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Education Elevat g We continue our series highlighting tremendous educators across Illinois who have given their time and energy to ele- vating the superintendency and public education as a whole. Each month, we will feature two educators who are going the extra mile and truly making a difference beyond their school districts and local communities. While we are aware of many of the contributions administrators are making, we are open to any suggestions for someone to feature next month. To make a recommendation, contact Jason Nevel, IASA Director of Social Media and Publications, at jnevel@iasaedu.org or by calling 217–753–2213. Dr. PatrickMark Twomey Macomb CUSD#185 Dr. Sophia Jones-Redmond Thornton Fractional HSD#215

Who: Dr. Sophia Jones-Redmond, superintendent What: Opened a barber shop and cosmetology training studio; Partnered with IBEW to launch an apprenticeship program; Developed a Grow Your Own teacher training program; Started COVID-19 student ambassador program.

Who: Dr. Patrick Mark Twomey, superintendent What: United States Rural School Safety Project; President of Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools; Pioneer of Flipped Classroom approach to learning. Where: Macomb CUSD #185 When: Superintendent of Macomb

Where: Thornton Fractional Twp HSD #215 When: Superintendent of Thornton Fractional Twp HSD #215 since 2020. Former superintendent of Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice District 428 for four years. Why: As superintendent of Thornton Fractional Twp HSD #215, Dr. Jones-Redmond is committed to providing students with multiple options to pursue college or a career. In her first year as superintendent, she pushed the district to open a unique barber shop and cosmetology studio that provides students with hands-on training. The studio was slated to open in March 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the program, students can earn a certification as a licensed cosmetologist or barber. Eventually, Dr. Jones- Redmond hopes to expand the program and have students

CUSD #185 since 2011 Why: The difference between crisis training in rural schools versus suburban and urban districts was apparent to Dr. Patrick Mark Twomey while researching his dissertation years ago. “I traveled to the suburbs and there was Illinois State Police, FBI and Secret Service on site for training,” said Dr. Twomey. “In my time since then, I’ve worked hard to figure out a way where rural schools can receive this same level of training and create a consortium where school districts and their administrators train together as cohorts moving forward.” The United States Rural School Safety Project is still in its early stages, but the goal is to create safer learning environments in rural and small school districts throughout the U.S.

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