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Education Elevat g Jones-Redmond ... cont’d. Twomey ... cont’d. produce their own shampoo and conditioner, stretching the class across different curricula.

A pilot project scheduled this spring will bring together districts from at least 10 counties for training with multiple law enforcement and emergency management agencies. The pilot project is part of the P3 illinois initiative, where we bring public institutions, private individuals and philanthropists together to solve real world problems. “You only have to look at the Washington tornado that hit a few years ago to understand why that is important,” Dr. Twomey said. “The tornado destroyed the home of a superintendent. How much good can a superintendent be to their district if they themselves are in a crisis? There needs to be surrounding districts that can step in and provide those services.” Dr. Twomey is the immediate past President of the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools. He has been a passionate advocate for smaller, rural districts throughout his career. Before arriving at Macomb CUSD #185 in 2011, Dr. Twomey served as superintendent of Havana CUSD #126. The district was underperforming and in need of a new approach to student learning that would reinvigorate teachers. Dr. Twomey became the first superintendent in the country to transform the traditional content delivery model of an entire high school in just 100 days. The Flipped Classroom is a blended learning model in which traditional ideas about classroom activities and homework are reversed, or “flipped.” In the model, instructors have students interact with new material for homework first. They then use class time to discuss the new information and put those ideas into practice. “It wasn’t without trial and error, but our teachers grabbed hold and loved the idea,” said Dr. Twomey. “Leaders have to be disrupters sometimes when the norm is not working.”

“I believe in higher education, but I also recognize not every student is going to go to college,” said Dr. Jones- Redmond. “Cosmetology and barbershop is a career that can yield a sustainable lifestyle. In addition to a business application, I believe it’s a program that can go even broader. It’s a game changer for our students.” Thornton Fractional Twp HSD #215 has also partnered with the Illinois Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to offer students an apprenticeship program, where students can earn credentials needed to work in the trades. The district was also the recipient of a Career Pathway Grant through the Illinois State Board of Education aimed at developing future teachers. Students earn dual credit and have the opportunity to tutor elementary students. “It’s incredibly beneficial to our students because they are not only getting experience teaching and strengthening their education, but it’s also a job where they get paid,” Dr. Jones-Redmond said. Another initiative underway in Thornton Fractional Twp HSD #215 is a newly created, student-paid position called COVID-19 Ambassador. Twenty-one students across the district have been trained to talk with their peers about COVID-19 myths and facts as part of an effort to encourage vaccinations. “Most of the time it is adults talking to kids about COVID. I thought we should change that model and have our students be the ones encouraging their peers to get vaccinated,” Dr. Jones-Redmond said.

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