Ep 129 | What makes Global Learning Academy SO special?

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I think one of the big examples of that is all of the ways that we make sure just children's needs for food are met. And that doesn't have to mean a student who's impoverished at home. It could just mean a kid who's growing and breakfast and lunch at school is not enough. They're hungry in the middle of the day. And if you don't respond to that, they're not very focused on long division, right?

SPEAKER_02 0:29

Welcome to the Voices United in Education podcast. Each week we showcase the teachers, administrators, and community members who go the extra mile to contribute to the success of every student in Escambi County. You'll meet the real people behind the titles and learn about the amazing resources to support every student's success. As a parent, it's understandable to feel that your efforts are invisible. It's also safe to say that the same can be said for teachers and family support professionals. So, how does each side see each other? My next guests are making strides for just that. They are the principal of Global Learning Academy and social services navigator at Children's Home Society. Today they're going to share the unique needs and solutions of GLA families and the incredible souls behind them. Thinking outside the box and shining light on solutions, Lala Pierce and Lauren Green. Thank you, ladies, for being here. Absolutely. Absolutely. So Ladlaw, I'd like to kick things off by asking you to share what you feel like makes Global Learning Academy so special, because it really is.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

It is. So one of the things I think is the people. And that that's every person. So, of course, first the students. You know, we have just around 500 students from pre-K to fifth grade. But one of the unique things about Global is it opened in 2011 when three distinct downtown schools closed. And those three schools were brought together under this one roof. And so it was very different neighborhoods that fed into those three neighborhood schools coming together to form Global Learning Academy. And because of that, we have a unique diversity, although we are right in the heart of downtown. And as we continue to grow, that diversity has grown, not only in background, but as well as even, you know, more students with unique abilities. There's just been so much growth in expanding who we're servicing. And that's really cool to see. But what's really amazing to see is how students, the community, they're embracing one another. So for example, a student who is perhaps in a self-contained class a lot of the day, but gets to spend time with their typical peers and the way they've embraced one another. We have one student who this the kids are affectionately known, and I'm gonna make up a name. I'll say that the child's name is Meredith, but they call themselves Meredith's girls because it's her little friends that take care of her when she comes to her typical class time outside of her ESE class time. So just really cool to see some of that love and support, and that doesn't happen without the grown-ups inside of the building teaching it to happen and the grown-ups at home teaching it to happen. And then the community support. For example, just today, Pensacola Subwest Rotary came to gift bicycles to all of our pre-K students. And when they began that effort in 2011, we had one voluntary pre-K class with 18 children, and they gifted 18 bicycles to 18 children. But gradually, as the program has grown and we've added special needs pre-K classes, another VPK class, they're now gifting bicycles to over 50 students annually.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

So to see that community support, and that's one of we're up to almost 30 partners in education who are working alongside us to make sure every child has what they need.

SPEAKER_02 4:14

That's incredible. I did not know any of that. Was so on the origin story of GLA, was that purposeful that it would be up and operational as these other schools were closing, or was that a happy coincidence?

SPEAKER_00 4:29

No, that was definitely intentional. So the three schools, one school is now Community Help of Northwest Florida. One is now the professional learning center for the district over off of Davis Highway. That's where Spencer Bibbs was, and is now the Spencer Bibbs District Center. And then one of the schools was torn down, but they all were aging buildings that needed a great deal of work. And it was determined that they could do a much better job of creating a unique facility for students. And to that end, the building has this incredible layout, science labs. We have a greenhouse, we're a lead-certified building. So aside from the people, there's a lot of amazing things about our building itself and the programming around it that make us unique.

SPEAKER_02 5:15

Okay, so I have a follow-up question for the culture part of it, because culture is tricky because sometimes you stumble into it, right? Like, yay, look at us. We all love each other, and and we have this really supportive environment and let's keep it going. And then sometimes it requires a bit more intentionality. Sometimes there's a bit more friction or obstacles that you have to overcome. So, which one has it been for our Global Learning Academy? I would say both.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

So one of the unique things about the COVID years was we kept a large percentage of remote learners, the most I think of any elementary school in the district, proportionally speaking. And so we were really building stronger relationships with families as we went to the homes and, you know, did technical support and things like that. And we worked really hard on family engagement at that time. There was something about those COVID years where I think people had time and space that became a priority and stuck. And so now we're intentional about the events we plan, the way we invite families in, the way we invite partners and families in together. For example, our Thanksgiving feast, our partners, our volunteers, our families are all invited in to feast with our students at the same time on the same day. And it becomes this beautiful Thanksgiving meal. Each of our grade levels is a continent. The idea being that when you begin at global and end at global, you've traveled the world. Oh my gosh, I love that. And so, like this week, we just did an underground spirit day where classes or grade levels were challenged to find a non-Christmas holiday related to their continent and dress up with their students according to that non-Christmas holiday. So, for example, Pre-K celebrated the winter solstice, the astral solstice, I believe it's called, and dressed as penguins and they were just precious. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

Wow, this is so I'm learning so much. I thought I was up to speed and that we would, you know, just have a very soft ball pitched conversation, but there's so many layers to this. That's so cool. So, Lauren, can you tell me about the students and the the population? What makes the students unique at this school?

SPEAKER_01 7:37

You know, the the diversity, just their their enthusiasm. I think they know they're safe. I think they know they're coming into an environment that they're loved and they're cared for. And sometimes that shows itself in coming in for a hug, which is something that I treasure every day. But I think they know they're in a safe space where they're loved and they're cared for, and that we're making them the priority. That's pretty major.

SPEAKER_02 8:03

And that's a big part of your role as a navigator. I know we've covered the navigators a little bit on another episode of the show, but for those that aren't familiar with what a navigator does, can you kind of explain that?

SPEAKER_01 8:16

So you're really a resource person. I really think of myself as a resource officer in that I'm connecting families with resources like food, clothing, rent assistance, utility assistance, their food drives, and I'll make sure the families know when they are. We try to maintain a closed closet. I try to have whatever a child needs when they have to leave the classroom. I try to meet that need as efficiently as possible so they don't miss instruction. And sometimes that's a lot, and sometimes it's just a small item.

SPEAKER_02 8:45

The way that you explain it sounds like you're a matchmaker resources to need, but I feel like the relationship is really the center of that because they trust you enough to tell you, hey, Miss Green, I need this.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

I think my being in the cafeteria in the morning, which I think we'll talk about, you know, they know who I am and they know where I am. And I think where I'm located in the building is key because I'm in the support wing. I wasn't always there. And so they'll connect the dots to know who I am. And I think I have become a person of trust, and that means a lot to me because I do know when they come with a need, there's often some shame that is associated with whatever has happened. And sometimes that's a bathroom accident. And so, you know, being a person of trust, I try to take away that shame and meet that need efficiently and in a loving way.

SPEAKER_02 9:34

Yeah, the stability part of it, it sounds like it's really central. I remember reading, I think in the document that you originally emailed, La La, that over 2,000 students in the district in this school year alone were experiencing unstable housing. That would make you being reliably there every day with what they need and a trustworthy person even more meaningful to them.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

I think that plays a role in knowing that they're safe and their needs are gonna be met, being them the the underlying Maslow hierarchy needs up to the academics. So they know that I'm gonna meet those basic needs and their teacher and their leadership is gonna meet those other needs.

SPEAKER_02 10:17

So how did y'all meet needs prior to that?

SPEAKER_01 10:20

You know, during the COVID years, I you know, I can't speak to that because I was not a part of the team, but it it had to be difficult and it it couldn't have been very interpersonal. I think we've grown as we've realized that there are more and more needs at the schools. I think we've taken on more community partners to meet those needs. We've had to because of limited funding. So they've just we've just tried to read the room, so uh essentially, you know, read your audience, know your audience, see what needs are coming to you. You know, there's data collected about the different resources that I provide, and someone looks at that data to then see, oh, okay, wow, there's a lot of clothing needs. So I think it's you've just got to continue to grow and listen and and pay attention to the child that's coming to you.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

And it's never ending. There's always a new class of kids and different needs. So it's very dynamic, which is why I'm impressed by the role of the navigator. I think that's brilliant because when it comes to ending cycles of poverty, you know, there are so many ingredients, if you will, but one key factor to ending that cycle is education. And the key to education is students showing up. How have you seen Global Learning Academy and the navigators help to improve that attendance?

SPEAKER_01 11:33

You know, Lala can speak to our attendance, but you know, it's is a collective effort. It's the phone calls she makes, it's me making sure that the basic needs are met, that if a child comes to school with clothes they've worn for four days, I I can meet that need, I can stand in that gap. I think the attendance at Global has improved by a multi-prong effort. And I do think I play a role in that and standing in that gap that no one else has time to do, but is certainly a full court press of everyone at Global that has improved our attendance and reduced our referrals.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

Can you speak specifically to the attendance before and after?

SPEAKER_00 12:11

We're seeing a gradual, I would say it's about a 2% increase annually in the average daily attendance, but also a decrease in the percentage of students who are chronically absent. We're also seeing an increase in our overall population. So the trend was declining enrollment, and we're seeing that bounce back. So if the trend had continued, we would be below 400 students now, but we're above 500. And I think part of that is the word is out that we are really caring about every child and doing the very best we can to meet each need. You asked about how were those needs met prior to having the navigator in schools. And the truth is it was a heavy lift for teachers and leadership. A lot of teachers were spending money out of their own pockets, bringing things in to help students with shoes or clothes or having extra snacks on hand. And not only the navigator program, many community partners who were donating things to help, also the Tools for Teachers program where they get a little more money to spend, including on things like some snack items. For so much of this, there's not one thing you can point to. And a lot of it is community effort, district effort, children's home society, the Escambia Children's Trust. There's a lot of pieces at play that are contributing to success. One of the other things I think is unique about Global is the stability of faculty and staff. We have people who have been at Global since it opened. And many who have been there five years or more. We don't have a young, brand new teaching staff. We have a lot of highly qualified, fully certified teachers. The last time I ran the numbers, all of our teachers were fully certified. Over 30%, I think it was 39% were ESE certified, 32% ESOL endorsed, and over 60% reading endorsed. So uh very skilled staff. So the fact that partners in education and programs like the Navigator, and specifically for us, Ms. Green, are taking that load of making sure the basic needs are met, that highly skilled staff can focus on the academics.

SPEAKER_02 14:32

Oh, interesting. I don't think I'd I'd considered connecting to that part of it because when I think about basic needs, obviously I'm thinking about the kiddos. But you're right, that really unburdens the role of the educator to focus on how can we educate? And then then the students also ready to learn, which is obviously an important part of it. I'm sensing a lot of outside the box thinking when it comes to the approach to kids and the approach to the educators themselves. Is this kind of what you were referring to when we talked off-mic about the old school way of addressing student needs versus this sort of, I think you called it rally and respond way?

SPEAKER_00 15:10

I think so. You know, for a long time, schools were expected to do a lot and there wasn't as much information out there about the true needs and the true role that educators were playing. And the more that knowledge has expanded and the community has responded to that, then the better we're able to do that within the building. I think one of the big examples of that is all of the ways that we make sure just children's needs for food are met. And that doesn't have to mean a student who's impoverished at home. It could just mean a kid who's growing and breakfast and lunch at school is not enough. They're hungry in the middle of the day. And if you don't respond to that, they're not very focused on long division, right? So um I'm not either. I mean Miss Green, talk about not only the programs that you worked so hard to get in place with repurposing some of that food and how that's used just so efficiently, but also, you know, our backpack angels as we call them, just all the ways that that's happening.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

So I I've never really thought of myself as being food being the center of what I do, but it it is a food-centered job to some degree. But I, you know, I realized how much food was being thrown away, you know, in breakfast, especially. And yet hungry kids were coming to me. And I thought, well, you know, we've got to find a way to repurpose this food, to save this food. A child might not want it at seven o'clock. They might want it at 10 30. So with Lala's approval, I found a community partner, it was taken before the school board to take the perishable food to a food pantry, and they do that every day. But the non-perishable food, like granola bars, fruit cups, those types of things, I keep every day. And if a hungry child comes through and needs some children respond to food as a break, it's kind of a psychological break. There might be a hunger component to it, or it might just be this is a reward, this is a comfort thing that I need to get in the right headspace to go back to class. And so that's another gap that I stand in. My backpack angels come every Friday, they came today because we have early release tomorrow. But some of the food that I save, the non-perishable food, that doesn't get returned to students during the week, I give to those receiving food bags on Friday, kids that have been identified with food scarcity, consent from the parents, they know it's coming. I then take and kind of like Santa stuffing uh a stocking, uh did it today, follow the backpack team and put that food back in those bags. Because I think about many of these children, um, you know, we spoke to the home at the housing component, a lot of these families are doubled up. If that child doesn't need that food, another child in the household will likely need that food or another adult because we've got multiple families living under one roof. And it just gives me gratification to know about the environmental impact of what's not going in the landfill. And so that's very gratifying. But I use it as a teaching opportunity with kids because they'll be like, it's green, what are you doing with this food? And I tell them, and they're it's like a light bulb goes off. You can see the recognition, the acknowledgement in their minds about the value of not throwing something away. And it's a great way to engage with the kids, and so it just checks all the boxes.

SPEAKER_02 18:31

So what does that conversation sound like? So you're putting it in the backpacks, and what are they asking you?

SPEAKER_01 18:37

Well, the conversation happens in the morning with a share card at breakfast, and I have it labeled with a laminated card. And so they know I position myself next to the the trash cans and they know whatever they don't want that hasn't been opened, they can put on the share card. And they know that I'm gonna be there to receive it and I organize it. And so they will often ask me, what do you do with the food? And I've said, Well, I give it to people who need it. And like, well, how do you know that? Well, I give it to a lady across the street who then finds and identifies the people that need it. And so some of them ask a lot of questions, some of them don't. It's amazing when I'm not there for some reason, which is unusual, how much food goes in the garbage, the burden on the custodial staff, because of the weight of that garbage. And so I've estimated that an underestimation is about a hundred pounds of food that I take a week, perishable across the street. And that doesn't touch the non-perishable food that I then return to the students.

SPEAKER_02 19:33

That's incredible because that allows the children to imagine themselves as a part of a community, I think. You know, because when you're kids, you're naturally self-kids are self-centered. I mean, that's just part of their developmental process, right? But I can just see them like putting the food, oh, oh, this is going to someone who is gonna need it. And you know how exciting it is as a kid when you give a gift to anyone, right? So I just imagine their little faces being like, oh, I'm giving a little gift. And that's really beautiful because it helps them on their developmental journey of I'm a part of a community.

SPEAKER_01 20:10

It teaches empathy. And I will tell them, I said, You've already done a good, it's it's not even seven o'clock and you've done a good deed.

SPEAKER_02 20:16

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 20:17

So it's a way to teach a child empathy.

SPEAKER_00 20:21

And it's cool because the district has had a share program for a while, but this is another place where the navigators are stepping up and providing something. So there's been a clause where you could have a share cart, you could have a share situation, but you have to have someone to monitor it and make sure that the food is handled safely and all of those sorts of things. And where is that position in the school? There's not a position allocated for that. But Lauren stepping up to fill that role and then taking it a step farther by being allowed to repurpose this food into the community where it's serving members of our community is yeah, really beautiful thing. And and the other cool thing I think about that is as our population continues to change and grow, our zone is wide and not incredibly deep, but we go all the way from about Veterans Memorial Park west over to Barrancas, all along the waterfront downtown, and then north, about equal with the old Baptist Hospital property. So it's a large zone because it was three different school zones that came together. And so there's not just diversity of culture and backgrounds, but also economic diversity. And that's another beautiful thing to see it being a very natural thing in our building that there's an opportunity for food and it's for anyone. And at the same time, there are some kids who are taking backpacks home. No one's making fun of anyone, it's just accepted that we take care of each other and we. meet the needs. And I love that.

SPEAKER_02 22:03

I love that too. I hope that sticks. Because that's an important quality for community members to have. Okay. Who wants to tell me about the dental bus? Oh, that has to be Miss Green.

SPEAKER_00 22:15

I'm just so thankful for her. I organized the dental bus a couple of years when I was in an assistant principal role at other schools. And the fact that I just go, Lauren, here's the email. Please take care of this. Are you a magical dental bus fair?

SPEAKER_01 22:31

It it speaks to community health in Northwest Florida and their staff. But I am on a first name basis with, you know, Harold. Harold and I are tight. You know, it's funny, the kids are excited. We even came up with, you know, when we're trying to go through the halls and I will go pick up the kids and take them to the dental bus. You know, at Global we have a 3S line single, straight and silent, but I decided that we were teeth ninjas. Oh goodness. We were sneaky, we were safe, we were silent. And so again you're not going to expect a fifth grader to do this. But I would say from third on down, as soon as I mentioned that, their bodies would crouch and they would get into ninja mode.

SPEAKER_00 23:12

And the whole goal was to get them to follow me, but also not make any noise. See now maybe if I had gotten to be a teeth ninja I wouldn't have such dentist issues. That's probably part of why I love that she takes over the dental bus. Let's be real.

SPEAKER_02 23:29

It's a missed opportunity there. I'm sure there's a spot for you in line. I bet they would make room.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

They probably would it's not too late. But it alleviates some anxiety because you know what are they going to do? Are they going to pull my teeth? Are they going to give me a shot? I'm like, no, they're going to look in your teeth and you're going to walk away with a prize and there's a video on the on the bus and the staff is lovely.

SPEAKER_02 23:49

So is it teaching them how to brush their teeth? Is it dental hygiene appointments?

SPEAKER_01 23:52

It's a dental hygiene appointment. So it's checking the teeth. It's seeing how well they're taking care of their teeth. It's identifying any problems that need following up on. And so they'll they'll see the kids for the exams, they'll send paperwork. I will then disseminate the paperwork around the school about oh, you know, so and feelings, so and so is great. And so the parents will then be given information about how they need to follow up to make sure that the child's teeth stay healthy. And so their exam days and their cleaning days. But the kids enjoy it. You know, I hope it's not just an excuse to get out of class. I do try to make it fun because they are anxious. And especially if we have a child that's English is not their first language, you know, there's some j some trepidation in those eyes but if they've got enough language and understand the teeth ninja thing it just it just becomes fun.

SPEAKER_02 24:39

I mean the visual of the little kids acting like ninjas if English wasn't my first language I would still go oh I know this I know this I've seen this on TV. I got it I got it.

SPEAKER_00 24:51

Is ninja in any language ninja is universal. The other thing is so what she's describing about follow-up and this is true of the dental bus of so many things that any parent today will tell you schools communicate a lot. Like you've got newsletters you've got forms to fill out there's so much and so if you send home let's say the parent has given them permission to be checked by the dental bus and then the dental bus says they need follow-up might be easy for the parent to miss that paperwork. But Lauren serves as another spot to call a mom or a dad or another grown up and say hey did you see that they need a follow-up check their folder make sure you sign that paper so we can get them taken care of and the grown ups are appreciative and again I mean I remember my time in the classroom I had a sixth grader who English was not his first language and he had a toothache and by the time this occurred I knew him pretty well and he did try to get out of work a lot. And so there was the day where he's telling me he's just going on and on about this hurting tooth and he can't do his work and forgetting that I shouldn't use a colloquialism with him, I said, Are you pulling my leg? And he looked at me and he said no my tooth hurts he was so confused. But it is another impediment to education. If you have you know teeth hurting is a really not fun thing that's completely distracting and any grown up who has an issue with their teeth will tell you. Yeah. So yet another barrier to learning that's being removed and Lauren plays a huge role in that.

SPEAKER_02 26:41

I think it's easy in these sorts of conversations to slip into versions of dialogue that are like self-aggrandizing when it comes to providing community resources. But I think the listener would get the feeling that this is not that. Like this is often meeting a family member in the community halfway to give them the traction that they need to get to whatever is next. So I would love Lauren if you can share the story about the woman on the scooter because it's just such a beautiful illustration of that.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

I believe that was your story wasn't it I yes I can I can share a little more about this one. So we have and by definition I'm sure this has been covered on another episode but the federal definition of homelessness is broad to ensure that students who don't have stable housing are getting the assistance they need. And one of the big pieces of that is making sure they don't have to transfer schools if their unstable housing has changed. Sometimes it becomes necessary because maybe it's just too far and they're tardy a lot and then they're missing instruction. But we work really hard with the homeless services office in the district to make sure they can stay where they are. So we have a student who came to us and was classified as homeless even though they have a roof over their head they're living in a motel and mom just has made a real commitment to get on their feet solidly to help him be successful. And I think well there's probably a lot of things that were an impetus for that but third grade being a mandatory retention year if students don't perform well on state testing I think that was part of that. We saw this child improve and improve they moved again and mom was having a little bit of car trouble and she realized that she could use one of the VO city scooters to bring him to school and that way his attendants wouldn't suffer. And she said they got close and realized that they were out of range like the scooter had died. And she said that's okay we can just coast down the hill and you're going to make it and I remember this day. I remember watching them because I stand out front for the car riders and the walkers and they're coasting down the hill she sends him running to the door and she's like oh my goodness I guess I just made it a leg and arm day for myself as she realized she had to push that scooter back up the hill to get it back inside the geofence. They figured out a solution where she could stay in the geofence and then walk him the rest of the way and then she walks back to the scooter and her car's back up and running now. So that's only a a sometime solution but you know that brings up another interesting point as we think about different families around our district I think oftentimes when you have families who maybe don't have as much as others, there's sometimes a misconception that the grown ups don't care. And that's one of the ones that upsets me the most because it's so not true. It's just not true. You know how a grown up cares looks differently if you're working two or three jobs or you're moving from house to house because you're trying to find stable housing you can afford. As one of my team members says they'll let you know they care. They really will let you know they care. You just have to see it. We have an incredible group of parents and grown ups and I don't want to leave them out of that solution when we talk about improved attendance and improved culture and improved academics. Every single stakeholder plays a role in that and the grown ups at home are the most important piece of that and we're so grateful for our grown ups at home who in spite of some barriers for some of them are stepping up and really helping their children see that future yeah that's so many parents that are make a way find a way individuals but that that way is different depending on their starting point.

SPEAKER_02 31:08

Where do you hope to see GLA in the next five years?

SPEAKER_01 31:12

Well we spoke to this in our preparatory meeting but we have grant money coming into global and so part of what I've wanted and part of what I've seen the gaps you know things like after school programs and whatnot I have a meeting in January to see exactly how it's going to be implemented but the services that will be a part of this healthy schools initiative funded through the Ascanby County Children's Trust to provide after school care. Additional additional after school care right we do have after school care but it's a pay fee fee-based program. But subsidized after school programs allowing kids that don't typically have that for instruction, mentorships, safe place to play, you know, science and and STEM activities. Sports opportunities. Sports opportunities. So you know where I see the us in five years I see us as an A and I see us with a scaffolding of our existing community partners but also this grant money and closing that gap to to both provide some of our parents more time to work to provide for their families because our students are only on campus from seven to one. Try making a working wage in this economy from seven to one. Yeah and in this town we're not really known for our high salaries. No. And so you know and a lot of my parents would say I would work longer if I had childcare or you know you you rely on a family member whose health begins to suffer. And because you're talking about an elementary school child that's a kind of a you know a heavy lift. So in five years I see that gap closing with our continued efforts and our skilled staff but then that grant money flowing in to fill those gaps and close that scaffolding with on-site vision care, on-site hearing you can't tease out a learning deficit until you know all the facts is that child seeing well is that child hearing well you know then you know what you've got to do. But if that child, if that parent for whatever reason financial reasons, housing reasons, transportation, can't fully assess that child's health to know what's holding them back from learning. So I see us positioned in a great, great way to compete with any school in in either district with the help of community partnerships and this healthy school initiative.

SPEAKER_02 33:34

That's exciting. I'm we'll be hoping right along with you because you're already doing so many amazing things with the resources that you have and created such an enviable culture with the people that are in place. I mean it feels hopeful. So we'll be cheering you on.

SPEAKER_00 33:52

Any final thoughts before we wrap up I would just say that there are a few things that continue to amaze me when I'm out in the community. You know Global's been open now since 2011 but for some reason just the fact that the name of it is Global Learning Academy throws everyone off. And also our location we're just down a hill a little in an industrial area of downtown. So not right in a neighborhood that is surrounded you know with walkability to houses around the area. So I hear a lot I didn't know you were there. I thought it was a charter I thought it was a private school I thought it was a community college I thought it was a business I didn't know anyone's kids could go there. So there's just a lot of misinformation about who we are and what we do. I mean if my grandson was in town I would bring him right there with me. So I want more people to know what a great program we have and you know I love to give prospective families a tour. So looking forward to continuing to increase our enrollment and solidify the programming that we've gotten in place. It's exciting to have our greenhouse back up and running with a teacher Ms. Osborne dedicated to that our science lab in full swing. So there's a lot of great things happening you know our first podcast together was the Common Sense Media program. So many things are unique about our school that should make a lot of people in our area want to bring their children there. So I look forward to meeting them and showing them around in person.

SPEAKER_02 35:39

I'll be linking everything in the show notes. So hopefully you will just be flooded with tour requests and people throwing money at the school too.

SPEAKER_00 35:47

Let's add that in shall we I mean why not you know I do have to say our partners are amazing and I wouldn't dare begin to list them because I would leave someone out as I said they're about 30 but we do have some incredible partnerships and then this exciting initiative through the Children's Trust. So yeah we've we've got a bright future. Well thank you ladies I appreciate you sharing this time with me.

SPEAKER_02 36:10

Thank you. Great thank you. Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe and share. Voices United in education is a production of Scambia County Public Schools