2 EDCAL September 18, 2017
Center helps teachers with STEM in classroom
Northern California teachers have
enjoyed innovative activities designed to get
their students excited about STEM learning
through the Making Science Make Sense
program.
During workshops at the Bayer
Crop Science Research Center in West
Sacramento, teachers get hands-on training
in classroom science activities, including
in-depth experimental demonstrations on
such topics as extracting strawberry DNA
and measuring pH with blueberries. In
addition, an Apple to Earth activity dem-
onstrates how little of the earth’s surface
is available to feed the planet’s 7.5 billion
people. Teachers are rotated through smaller
experiments round-robin style. The experi-
ments have intriguing titles such as Balloon
Skewers, Lava Lamps, Magic Milk and
T-shirt Chromatography, and give teach- ers more ideas for teaching science in the
classroom.
A few additional highlights of the work-
shop included tours of the Bayer Crop
Science labs and a career panel with Bayer
scientists, where teachers are given helpful
tips on how to best prepare their students
for careers in STEM. Bayer understands
that teachers are some of the biggest influ-
encers for students in third through eighth
grade, and has made a commitment to
improving teachers’ abilities to teach sci-
ence, technology, engineering and math.
Teachers leave the workshop with two com-
plete classroom experiment kits that include
supplies to re-create their experiments when
they get back in the classroom.
The Making Science Make Sense pro-
gram is a larger initiative that encourages
teachers to engage children in a way that is interactive, inquiry-based
and experimental to create an
excitement for learning. This
approach aims to help stu-
dents develop lifelong skills,
such as critical thinking, prob-
lem solving and the ability to
work as a team.
“It’s amazing to think that
Bayer initiated the Making
Science Make Sense program
in 1995, and it’s still con-
tinuing to grow after all of The Making Science Make Sense program includes workshops that
these years,” said Jon Margolis, teach teachers how to make STEM education exciting for students.
vice president of Biologics
Research and Development at the Bayer to get their students excited about learn-
Crop Science Research Center. “Over 20 ing.”
To learn more about the Making Science
years later, Bayer continues to create learn-
ing opportunities for students by providing Make Sense program, visit www.bayer.com/
teachers with fun and innovative activities en/making-science-make-sense.aspx.
BISHOP “That was 20 years ago. As my daughter
grew, so did my desire for her to receive
an excellent education in our local public
schools, so, although I had not planned to
become a school administrator, it has been a
rewarding experience to do my part to sup-
port a quality education, not only for her but
for every parent’s child.”
Solano County Superintendent of
Schools Jay Speck agrees.
“I attribute much of the success of our
office to the exemplary service that Laryn
provides to our board, our school districts,
her fellow employees, and to me,” he said. “I
use the word service intentionally because
at the heart of our organization and at the
heart of Laryn’s work is the concept of
service.
“Her work is always of the highest qual-
ity, and as a result, I have total trust in her
carrying out what are often very high stakes
responsibilities.”
In her role as chief assistant, Bishop acts
as one of the key liaisons of communication
for the county superintendent, supporting
the county’s critical initiatives, including the
California Academic Decathlon, the Solano
County Spelling Bee and the Stuff the Bus Campaign, as well as SCOE’s Strategic
Vision. Her work impacts more than 60,000
students with diverse needs and experiences
across six school districts.
“I am proud to be a meaningful part
of SCOE’s well-run management team of
dedicated and selfless educators who base
all decisions on doing what is best for kids,”
Bishop said. “We communicate effectively
and combine our individual talents together
for the benefit of students, staff, and the
community.”
In her 16 years as a member of ACSA,
Bishop appreciates the support the organi-
zation offers to administrators in confiden-
tial and classified positions.
“One of the things I value most about
ACSA is that the organization recogniz-
es the important role of classified staff.
The annual Classified Educational Leaders
Institute is a great event. I always leave
energized and with many new ideas to
implement as soon as I return to the office.
“I also appreciate ACSA’s advocacy
efforts at the state level,” she continued. “As
a highly respected organization, ACSA’s
influence is widespread and has the best
interests of students in mind while also establishing services and protective mea-
sures for its members.”
She believes one of the most important
roles school leaders play is to act as mentors
to a future generation of educators.
“The mentoring is not for the purpose
of continuing to do tasks the same way they
have been done in the past… but rather it is
to share experiences, organizational history,
best practices, and lessons learned as a way
to avoid repeating previous mistakes and
understand how we can accomplish more as
a cohesive whole than as individuals.”
Her mentors include the four county
superintendents she has supported, who
have inspired her in “Leading Beyond
Limits.”
“They have greatly expanded my com-
passion; helped increase my confidence,
leadership abilities, and communication
skills; and encouraged me to test the mettle
of traditional ideas and processes.”
ACSA believes that leadership matters
across the spectrum of school administra-
tion. Bishop is an outstanding example of
those who lead in supporting roles, commit-
ted to ensuring student success now and in
generations to come.
“There is something uniquely satisfy-
ing about observing each student as they
individually recognize the importance of
improving their skills through education
and making practical application in their
daily lives,” Sutherland said.
It’s the same with teachers, he added.
Good teachers become better with pro-
fessional development that stimulates and
refines classroom skills, increasing student
success.
“As an effective administrator, I have the responsibility to identify, support, and
influence teachers who exhibit leadership
qualities and consider administration as a
goal,” Sutherland said. “Very few careers
would have provided me with the privilege
and opportunity to positively influence the
lives of so many.”
At the EDCOE, Sutherland has played
a key role in developing a shared vision for
what adult ed services will look like for
his large, primarily rural region. Carefully
listening to stakeholders and community
partners, he introduced a clear, new mission
for programs that offer a variety of educa-
tional options, while strategically maximiz-
ing resources, and staying within budget
constraints.
“I draw inspiration from the many pro-
fessional partnerships I have developed
in the community,” Sutherland said. That
includes operating the education program in
two jails for the Sheriff ’s Department; pro-
viding education services for the Probation
Department’s “One-Stop” employment
services center; providing Adult Basic
Education and tutorial service for the
Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians;
operating ABE programs for a low-income
housing association, as well as ABE and
English learner programs for several school
districts; and opening and operating the
county’s only Pearson VUE Test Center.
Collaborative partnerships with govern-
ment agencies and county organizations are
essential, Sutherland said, since they provide
additional opportunities to students and the
community.
“Whatever the purpose, community
partnerships offer an effective and practical
approach in assisting us in accomplishing
our adult education mission: To provide
our adult learners with a wide range of rich
learning experiences tailored to meet their
unique needs,” he said. “Our students are an
integral part of this community, and in order
for us to be successful in our mission, part-
nerships must be forged in the community.”
Sutherland is appreciated for his deep personal conviction that all students – no
matter what has transpired in their lives or
the number of times they have struggled
– can be supported and encouraged to lift
themselves into a better future.
“I make every effort to do something
every day that will enhance the lives of stu-
dents and colleagues,” he said. “Just recently,
I had the privilege of presenting a high
school diploma to a student who had come
back to school after dropping out more than
50 years ago. There are no words that can
describe the emotions that ran through all
who had the privilege of watching her cross
the stage.”
Although he admits to being an ACSA
member for only a short time, Sutherland
has come to appreciate the leadership role
the association has assumed in the field of
education.
“The association activities, inspirational
networks and the mutual commitment to
excellence we share in ACSA have been
instrumental in my success as an adminis-
trator,” he said.
Citing the privilege to work with a
dynamic team of professionals who meet
high standards for positive student out-
comes, Sutherland reflected on the theme
for the 2017 ACSA Leadership Summit:
Leading Beyond Limits.
“Over the last several years, EDCOE has
been proactive in narrowing the achieve-
ment gap and meeting regulatory and edu-
cational standards by enriching the lives of
more than 28,000 students,” he said “I am
most proud of the opportunity to lead and
to share with students, staff and the com-
munity a solid vision for our adult school;
knowing this vision makes a difference in
every student’s life.”
Continued from page 1
Bishop never expected to become a
school leader, but her entrance into the field
came, appropriately, through education.
“As I prepared to re-enter the workforce
after being a stay-at-home mom for a few
years, I took a couple of classes to become
familiar with the latest advances in technol-
ogy,” she said. “One assignment involved
searching the want ads for positions of
interest and composing applicable cover let-
te rs and résumés.”
She saw an advertisement for school
secretary for SCOE’s court and community
school program, and felt immediately drawn
to the job.
“Parenthood had taught me to be much
more patient; negotiate with lively, often
impetuous, youngsters; juggle multiple tasks
simultaneously; manage crisis situations;
deliver caring discipline, as needed; choose
my battles wisely; and hold people account-
able, no matter what their age, all on very
little sleep, making the field of education
seem like a seamless fit,” Bishop said.
SUTHERLAND
Continued from page 1
In fact, Sutherland enjoys wide approval
for the job he has done as principal of Adult
Education Programs at the El Dorado
County Office of Education since 2015.
He brought with him three decades of
experience in correctional education for the
county and for the California Department
of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
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