June 3, 2005

Carolyn Clark Elementary: A winning combination

By Bea Baechle
Editor

Like the personality of a child, a school’s culture takes time to mature.

Principal Jeff Smith, ESD Board Member Carolyn Clark, husband Dallas Clark and Thang Do of AEDIS hold up a panoramic view of Carolyn Clark Elementary School, a gift from Dallas to the school

Yet as Carolyn Clark Elementary School wraps up its first full year of operation this place is humming like a well-oiled machine—with an experienced, well-liked administrator at the helm, enthusiastic teachers working for him and supportive parents rounding out the equation.

With that winning combination—in a new facility with up-to-date equipment and easy access to technology—the students are bound to benefit.

When asked what makes this 18th school in the Evergreen School District so special in a sea of California Distinguished and National Blue Ribbon Schools, health assistant Debbie Boyer replied, “The staff bonded immediately, and in general, everyone is willing to pitch in. It’s just a very warm, positive atmosphere.”

She was quick to sprinkle in a few real life examples. First grade teacher Tami Compton has been known to “come skipping through the office saying, ‘I just looooove being here,’” said Boyer. Not to mention the angelic little voices of Lisa Untrauer’s first graders providing the background music for the school.

Second grade teacher Susan Coda pinpointed it well. “This is a really family-oriented school with a good mixture of academics and a focus on the whole child. Jeff [Smith] really wants to build a community and strong family involvement.”

From the perspective of a very active parent in three other district schools over the years, Missy Marsh commented, “The administration and the support staff are so awesome. There’s a wonderful, positive spirit here, and it’s so organized, especially for the first year. This school hit the ground running. They’ve ramped everything up really fast and they set the expectations high—and the kids are meeting them.”

Sixth grader Crystal DeSousa added, “I feel really special to be at a really nice school with new friends and new teachers.”

From the principal’s view, Jeff Smith described the culture of his school as experimental. “There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of energy, because everything is new. We’re trying things out. We will try some things that might not work, but that’s not going to let us get down. We are willing to try new things and make the needed adjustments.”
The facility

“From a construction standpoint, this school went very smoothly compared to some of the other schools we’ve constructed in the Evergreen School District,” said Smith.

“Carolyn Clark opened within two months of the desired date and in time for school to begin.”

During the May 19 dedication of the school, Thang Do of AEDIS Architecture and Planning compared building a school to a word problem. “It’s like 100,000 word problems—but the biggest part of the problem is finding out what the words really say and what they are asking for.”

Credit retired ESD employee Clark Schiller for knowing what made Evergreen schools special and making sure that every project fit that mold, Do said. He also acknowledged retired Deputy Superintendent Maryann Cavallo for “making every single Evergreen project better than the last one,” and retired Superintendent Jim Smith, “who loves to build schools like nobody else I’ve ever known.”

“I like to think of a project as being something more than just the time and the money that gets put into it—it’s about the heart and soul that goes into it, and this project has heart and soul 100,000 times over,” said Do.

Sure, there were a few leaks during an incredibly wet rainy season and the school library could use more books. But Smith said the most difficult thing he’s had to deal with is the traffic flow of student dismissal and arrival. Located on a nine-acre site at 3701 Rue Mirassou, the school has not yet been able to use its bus loop because the southeast section of Rue Mirassou is still under construction.

“If this has been the most difficult thing I’ve had to worry about, that’s pretty good,” said Smith, who was principal at Chaboya Middle School, Millbrook Elementary School and briefly at Tom Matsumoto Elementary School before Carolyn Clark opened.

The staff
“One of the important things was that most of the teaching staff was selected well in advance of the [2003] Christmas break,” he added. “It was a long process—they were very methodically and very carefully chosen.”

Of course, you have to plan for the unexpected. Carolyn Clark was projected to open with 530 students in the fall of 2004. When 702 kids showed up, Smith had to hire seven teachers after the school year had already begun.

Many of the teachers were chosen to come to Carolyn Clark by December of 2003, about nine months ahead of opening day.

Right now, he’s in the process of hiring three more teachers to accommodate the anticipated growth for next year. The total capacity of the school is 830 students.

“I am thrilled to be a part of the first staff of this school,” said Untrauer, who was hired by ESD to teach first grade in August 2000. “Our community is developing. It’s been a whirlwind of change and new beginnings. It has been more challenging than I thought it would be, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything!”

For example, one challenge early on was establishing school rules. “I anticipated that being in a staff that came from many different schools would mean that there were many different ways that things were done,” explained Untrauer. “Now what would work for Clark? It was all new. WE had to establish the rules based on what was going to work at Clark, not necessarily what worked at the schools we came from.”

Third grade teacher Allison George agrees. “Starting up a new school has been a tremendous experience, lots of blood, sweat and tears (literally), but every minute was worth the opportunity to begin a new chapter for Evergreen School District. It’s been great working with such a wonderful and talented staff.”

It’s a wonderful place
“Our school truly is a wonderful place to be!” said first grade teacher Compton, who has been teaching in the district for three years and previously taught at Challenger School for six.

“It is not only a beautiful new school, the families are extremely supportive and very involved with all that we do here,” added Compton. “I feel extremely fortunate to be working with such a wonderful staff. Every teacher here has made every effort to build not just a working team, but also a family. I know that I can ask for just about anything, and in no time at all, someone will respond and be more than willing to help me out.

Valerie Cones, who is in her third year teaching fourth grade, said, “It’s been amazing. The principal is incredibly supportive, the staff works together for the good of the kids, and the students themselves are, for the most part, well behaved and intelligent.

“Most of all, I am incredibly pleased with the attitudes of our students,” she continued. They are diligent, respectful of elders and sharp as knives. Anyone who feels that students’ work today falls far below the standards of previous generations has obviously never been to Clark School.”

Cones considers this as one of the most positive of all of her teaching experiences. She is very excited about all the new technology available to her students to create PowerPoint presentations, research explorers online and create classroom yearbooks.

“Most of all, I am so honored in my role as an educator,” continued Cones. “I am not only responsible for developing the skills and intellect of the next generation, but showing them right and wrong in this age when TV and music influence has been anything but positive. To be able to shape a young mind and heart is a very powerful thing and a worthy goal not to be taken lightly. And that is what I find...exhilarating, exciting and incredible!”

Molly Kishimoto is a resource specialist who previously taught at Norwood Creek Elementary for five years and at LeyVa Middle School 12 years before that. “As a diverse staff from different backgrounds, we are continually collaborating to build school-wide goals, student expectations, community involvement, parent participation, and most of all, traditions that can be originated by students and staff that will remain in practice for the years to come.

“We have the awesome responsibility of establishing this school and creating a vision for the future!,” she added. “It is a challenging, but hugely rewarding mission.”

Fifth grade teacher Bernadette Marcias came to Carolyn Clark from K.R. Smith “excited about the technology available to use, allowing me to go more into depth with my digital cameras and iMovie projects with my students.”

One of the first mini groups her students completed was for the book “Esperanza Rising.” They chose a chapter, created a script, videotaped the scene and edited it using Imovie.

To address the challenge of trying to get to know her students better in a new school, she bought a pizza lunch for six students at a time, sat down with them and just chatted while they ate.

A birds-eye view of Carolyn Clark Elementary School in the Evergreen Hills.

With no API scores available for the new school until the fall, Principal Smith said, “The only thing we can do is make sure teachers are trained and teaching to standards. We’re hoping for an API score well above [the state target of] 800.”

Parents
Diane Straetker, who was active in the Matsumoto PTA in the past, stepped up to the plate as PTA president for Carolyn Clark.

The Carolyn Clark PTA organized three book fairs and four family events, including Starlight Reading, Games Night, Movie Night and a carnival. After hosting two major fundraisers, the PTA donated more than $3,000 in cash back to the school and over $4,200 in credit from Scholastic Books to all teachers. 

PTA also sponsored “Teacher Appreciation Week,” a holiday luncheon for the staff and assisted with a fifth grade play, a talent show and now with graduation.

“The success of the first year of PTA has been a combination of the wonderful teachers and staff and the dedicated board, plus the support of all PTA members and families,” said Straetker. “I feel lucky to be a part of such a highly successful school. I hope that Clark will continue to grow and succeed in the future.”