EL SEGUNDO HERALD March 16, 2017 Page 7 School Spotlight Marisa Janicek Awarded California Schools Administrator of the Year El Segundo Unified School District’s Executive Director of Educational Services Marisa Janicek was selected District Administrator of the Year (Region 14) by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA)—the second consecutive year the award has been given to an ESUSD administrator. Janicek will be honored at the organizations’ regional awards event on April 26. ACSA is the largest umbrella organization for school leaders in the United States, serving more than 17,000 California educators. As the leading professional association for education leaders in the nation, ACSA honors exceptional leadership through its annual awards programs. Nominated for the award by ESUSD Superintendent Melissa Moore, Janicek was commended by her colleagues, superiors, students and parents for her transformational leadership, her infectious can-do attitude, her exemplary technology practices, and recognized as “a natural team-builder, communicator and collaborator.” “ESUSD is a high achieving school district directly due to Marisa Janicek’s leadership and dedication,” said Moore. It is through such consensus-building efforts that all ESUSD schools have earned significant recognition during her tenure: six years of accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, California Department of Education’s Golden Ribbon School Awards, the California School Boards Association Golden Bell Award and an Apple Distinguished School Award. “Janicek’s leadership facilitated the growth and recognition of the El Segundo Unified School District as an esteemed and award-winning school district that prepares educated, productive, compassionate citizens to meet the challenges of a global society in the 21st Century,” said Moore. Currently serving as executive director of educational services for the district, Janicek has also served as principal of Arena High School since 2013. She previously was principal of Center Street Elementary School, and assistant principal and categorical coordinator at Richmond and Center Street School. She began her career in education as an elementary teacher in the Campbell Union School District in 1997. Active in the local community, Janicek is a current member of the El Segundo Kiwanis, El Segundo Education Foundation, El Segundo Middle School and Center Street PTAs, and the National Charity League. The Center Street School PTA honored her with a Very Special Person Award in 2008. El Segundo Middle School Principal Jack Plotkin was named the ACSA Region 14 Middle Grades Principal of the Year in 2016. – Content Provided by El Segundo Unified School District • Marisa Janicek Wiseburn School Board Members View Special PLTW Presentation By Duane Plank The March 9 Wiseburn School Board meeting took place at Peter Burnett Elementary School, down the road from the normal meeting place at the Wiseburn Unified School District office on Aviation Boulevard. This was so that the assembled members and community folk could view a special presentation and demonstration of the talents of a very energetic and enthusiastic group of Burnett fifth graders participating in the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) program at that campus. Burnett fifth grade teacher Summer Graves, who spearheads the school’s PLTW program, had corralled more than a dozen of her eager students who participated in three spirited demonstrations for the assembled School Board members. The robotic-car student demonstrations were delayed for a few seconds when an arriving Board member, heading to his seat, accidentally stomped on one of the floor props that was going to be used for the demonstrations. No harm, no foul. The prop was quickly rassembled by the fifth graders, and the three robotic vehicle competitions soon took place. After the presentation, Graves, in her third year at Burnett, hustled her charges back to her classroom before making sure that they met their proud parents. She noted, “The kids have so much enthusiasm for the program, they can’t get enough of it. It makes me so proud. They took it upon themselves to volunteer for this [presentation].” District Superintendent Tom Johnstone and Burnett Principal Laura Sullivan both lauded the budding young engineers’ prowess, and Board members queried the fifth graders on their participation in the PLTW program. “Awesome,” Johnstone said. The second special presentation delved into the probable adoption of a new English Language Arts (ELA) textbook for District elementary students. Led by Aileen Harbeck, and including input from Special Education instructor Carrie Schat and District Deputy Superintendent Chris Jones, the presentation recommended the adoption of textbook and supporting materials dubbed “Wonders” that is put out by longtime textbook publisher McGraw-Hill. The cost to the District over the proposed seven-year program would be in the neighborhood of $330,000 and include training, tax and shipping costs. The current ELA textbook was adopted back in 2003, and, according to the presentation, the new textbook from past vendor Houghton Mifflin had a plethora of negatives--including that it was just a “revamp” of prior issues, and that the students “lacked engagement” in interpreting the provided stories. The Wonders program was supported by District teachers, some who attended the School Board meeting. They pointed out that the Wonders program included an “easier, friendlier book,” and was called an “amazing resource.” After the presentation, Board members posed questions regarding the relevancy of spending District funds in 2017 on textbooks--what with the advent of digital textbooks and other online tools now being readily available. It was pointed out prior to the end of the presentation that a majority of District teachers still favor utilizing hard-copy textbooks, in conjunction with the availability of online tools and resources. The Board will likely make a decision on the adoption of Wonders at the March 23 gathering. Presentation number three was made by Sylvia Chavez, a program manager for the P.S. Arts company that works closely with the District to develop arts enrichment programs for Wiseburn students. Chavez shared with the Board and members of the audience possible grants and revenue streams that will continue to fund the teaching and support of arts in the District. Chavez delineated the District’s arts “strategic plan,” which, according to P.S Arts mission statement, is to be dedicated to “improving the lives of children by providing arts education to underserved public schools and communities.” Partners with Wiseburn since 2010, Chavez spoke of an arts planning committee comprised of teachers, administrators, parents, community partners, funders and Board members that has been working on a five-year strategic arts plan, and the attempt to secure grants for the funding of the plan. Chavez’s PowerPoint presentation noted the three main priority areas for the plan, including the building of coherent and comprehensive art programs; expansion and alignment of the arts curricula; and sustainment and expansion of district-wide arts resources. She concluded her presentation with the mention of upcoming two-year goals for the program, including immersing teachers in arts professional development programs; closing perceived “equity gaps” in K-12 arts programming; developing pathways in the K-12 area of visual and performing arts; creating a District-wide arts calendar; and convening a District leadership team to keep track of the progress made in the implementation of the five-year plan with the formation of specific committees to help keep the plan on track. Post-special presentations, the Board members and administrators shared some of their reflections on the Thursday evening presentations as well as the District occurrences in the past few weeks since the last regularly scheduled Board meeting on February 28. After the minutes were approved for that meeting, the Board tackled the action items listed. They took action on the release of certain certificated employees from their employment contract, a standard District protocol that takes place each year because of the vagaries of school-District state funding. The Board also green-flagged new school construction projects for the high school that is taking shape on Douglas Street, as well as approving 13 construction change orders at the new campus site. Also on the action item agenda was the Board okay for the state-mandated financial second interim report, in which the District filed for the best possible certification (positive) and approval of a little more money for Wiseburn’s law firm--Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud and Romo. Consent items were next on the agenda, with conference schedules, employee staffing and field trips quickly approved. The mention was then made of upcoming District events, including a Board Workshop that will take place on Thursday, March 23, and the always anticipated Spring Break that kicks off when the final school bell rings on the afternoon of April 7--with the students not returning until the morning of Monday, April 17. • Check It Out from page 6 time misspent. Characters make observations that are hilarious and then a few pages later, these characters mature in their views--some seem to have empathy for their peers and their problems. It’s a fast-paced story that you will not want to put down. The El Segundo Public Library offers access to its collection of titles in a variety of formats, including traditional hardback, e-books and books on CD. To check out A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams, or any other title on your to-read list, please visit the library to apply for your library card, or please contact the reference staff for further assistance. We look forward to seeing you. •
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