry were caught up in his enthusiasm and zeal. Several wrote haikus and clerihews which they shared with their peers. Many came to realize that poetry is an expression of the human emotion. Noted poet, Gwendolyn Brooks perhaps said it best, “Poetry is life distilled.” With gentle probing, students managed to list 10 poets and some even recited brief lines from their favorite poems. Needless to say, there were moments of fun especially when several students recited “The Cat in The Hat.”
On June 15 , 2007, Long Island educator and columnist, Marie Gippetti, was the featured speaker for the grade 6 assembly program. She was selected by the committee as part of a motivational strategy to support student writing. She encouraged students to write with passion and use strong active language to gain the readers’ attention. The students came prepared with their pens and notebooks and had fun expanding on the writing themes which were offered. They were so caught up in their tasks that the ringing of the bell, signaling the end of the session, was largely ignored. It was a marvelous learning opportunity for students and teachers.
Comments from teachers have been very favorable concerning the effect of this program on students. In the weeks following the events, students are more focused on their lessons and spend more time on specific tasks. The rich dialogue that occurs after the events, results in increased group cooperation and cohesion. Most students come to see that poetry and good writing skills are tools they can use not only in their classrooms but also to enhance their future careers. Even teachers not involved in the program are often caught up in the zeal. Mrs. Heather Korchma, an art teacher, remarked “I heard that the 8 th grade presentations were very good and that the students were totally engaged in the activities. We should have him back next year!”
The annual Authors’ Recognition Program is just one example of the type of collaborative programs that are offered to students during the school year. On May 14 th 2007, New York State honored West Babylon School District as a “Title 1 High Performance School District” and West Babylon Junior High School as a “Title 1 High Performing Middle School.” The whole school is justly proud of this recognition. |
