Episode 73: Finding the good
We’ve come so far since the pandemic shut our doors last March.
Dec
2020
Nov
2020
Episode 72: Grace in an uncertain world
This episode is about finding a path forward when the landscape has changed dramatically.
Jun
2020
Episode 71: A pause for gratitude
I want to take a moment to pause, reflect and acknowledge the incredible efforts I’ve witnessed over the past few months.
Jan
2020
Episode 70: New beginnings
This month is the start of a new year, a new decade and a new school for Vancouver iTech Preparatory.
Dec
2019
Happy holidays from Superintendent Webb
Our staff, students, families and community members take care of one another every day, but the generosity of spirit is perhaps most evident this time of year.
Jun
2019
Episode 68: Class of 2019 says goodbye
Graduations are a cause for celebration and a source of pride—for everyone.
May
2019
Episode 67: What do student podcasts tell us about learning?
Hear from two innovative teachers who are helping their students speak out and learn in new ways about not only technology, but also collaboration and communication.
Feb
2019
Episode 66: Spreading kindness
In Vancouver Public Schools, we believe that emotional intelligence is something to be cultivated and embraced.
Nov
2018
Episode 65: Community care, nature focus in full bloom
Superintendent Webb visits Hough Elementary in downtown Vancouver to speak with a few of the folks in the school’s Green Team and Garden Club.
Oct
2018
Episode 64: A bright and hopeful future
Years of planning and community support of a 2017 bond measure have led to this: building new schools and making upgrades at every school in the district.
Jun
2018
Episode 63: A million efforts
I’m reminded that this district is blessed to educate so many young people, with thousands of stories of resilience, achievement, perseverance, hopes and dreams.
May
2018
Episode 62: Welcome to Begindergarten
At Marshall Elementary, preschoolers learn shapes, letters and numbers. They sing the “Hello Song” and practice coloring.
Mar
2018
Episode 61: Where are the teachers of tomorrow? In our classrooms today
Careers in Education is an incubator for future educators.
Feb
2018
Episode 60: #NeverAgain
Enough is enough. Our nation’s children deserve better.
Dec
2017
Episode 59: Lifelong learners
First photo, from left: Staff members Craig Witt and Julio Valencia learn techniques from a Fort student. Second photo: Witt, center, practices under the guidance of a Fort student while Valencia and Sam [...]
Oct
2017
Episode 58: You make attendance matter
Sometimes, a missed day of school is inevitable. But as every educator knows, the reasons can sometimes be preventable. Just ask Trish Piliado. “Students would go get their hair done. Some would go spend [...]
Jun
2017
Episode 57: A family effort
Positive relationships bolster students when their focus is lagging, or life intervenes in challenging ways, and let them know that we want every one of them to be successful.
May
2017
Episode 56: A team that works
Fifteen Alki students from the leadership class and structured communication program worked through a series of warm-ups and stretches. Then they moved onto skills: those that can be used in soccer, like passing, as well as social skills that can be used off the pitch.
Mar
2017
Episode 55: Resilience
We know that life tragedies can and do happen. Things that can irrevocably alter one’s circumstances. Especially if no support is available.
Feb
2017
Episode 54: Re: Schools to be revitalized by successful bond measure
Over the next six years, you’ll see a lot of changes around the district as every single school and other facilities are rebuilt or renovated.
Oct
2016
Episode 53: Making space for learning
Learn about Ogden's new makerspace, which has expanded opportunities for hands-on learning.
Jun
2016
Episode 52: Seniors walk the walk
The cheering was thunderous as seniors from Columbia River High School paraded down the halls of Eisenhower.
May
2016
Episode 51: A little different, a lot to celebrate
Vancouver iTech Preparatory was an answer to the increased student demand for STEM-focused programming in Vancouver Public Schools.
Apr
2016
Episode 50: Re: Schools
Let’s go back to the year 1956. Eisenhower was in the White House. “Heartbreak Hotel” topped the charts. America’s Oldest Teenager Dick Clark picked up a gig hosting “American Bandstand.” A loaf of bread cost about 18 cents.
Mar
2016
Episode 49: Arts are core
Art is not a thing; it’s a way. That’s what writer Elbert Hubbard believed, and the same could be send of an arts education: It’s a way of learning—a lesson in how to look at and think critically about the world. The arts are vital to educating the whole child.
Feb
2016
Episode 48: Learning on the road
With the sound of pins falling, it’s time for the Skyview High School bowling team to begin another tournament. As the team prepares for its last match before districts, there’s one thing these student-athletes can strike from their to-do lists: schoolwork.
Dec
2015
Episode 47: Translating connections
In our schools, it’s not unusual to hear Spanish or one of the 75 other languages spoken by our students.
Oct
2015
Episode 46: Grit and graduation
I want to introduce you to a young man named Heartstone, a student at Hudson’s Bay High School.
Jun
2015
Episode 45: Cultivating hope
Graduation season. A chance to celebrate our seniors; acknowledge their accomplishments; and send them off to college, careers and life. A chance to reflect on the struggles and successes, the long nights, the early mornings [...]
May
2015
Episode 44: Believing in big ideas
In Vancouver, we believe in big ideas. Always have, always will. After all, one of the first schools in the state was established here in 1832. In 1929, we were among the first districts in [...]
Feb
2015
Episode 42: Oh, the places she’s gone
The year was 1995. A new search engine called Yahoo! had recently launched. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers in the Super Bowl, and Forrest Gump took home the Academy Award for Best Picture. [...]
Dec
2014
Episode 41: Compassion strengthens district
Of all the lessons we teach our students, compassion may be one of the most difficult. How do you teach a child to care about another person? How do you know when the lesson has [...]
Jun
2014
Episode 39: As one chapter ends, another begins
Once again it’s graduation season, and once again we say goodbye to our seniors. This year’s graduating class is a remarkable group that includes four National Merit Scholars, two Washington Scholars, one Scholar Alternate, and [...]
Jun
2014
Episode 38: All I really need to know
You may not learn everything you need to know in kindergarten, but you certainly do learn a lot. That was the case for me a few weeks ago, when I visited Chinook Elementary. Every year [...]
Apr
2014
Episode 37: Success stories draw governor, mayor
“Everyone was really excited just knowing that the governor was coming to our school.” That was the mood at McLoughlin Middle School and Fort Vancouver High School on a soggy morning last March. As you [...]
Feb
2014
Episode 36: New technology tools
This month, Vancouver Public Schools (VPS) hosted weLearn Tech Shows at McLoughlin and Alki middle schools. As in years past, these events gave the community a chance to see some of the district’s innovations. As [...]
Jan
2014
Episode 35: Lewis and Clark transforms with blended learning
In case I haven’t yet told you, happy new year! In Vancouver Public Schools, 2014 is off to a terrific start. Earlier this month, students began applying for our secondary magnet programs, including the new [...]
Dec
2013
Episode 34: The giving spirit
It was a toy high chair that caught the mother's eye. She'd pedaled up the hill to King Elementary on her bicycle, her only means of transportation, to visit the school's holiday shop, where she [...]
Nov
2013
Episode 33: From the community come reasons to be thankful
Community Symposium In the last podcast, I talked about our strategic plan. As you’ve probably heard, we’re looking ahead five years and refreshing Design II. Three critical steps in the process were very successful: a [...]
Oct
2013
Episode 32: Storytelling
Lately I’ve been thinking about storytelling. Not just the stories in these podcasts, but the stories that are told all over the district. Since 2008, we’ve worked together to shape the narrative of our strategic [...]