Episodio 69 - Edgemont Elementary's National Blue Ribbon Award

5 de diciembre de 2024 /
Spencer Tuinei /

Sup con el Sup

Episode 69 - Edgemont Elementary's National Blue Ribbon Award

00:00 / 30:20

Wendy Dau: Welcome everyone to the next episode of Provo City School District’s What’s Up with the ‘Sup podcast. I am Superintendent Wendy Dau. This week I am visiting with Harmony Kartchner, principal of Edgemont Elementary. Edgemont was recently recognized as a national Blue Ribbon school and we are going to talk about what that means.

Pero antes, repasemos nuestras actualizaciones.

Timpview High School is spreading holiday cheer with two ways to give back this season. First, by donating essential snacks like granola bars, water bottles, and macaroni and cheese cups to the district’s food pantry. Or second, by selecting a gift tag from their Sub for Santa Angel Tree.
- Each Angel Tree tag represents one gift for a local individual ranging from 5 to 20 dollars, and can be picked up in room N– as in Nancy, 232– or during Timpview’s holiday events throughout December.

There is one policy for review on our district website. Go to provo. edu. Click on Policies, Forms, and Documents. You can click on Review Draft Policies here.
- En este momento verá un borrador de la política 4066, que actualiza nuestros procedimientos de prueba.

We have reached that time of year where we need to be prepared for inclement weather to possibly affect our school days. Please view the inclement weather procedures on the district website. A quick summary of the inclement weather policy includes:
- First, by 7 o’clock p. m., the district will formally announce if we are shifting to a two hour late start for the following morning.
- En segundo lugar, si se anuncia un retraso de dos horas, automáticamente se pone en marcha una recogida por debajo del banco para los barrios afectados.
- Third, if by 7 o’clock p. m., there is indication that travel will be impacted for the entire following school day, an at home learning day may be called.
- Finally, if for some reason by morning there is so much snowfall, or if it is continuing to snow, and predictions suggest that it will not stop in time for buses to travel safely by 5: 30 a. m., we will call for an at home learning day.
  - Las instrucciones para acceder a los lugares de recogida en los bancos se describen en los procedimientos de inclemencias del tiempo en el sitio web del distrito.

The School Board is considering three options for use of the Old Dixon Middle School site and would love to hear your feedback. Please visit the district website to learn information about the options and to complete a feedback form.
Tenemos dos oportunidades para que los padres y miembros de la comunidad se involucren con el Distrito Escolar de la Ciudad de Provo.
- One is a Citizens Connections Committee which will meet and provide feedback to the Board of Education on a variety of topics.
- El segundo comité es un comité consultivo de padres de alumnos de nuestras escuelas.
  - El propósito de este comité es que los líderes del distrito comprendan los retos y preocupaciones que tienen nuestros estudiantes cuando asisten a nuestras escuelas para que podamos resolver problemas con ustedes sobre cómo hacer que nuestras escuelas sean espacios acogedores para todos.
    - Si usted desea servir en cualquiera de estos comités, por favor complete la solicitud que se ha enviado por correo electrónico a todos los padres y se puede encontrar en nuestro sitio web del distrito.

The next school board meeting will be a Study Session and Business Meeting on Tuesday, December 10th. Please look for more information to be posted on the district website as we get closer to the date.

Continue watching for my weekly videocasts in your email every Monday. These videocasts provide one place for you to learn about important things happening across the district.

Wendy Dau: Welcome everyone to this week’s podcast. I have principal Harmony Kartchner with me today from Edgemont Elementary. Welcome.

Harmony Kartchner: Thank you. Thanks for inviting me.

Wendy Dau: I’m so excited to have you on our program today, because we are highlighting Edgemont elementary school, because it was recently named a national blue Ribbon School, which is incredible.

Harmony Kartchner: So exciting.

Wendy Dau: It is.

Harmony Kartchner: Such an honor.

Wendy Dau: So I just want you to tell everyone a little bit about what that means, because you gave some statistics in the assembly about how many schools there are total.

And, I just really would love to have you put that in perspective of what an incredible honor this is.

Harmony Kartchner: Sure. So, we’re just really excited about it. And so, I was looking at the statistics of public schools in the United States, and there’s about 95, 000 public schools, K through 12, in the United States.

And this year, there are about 356 schools that were selected as National Blue Ribbon Schools. So that gives you perspective on, you know, on how great of an honor this is to be able to say that Edgemont is a National Blue Ribbon School, and reflection of the great work that — you know, our staff’s doing there.

Wendy Dau: It’s incredible. Tell me what the criteria are for a school to be honored with this award. As far as like, the academics, how do they choose that? Because there were only three schools in Utah that received this honor.

Harmony Kartchner: So they have to show high academic achievement of students over a period of time, and then also show progress of our lower socioeconomic, that are 25 percent– and that the lowest 25 percent to show their that they’re making progress also. And so we were able to show that we are recognizable for high academic achievement.

Wendy Dau: Yes, at Edgemont.

Harmony Kartchner: So anyway, that’s– that is how they identify it.

Wendy Dau: Yeah. And the state verifies that through their testing methods.

And I think it’s really important for people to understand that when we’re measuring that lowest 25 percent, that’s when a school is closing the achievement gap between student groups. And so this is huge. Like when schools can move in that direction, it is such a big deal.

Harmony Kartchner: It’s so exciting.

Wendy Dau: Sí.

Harmony Kartchner: Our goal is to not leave any child behind at Edgemont.

And so we really work hard to identify really specific areas that students need. I mean, so that, places they have gaps and holes and we can fill those. We make sure that every child is achieving academically.

Wendy Dau: And I hear that all of the time when I listen to you talk, you’re like, no, we teach all kids. It doesn’t matter what your struggles are. That’s just what we do. This is what we’re about here.

Harmony Kartchner: We really believe that every student can learn.

Wendy Dau: Sí.

Harmony Kartchner: But we– that’s what we live by. That’s our motto at Edgemont. We really live by that.

Wendy Dau: Well, and you see it just in how you’re interacting with families, and with the students, and the expectations that you have with teachers. So you got to go to Washington, D. C. and earn this award. So this award is given by the Department of Education. And so tell us a little bit about that experience.

Harmony Kartchner: Sure. So we were invited to go to Washington, D. C. and they had a little conference there for all the schools across the nation that were nominated. And then they did a big awards ceremony on Thursday. Friday.

Wendy Dau: Sí.

Harmony Kartchner: The U. S. Secretary of Education was there, Dr. Cardona, and he spoke to us about the importance of education and public education.

They had a nice lunch and then we got to go walk across the stage.

Wendy Dau: Sí.

Harmony Kartchner: And receive.

And we’re so glad that you came.

Wendy Dau: It was so much fun. It was so much fun.

Harmony Kartchner: That was such an honor to have you there too. So great. And to get that award and they did tell us to dance across the stage because it was so exciting.

Wendy Dau: Yes, exactly. They did. There was a lot of partying.

Harmony Kartchner: And they probably couldn’t see it on the video, but it was awesome. And they gave us also a flag. So they gave us a beautiful plaque and then a flag that says that, we’re a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School and we got to watch all 50 states, you know, go up with their groups that were there.

And it was just a real exciting honor. I know Wendy, I was really excited. I was calling everybody at 1030 to come down to the ceremony. Didn’t start till 1130.

Wendy Dau: She was like, I’m already downstairs. I’m talking to veteransin the lobby, and

she’s like, "I just met a man that’s a hundred years old."

Harmony Kartchner: He was one of the– is it Tuskee?

Wendy Dau: Tuskegee.

Harmony Kartchner: Tuskegee, and, yeah, Tuskegee. Yeah. I can never remember how to pronounce it–, sorry, that’s a side note. But they were having a– since it was Veteran Day weekend, they were having a– convention of– I believe it was the liberators in– in World War II of the concentration camps.

And I did get to meet while I was waiting early to get to meet some of them. And that was so fun. But besides that, on the, the ceremony, we were there with my assistant principal, Desiree Olson was there with us. And then we also were sitting with the other schools from Utah that were there. And that was really neat to all be there– one was from Cache County and one from– let’s see, Canyon, that’s right. Canyon school district.

Yeah, it was really– it’s neat to talk with them and talk about strategies that they use at their schools and– and just really get to know other schools throughout the nation receiving this award.

Wendy Dau: Yeah, we actually got to sit at a table with educators from the Virgin Islands.

So that was pretty great. So, it’s incredible to see education being valued and people across this country that are really pushing kids to achieve at incredible levels, right?

Harmony Kartchner: It felt really unifying to be there and all know that our whole purpose is there to help students learn and that’s what everybody is doing– really working towards, so.

Wendy Dau: I also loved the Secretary of Education talked about never underestimate the power of a principal and a teacher. That is so true.

Harmony Kartchner: He said to never bet against a teacher. Never bet against a teacher. They brought us through our nation through Covid. They brought us through all kinds of you know, big historical events and public education has, it’s been the backbone of our nation of democracy.

Yes. That was fun to hear him talk about that.

Wendy Dau: It was so cool. So loved that. We had an assembly. And so talk with us a little bit about how you’re helping the kids to understand.

Harmony Kartchner: Because when we talked to him earlier this year, they were a little bit confused. They said, Well, it just means we could have a fun Assembly.

And we said, actually, because we did have a BYU dunk team come to celebrate with the whole school. But last week, we did a flag raising ceremony and we were able to speak with the kids previous to that also, we talked to them there also, I talked and Mrs. Olson talked. I know Wendy, you talked to him too.

and we shared the statistics of what’s going on. How big of a deal this is, and that their hard work really contributed them being good students, our teachers, their amazing hard work and, and parents and our community. The mayor came to our thing, which was really exciting to hear. We had interviewed some kids about what they thought Blue Ribbon School meant, and it was really cute. They said it means working really hard in math.

Wendy Dau: Yes, they did say that.

Harmony Kartchner: They said, also doing a really good job in their, you know, in their assignments, having assemblies, that was something– they just really loved that assembly.

Wendy Dau: They just talked about it a lot.

They’re going to talk about that for a long time.

Harmony Kartchner: It was a fun one. I don’t blame them. I’m probably leaving some things off. But then afterwards, after we did that, we took the whole school outside.

Wendy Dau: Mm hmm.

Harmony Kartchner: And we raised our national Blue Ribbon flag on our flagpole, and we all sang our Edgemont Soar song, which was just so sweet.

I know I teared up. I think a lot of people did and the kids were just so excited about it and then we all cheered and it was fun. We had parents there. We had community members. It was just a very, like I said, once again, unifying activity to really celebrate the hard work of our whole community and being able to be a Blue Ribbon School..

Wendy Dau: I think one of the things I’ve really appreciated is that you’ve talked a lot about, you have tremendous parent support. As we were coming into the assembly, the PTA was putting up this massive blue ribbon that they had made.

Harmony Kartchner: That was amazing.

Wendy Dau: That was incredible, right? And so we’re like, oh, case in point.

There we go. They’re right there. There they are.

Harmony Kartchner: They thought of that that morning.

Wendy Dau: Sí.

Harmony Kartchner: They created this beautiful, gigantic– and it’s still hanging on. And it still looks amazing. And they were putting that up to surprise everybody. So yeah, our parents are amazing. We really couldn’t do what we do without them. And– and they are just so supportive.

You know, whenever we have an idea or we, you know, we’re talking about things that we’d like to do or things to help support the school, I mean, they jump in and say, "Oh, sure. Let’s do that. Let’s let me help you. Here’s some good ideas or here’s some resources." And they’re willing to do that with any thing we need, whether it’s helping a student or helping a teacher or, you know– just anything that we need at our school. And it’s really nice to, to have that.

Wendy Dau: Even when I see your school community council, it’s always about "How are we supporting the teachers?" "How are we making sure that what we’re doing here is going to help our students get the–"

Harmony Kartchner: Exactly.

Wendy Dau: –At the level that we want them to be, right? And it’s– and they’re really focusing on every group of kids. Every group.

Harmony Kartchner: Yep.

Wendy Dau: Yeah. I have noticed that. It’s really powerful.

Harmony Kartchner: We really emphasize that. It just helps all of us do our job great. So we really appreciate them.

Wendy Dau: It’s so great. And then you have these incredible teachers and you have talked a little bit about your PLC model. And so, PLC stands for professional learning communities. We have this collaboration time that’s been set up district wide on Fridays. Talk about how that process, and how your teams of teachers really work together, because really truly I believe it’s teachers and leaders that make the difference in a school, as well as all of this parent support, and teachers are with them so many hours a day. So they’re– they’re doing the work. They are. So tell us a little bit about that because everyone’s going to want to know what you’re doing so they can figure it out.

Harmony Kartchner: It really is about putting good systems in place and then– and then consistency with those systems. And one of those systems is our PLC, professional learning communities. Our teams work very closely together. Besides just each Friday, they’re talking throughout the week. They are not just talking, but their PLCs are actually– they’re using data from their common assessments that they are doing throughout whatever they’re teaching. At the very beginning of the school year, as part of the PLC process, I meet with each team, they meet with me together, it was just as a team and we go through the curriculum through– through the standards that the students need to master by the end of the year.

We look at end of the year RISE scores from the previous year, the cadence scores. We really look for those students that– "A zone of opportunity students," we call them, who might just be right on the edge of being right on grade level, right? Because our goal is we want every kid to be on grade level or beyond by the time they’re done with that grade level.

And so our PLCs really look closely at that. And they are so thoughtful as they look at those students by name and by– by just by individuals, and they look through all of their scores, and then they add, as a teacher, they know the kid– the child better than any of us, right?

And so– so they know other elements that might be either contributing, or– or maybe be a barrier for that student that we need to help them overcome. And so we talk about all those, and then we’re able to group students to– to meet their needs using really specific research- based programs, and then we monitor, and the teachers monitor through the whole year. And so we– you know, they’ll sit and talk as teams, and they’ll reflect on what they’ve been experiencing teaching the– the standard that they were really working on together as a team, teaching the students.

And then they will reflect from the assessment and say, "Okay, well, what worked? What didn’t? Who mastered this concept? Who still needs a little bit more support?" And then they build their– what I call our intervention groups, or tier two, sometimes they call them wind time, right? Based on that data so that they are, I mean, specifically filling those, knowledge gaps that students might have based on their needs.

And I think that’s really where we see the growth of students is because our teachers are able to be so precise about what they’re teaching, almost like how a doctor prescribes precisely a medication for a specific symptom. And education can do that now where we can. We have so much data that we can be that specific with the children that we teach so that we really can move them ahead, whether they are a second language learner, if they have a special ed classification, you know, or they’re gifted student, we can do– we can help with interventions and we can also accelerate their learning, too.

So really all that magic happens in our grade level teams as they’re meeting together and you know, they– they have spreadsheets they’re keeping the data on so that they can see growth of students. Or if something maybe didn’t quite work, and then they share together what, what really did work when they taught that.

And I don’t know, it’s just such a magical process to watch.

Wendy Dau: Yes. I love that you keep using the word magical. This is making me so happy with our theme, so I love it.

Harmony Kartchner: But that synergy that that team has when they really focus on students and focus on their learning and progress by using the PLC strategies and using data– I mean, magic does happen. And the kids start to take ownership of their own learning also as– as teachers are talking to them about their progress and where they need to get to by the end of the year. So.

Wendy Dau: That’s incredible what you’ve described there. I heard several things, like there’s so much intentionality, right?

This isn’t just accidental that this is happening. I love this part where you talk about that the teachers know the students by name. So as they’re identifying– sometimes when we get into this, we’re like, well, 62 percent did this or whatever. And, you know, 20 percent are not on grade level or whatever.

It’s like, no, these five students, exactly. It’s very individualized. And the research shows that when that happens, the intentionality increases so much and that’s why you get that kind of growth happening. So that’s just, that is huge. It’s exciting to see.

Harmony Kartchner: Yes, it is.

Wendy Dau: Yeah. It’s exciting.

Harmony Kartchner: That’s incredible for me that the students are making progress. That’s our goal. Right? That’s what we’re in this business. It’s for students to learn. That’s the whole point of education. It’s so that’s really where our focus stays all the time and all– all our decisions are made through. Is this gonna be best for student learning?

Wendy Dau: I appreciate that, too, where they’re talking about, you use the word synergy– oh, that’s also a really– you’re using really great words. I love it. So, this synergy that happens with this team, it’s not about any one individual teacher. It’s all about the students and how they’re working together to support those individual students.

And that’s what the key is. And as I was listening–

Harmony Kartchner: We leave our egos at the door and we just focus on the student learning.

Wendy Dau: So that’s what I– that’s what I heard when you were talking with one of the other principals at one of the other schools in Utah, as you were sharing that, I was like, "everybody needs to hear this."

Everybody needs to hear all of these pieces, because it is really powerful what can happen. So, let’s talk about some of the other honors. Edgemont Elementary has also received a ticket here.

So, I wanted to also highlight that we were able to go to the French embassy when we were in Washington, DC. So tell us a little bit about that experience and what you have learned about Edgemont’s place, kind of in these dual immersion French schools, and some of the honors that you’ve received as a result of that.

Harmony Kartchner: So, we have a– as a French DLI school, we have a contact, of course, with the French Embassy, and we just always get emails from them. I don’t– I’ve never met them in person, right? Yeah, We don’t know what they look like, yeah. I’ve never met the national. And so, I reached out to Mikhail Raji, I think it’s his name, but to see if, you know, we could come visit while we’re in D. C.

Wendy Dau: Sí.

Harmony Kartchner: He, he was really excited to have us. We got to go to the French embassy and, um, we walked inside and they’re so friendly and they gave us a tour of the embassy, talked about the kinds of things they do there, the people that are working there. We got to see, they– they have their only embassy with a cafeteria, right?

Wendy Dau: Sí.

It probably has delicious French food. We couldn’t talk him into letting us stay for that.

Harmony Kartchner: No.

No. Our time was limited. It’s unfortunate. It probably was amazing.

Wendy Dau: Yeah, they don’t want us to eat the rest of the food.

Harmony Kartchner: Yeah, they were very clear about that. I don’t blame them. French food is really good.

It’s really good. Yes. And then, we sat and talked to them some more and he was talking about, we just received the– it’s the Labelle is what it’s called. And it’s an education award from the French Embassy. Our French team of teachers fill out an application and they have– it’s pretty intensive– they have to describe the curriculum that they’re using, how they’re teaching students, how students are learning as teachers their qualifications to teach. I mean, there’s a lot more to it. I’m simplifying it all, but it does take– it takes a little bit of time and effort to do, and then they submit that to the embassy, and I believe they visit from the state, they come visit the school too and anyway, so the Labelle is pretty prestigious.

It means that our school is one of the best French immersion schools in the nation, and that we’re meeting their expectations and higher for what a dual immersion program should be. And so that was pretty exciting. So we talked a little bit about that with him, and he was just thrilled that we had that opportunity.

There’s going to be an awards ceremony a little bit later this year that we’ll get to go to for that–

Wendy Dau: Oh, that’s very great.

Harmony Kartchner: –And get that and then we’ll hang that, that is a prestigious award from the– the French Embassy.

Wendy Dau: Oh, that’s very cool. Oh, that is really exciting. And then last but not least, you’re also a STEM school.

So tell us a little bit about your honors in this area as well.

Harmony Kartchner: So last year we worked with our leadership team, too. We’re doing a lot of STEM integration already, mostly STEAM, because we have art in it also.

Wendy Dau: You have arts in there.

Harmony Kartchner: But the state calls it a STEM integration. So we decided–

Wendy Dau: We just elevate it to a higher level because we gotta make it better, right?

That’s what we do in Provo. That’s right. Here we go. That’s right.

Harmony Kartchner: Anyway, we worked with our leadership team to fill out applications. If we have this, we might– we were doing this stuff already. We might as well. Let’s get the designation, right? So we can show people we have it and then have access to some more resources.

And anyway, just continue the awesome things that are happening at Edgemont. And it’s also quite an application process with a really specific rubric that– that you have to provide a lot of documentation that shows. They call them artifacts that show the things that you’re doing at your school to implement STEM through your curriculum.

As it’s not just you’re just doing it as a separate piece, it’s you’re actually, to be a platinum level, you actually have to integrate it into your curriculum throughout the school day.

Wendy Dau: So like in reading and math, you’re integrating those particular standards and principles.

Harmony Kartchner: So kind of like what my first grade teacher talked about today where her– her first graders do, they do an integrated project where they are not just researching, which is the science part, they’re researching the animals, but they’re also then doing an art element with it and they’re presenting to it, you know, and, and so a lot of our– our grade levels all do that through their curriculum.

So, it’s integrated through Language Arts, or it could be integrated, you know, science and Language Arts together. It could be math, and they’re also using technology. So, the engineering project, we got that form all put together. It was a school wide effort to be able to get all of the artifacts that they wanted, and to write out about our school, the things we were doing.

And then we found out this summer that we were designated not just STEM, but the platinum level, the highest level. So we’ve got to go to a conference summer for that and get our banner and our certificate and we that’s hanging in our school now. And so– and then we do have as part of that STEM designation, you also have to create as a leadership team, a five year plan that shows how you’re going to continue to implement and improve your STEM program.

Wendy Dau: Oh, I love that. I love that.

Harmony Kartchner: So we– we shared that with our parents also, and with our community council and our PTA. Those are things that we work with our leadership team to continue to implement. We’re always looking for how we can continue to– to improve at Edgemont, and continue to make the great things even better.

Wendy Dau: That’s right. And I think what’s really important about this too, is it’s providing access to those things for every single kid in the school.

Harmony Kartchner: That’s exactly right. Exactly.

Wendy Dau: And so just some really, really exciting things. What was the most interesting artifact as you were compiling this application that you’re like, "Oh, my gosh, I forgot that they did this. And this was amazing."

Harmony Kartchner: Gosh, I have to think about this, because we have a whole Google drive full. And there was so much amazing stuff. I mean we had been working through this. We’ve been doing a lot of training with some professors from BYU on how to implement engineering, how to implement technology, our fourth grade– I think the projects are all amazing, but one that I’ve just loved and our fourth grade still doing it– they’re working in partnership with BYU on a coding literacy integration, and they’re using these little cards.

So they had to– it was like, they’re doing it with fairy tales, just simple. Cause all kids, most kids know a fairy tale, right? Or a Disney fairy tale or something. So– so they took the fairy tale and they told the story.

And as they told the story, they had to program this little card, and I can’t think of the name of them off the top of my head. I’m sorry.

Wendy Dau: That’s okay.

Harmony Kartchner: — And they had to program it so that it lit up these led lights at certain times in the story. And then they also– this year they’ve been working on programming those cards to be pedometers.

And then also they programmed them to to play a rock, paper, scissors game. But anyway, they’re working with– they do literacy now, but they have been working with the professor and his students. And they come into the school, and they’ve been working with our fourth grade team for two years now to help integrate this literacy coding project, which is an angle I hadn’t ever thought of before.

Wendy Dau: Oh no, I would never– I would never have thought of that.

Harmony Kartchner: But it’s been– the kids have been so engaged, and what’s great about the STEM topics is the kids are learning and they’re having a really good time so they don’t even realize how much they’re learning and how much higher level thinking that they’re doing and problem solving, which is definitely a skill that we want all our kids to have as they go, you know, out into their lives.

So, so they– they don’t even realize that they’re doing it because it’s just natural process in working through some of those STEM subjects that you have to be a problem solver or a critical thinker. You have to think outside the box. You have to really work as a team together.

And so these– these processes just happen naturally with integrating STEM subjects.

Wendy Dau: It’s really fun to ask kids about those kinds of projects when they’re coding. And first off, I am so amazed that we have like elementary kids that are coding. Like, I’m just, I am– I’m so impressed. And they can explain to you, "This is the process I went through. And then I have this problem where this one wasn’t doing this, so then I had to go back and rethink this." It’s amazing. And I am just like, this is amazing. You guys are incredible.

Harmony Kartchner: It’s super engaging for them. Yes. Because it speaks to their world.

Wendy Dau: Right. Yes, it really does.

Harmony Kartchner: Yes. That just comes, it just comes natural to them.

Wendy Dau: It comes very natural to them, yes it does. Whereas the rest of us, I’m like, I just need a pen and a piece of paper. I’m good to go. Here we are. They’re just so– they’re just so amazing. So it’s, it’s pretty great.

What would you say is something that you’re most excited about that you’re continuing to work on as a Blue Ribbon School, and with all of these accomplishments? Because we have talked about that the energy at your school is really positive and awesome. And so tell me what you’re most looking forward to as you continue all of this great work.

Harmony Kartchner: Yeah, I think, gosh, there’s so much.

Wendy Dau: Oh, I love it when people say that rather than them going, "I, oh, let me think."

No, that’s great.

Harmony Kartchner: No, it’s so much to– I think there’s just so many positive things happening. It makes me excited to come to work every day. And definitely we want to keep maintaining and even improving more.

So the Blue Ribbon Award, the designation stays for five years. And so we get it. So we, I mean– we have a lot to live up to and to continue that, right?

But I have a lot of faith in my staff and teachers. They’re experts at what they do. They really understand how to put kids first and they’ll problem solve through things. They have great ideas and insights. So I just continue to look forward to working with them, I think, as a staff, and then working with the community.

I know, okay, you want to tell you what we’re thinking about doing? So Des and I have already been talking, you know, we’re always looking for–

Wendy Dau: You’re always looking for– I know you guys. You guys are planners.

Harmony Kartchner: One of our next goals is to become a PLC model school, identified, you know, specifically from the Solution Tree.

So that is something that we’ll be working on next too. I just got an email from U. S. News that we’re one of the top schools in the U. S. News.

Wendy Dau: I was, I was just waiting for when that was going to happen too. So that’s exciting. That is very exciting.

Harmony Kartchner: So, but I’m telling you, that’s not me. That’s a reflection of the dedication of our staff to the PLC process, to student learning, to just making sure that no child ever, I keep saying that it sounds really cliche, but– no child is left behind, and we really feel that, and I feel that from my staff when they talk about kids and they come bring concerns, you know, that they have about students. I mean, they are truly, truly trying to make sure that not one of their students is left behind and they’re, they’re pulling every resource they can to try to help them.

Wendy Dau: Yeah. Edgemont, you guys walk the walk. You don’t just talk the talk. That’s for sure.

Harmony Kartchner: We work hard.

Wendy Dau: I can see that.

Harmony Kartchner: We work really hard.

Wendy Dau: I can see that for sure. I think Edgemont’s Incredible. And one of the things that I think I also want people to realize is there are a lot of schools in the state of Utah that have Demographics that are similar to Edgemont that have supportive, you know, parent populations and have great kids.

But the fact that you got this designation and all of these different honors is a huge tribute to your staff and the way in which they work together to support students and the emphasis that you’ve placed on, "We don’t leave kids behind, so we’ve just got to keep figuring this out, and working through it." And that starts from the leadership, all– you see it through all of your teachers as well.

So that’s really what makes the difference there and has really made Edgemont so successful. And I see it every time I’m in that building. It’s pretty fun.

Harmony Kartchner: I appreciate that. It’s a pretty great place to be.

Wendy Dau: And I love it that you love to come to work. That makes me so happy. Yay.

Harmony Kartchner: Me too!

Wendy Dau: Most days!

Most days we love to come to work.

Harmony Kartchner: Exactly, exactly. There’s always hard days, I’m not gonna lie. Everything isn’t roses and sunshine.

Wendy Dau: No, it isn’t, but that’s okay.

Harmony Kartchner: But we’re dedicated to the job, and I think that’s– so that gets you through even the tough stuff.

Wendy Dau: It does. This next generation. They’re going to be our next leaders and inventors and engineers and all of these amazing things.

I’m excited to see what they’re going to do. Thanks so much for being on our podcast today, Harmony. It’s always a pleasure to talk with you and congratulations.

Harmony Kartchner: Thank you.

Wendy Dau: Thank you for joining me for this episode of What’s Up with the Sup’? As always, all episodes will be posted on the district website, YouTube, and anywhere you get your podcasts.

If you have any topics or questions you would like us to discuss on the podcast, please email us at podcast@provo.edu. Don’t forget to join us again next week when we are back with an all new episode of What’s Up with Sup’. Have a great week, everyone.