July 9, 1996
Volume 1.7
Summit's strength as a school depends on the quality of its faculty. The teacher selection committee has received over 100 applications from all across the country in response to job postings at the BVSD Education Center, ads in area newspapers and on the Internet, and word of mouth.
The selection process consists of an initial screening of application materials by the committee chair. Complete materials of qualified applicants are then scrutinized by the entire selection committee. The applicants with the strongest credentials are invited to teach a demonstration class to Summit student volunteers while being observed by committee members.
After the class, the students provide their insights and opinions in response to a set of questions presented by committee members while other committee members answer the teacher's questions and discuss details of the Summit curriculum. Following the students' input, the teacher is interviewed for 45 minutes. The applicant departs, the committee discusses the students' feedback and their own impressions of the candidate, and a recommendation is made.
The files of recommended teachers are submitted to the Summit Board of Directors, meeting in executive session, for discussion and approval. Approval is contingent upon successful contract negotiations, handled separately by the hiring and benefits committee, security checks by BVSD, and approval of the Board of Education.
The result has been a group of teachers who are not only extremely well qualified, but who have outstanding skills and enthusiasm to bring out the best in middle-school students. We are confident that students and parents will be amply rewarded for the confidence they have placed in Summit.
Here are some of the Summit teachers for the 1996-97 academic year.
B.S. physical education, health and recreation, minor in sociology, St. Joseph's College, Rensselaer, Indiana.
A native of Indiana, Mr. Adams taught at Southern Hills Middle School for 12 years and has long been regarded as a teacher who has made a significant difference in students' lives. His coaching career includes football, baseball, wrestling, and basketball. He has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards, and in 1990, he received a national teaching award for intellectual design and gender equity in physical education. Coach Adams spends summers with students touring Australia, New Zealand, or countries in Eastern or Western Europe or Africa. He is planning more overseas excursions with students in the future.
Creating a caring and supportive environment in which students can develop academically, emotionally and physically is important to Coach Adams. He has high expectations for his students and encourages them to demand the same of themselves in all areas of their lives. One of his objectives as a teacher is to enhance each student's individuality.
Coach Adams enjoys life and learning. Outside of teaching, he likes hunting, fishing, camping, traveling, skiing, and relaxing with family and friends. His wife, Marlene, and sons, Hunter and Brock, provide him with continued love and support.
Coach Adams is excited about his new position at Summit. He plans to continue working towards his goal of being the best educator possible.
Ph.D. chemistry, University of Denver; M.S. chemistry, University of Denver; B.A. Zoology, Pomona College.
Dr. Sikora works hard to bring her love of science to her students by being an enthusiastic and energetic lecturer. She often uses demonstrations in the classroom to provoke excitement and curiosity, while creating a classroom where students feel confident and safe to express their ideas. She offers encouragement and promotes critical thinking through self- and peer- evaluation. Believing that learning is a continuous process, she feels a deep responsibility as an educator to continuously further her knowledge. Dr. Sikora has taught extensively at the university level. She received the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year award at the University of Denver. She has spent the last year and a half pursuing health/science education at the Denver Museum of Natural History. While at the museum, she developed curricula and taught tens of thousands of students of all ages across the state.
She is excited about her teaching position at Summit. She realizes that students will come from a variety of backgrounds, yet they will be unified by a fundamental desire to learn. Her approach with students will be honest; not every teacher or scientist knows everything. It can be inspirational to middle school students that any teacher, scientist or student can find answers to questions through research. This is the spirit she wishes to instill in young scientists.
Dr. Sikora is looking forward to creating an innovative science program for Summit students to experience: spooling of DNA, investigation of the ozone gases, dissection of the brain, heart or lungs, etc. She is also looking forward to working with a principal, faculty and parents who share a common goal: to inspire in the students of Summit a lifelong love of learning and a desire for self-development.
(Profiles of these and other Summit staff members will appear in a future edition of Summit News)
Bill Burkhart (Music)
Susan Cox (Social Studies)
Angela Dozeman (English)
Greta Frohbieter (Math)
Jim Guinn (Science)
Steve Haas (Math)
Kathy Hutton (Art)
Christopher Koch (Social Studies)