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We do our first whole group podcast bringing in the leaders of Team McClarnon. Team McClarnon is named after Central Alumni and Central Hall of Fame member Zahn McClarnon. Teachers help run one of the many Freshman Academies at Central that support incoming Freshman to be successful at Central. McClarnon is one of the many teams at Central, other academies include: Sayers, Townsend, and Crandell. You may recall, we discussed Freshman Academies in a previous episode with Matt Hamill. Matt is the team leader for Team Townsend.
We recorded this show during Holiday Break when the weather turned nasty. We had a ton of fun sitting together and reflecting on our teaching and things at Central. I hope you enjoy the show and share with others!
Guests on the show:
Martha Omar oversees all the academies at Central High while teaching Freshman English. She is the most tenured member of Team McClarnon and has taught in several schools and roles in her teaching career.
Sarah Lehne is the English Language Development teacher on the team. She exclusively works with students who qualify for services to become proficient in the English language. Lehne is one of the biggest advocates for EL students and continually challenges both the school and other teachers to improve their teaching to support students who qualify for EL service.
Elizabeth Preston, often referred to by her maiden name Zurfluh is the Physical Science teacher on the Team. Preston helped create the team alongside Omar, Mattison, and Boeckman. Preston loves all things science and is fascinated by the science that is all around us.
We appreciate you taking the time to learn more about Team McClarnon and meet these wonderful Central teachers!
Discussed on the show:
- Why Zahn was chosen as team namesake
-Zahn's visit in December 2021 to Central High
-How the team teaching model has impacted Central Freshman
-What it's like to run the Freshman Academy Program at Central High
-The addition to EL students into the academy system
-Starting your teaching career during the Pandemic
-How Science can be exciting, even without explosions
-Motivational words for Freshman to do amazing things
