El Dorado Schools

(pictured above is Mary Martha Good with a previous student)

I arrived in El Dorado on Sunday to meet the Team and within minutes we were off to visit a park that was built by the community so ALL kids could play on it - specially built for wheelchairs and even blind kids. That pretty much set the theme of El Dorado - COMMUNITY. Next stop was the YMCA which was built with funds from the community. They have exercise bikes for kids with game screens so they can race, this YMCA also has smaller sized weight machines for younger kids to lift. It made me want to move to El Dorado! The Team was honored at a reception where different community groups gave us a history and insight to this amazing town. We also enjoyed a talk by the Wildlife and Parks Ranger about El Dorado lake and how they work together with the school system to have students outside applying their learning. One very impressive program we heard about is the partnership with Frontier Refinery. They fund the Imagination Library where EVERY student from birth to age 5 gets a book a month. This is a Dolly Parton supported program. "Imagine" that!! The cost is $30 per student each year and last year, 375 families received books. COMMUNITY!!!

Next on our visit was a private tour of Coutts Museum and a catered supper with many community people attending. The Team heard from the City Manager, Mayor, Superintendent, and even a former Kansas Teacher of the Year. Superintendent Sue Givens is a dynamic speaker with a vision for the future of El Dorado schools - I think we all sensed the schools are in good hands! The evening closed with each of us receiving our own "hand painted" apron that reflected what we teach, what we coach, or our passions. Check that picture out! (you see, Mary Martha is known for wearing an apron while teaching her adorable Kindergarteners)


The next morning (EARLY the next morning) we toured Mary Martha's school, Skelly Elementary. This is a PreK-2nd grade building and is filled with dedicated faculty and support staff. We watched Mary Martha along with speech pathologist, Nancy Basquez, instruct students using Sounds in Motion. It was awesome watching the students read words by doing each sound with motion, put the sounds together, and say the word! The love these children have for Mrs. Mary Martha Good and the staff was evident by their faces!



We also visited the brand new El Dorado High School. The staff moved in over spring break last year (ambitious!) and are rightfully proud of their new facility. I experienced "facility envy" touring the building! They have a 1 to 1 laptop initiative and these students are truly becoming 21st Century Learners. After visiting the high school, we toured the charter school, Extend. This educates approximately 40 students using project based learning that coincides with the state standards. Once again, each student has their own laptop and are supervised by 4 instructors. Very impressive!


Our last stop was at the El Dorado Correctional Facility (sorry - no pictures as no cameras were allowed) to observe the GED program along with their vocational programs. Each of the Team was impacted when we visited at length with two inmates who were put in prison at ages 17 and 18. Both will soon be released (one after almost 10 years) with a new vision, new hope, and a new life. Both now have their high school education - one will be getting a job as a mason. The other will be entering Wichita State University and hopes to speak to youth about avoiding gangs. We toured the entire facility - everything but the segragated block. It is something I highly recommend for anyone. It was educational and opened my eyes to the efforts, energy, and work so many people and volunteers are doing to reform the prison population. We were all thankful we received a "Get out of Jail Free" card from our very knowledgeable and kind tour guide, Jay Johnson!

We have a few comments from a couple of our team members on our podcast to the right. Please listen to their highlights of El Dorado by clicking on the play button! Tomorrow we visit Newton Schools with our host, Mary Bradshaw. It is another exciting day of learning ahead. Another team member will be writing about that visit....so be sure to check back!!

Look at everything as though you are seeing it for the first time, with eyes of a child,
fresh with wonder.
-- Joseph Cornell