MANSFIELD — Superintendent Teresa Murphy is pleased to announce that the Mansfield Public Schools has concluded its back-to-school podcast.
The Hello Hornets Podcast ran throughout the month of September to mark the start of the new school year. It included 15 episodes and featured interviews with school administrators, building principals/assistant principals, teachers and other key stakeholders.
Topics for episodes included safety and security improvements on school properties, different clubs and activities for students, ways the district engages students in literacy, upcoming performing arts shows, athletics and more.
While the series was launched to correspond with the start of the new school year, episodes can be enjoyed year round and issues will be of interest to parents/guardians and the greater school community throughout the year.
“We are always looking for different ways to highlight our schools and the district as a whole, and this podcast was a chance for us to reach our school community in a new and exciting way,” Superintendent Murphy said. “With everything that has been going on the past few years, it was wonderful to hear these conversations from our teachers and administrators, not only about our educational endeavors but also the strong sense of community that exists between our students, their families and the greater Mansfield community.”
Guests on the Hello Hornets Podcast, and some of the main topics they discussed, included:
- Episode 1: Superintendent Teresa Murphy – An introduction to the series.
- Episode 2: Athletic Director Mike Redding – An overview of the fall sports season and new coaches in the district.
- Episode 3: Performing Arts Chair Shelia Newton – Different arts opportunities, including the upcoming Drama Club production of “The Little Mermaid” at the high school.
- Episode 4: Mansfield High School Principal Mary Watkins – The new welcome desk in the MHS lobby.
- Episode 5: Robinson Elementary Principal Kerri Sankey – The ways the school balances technology with personal student interaction.
- Episode 6: Mansfield High Assistant Principal Tim Tichacek – Popular clubs at MHS, including the new E-Sports club, as well as ways students can join a club or start one of their own.
- Episode 7: Special Education Director Jim Leonard – Mansfield Public Schools’ approach to special education, as well as how the district constantly adapts to meet the changing needs of students and their families.
- Episode 8: Director of Digital Learning Julia Greenstine – How the district quickly adapted at the start of the pandemic to make sure teachers, staff and families had the technology and training they needed to succeed.
- Episode 9: Teacher and Mansfield Educators’ Association President Scott Cohen – What the MEA is and how it helps teachers, and also what he loves most about teaching students at the earliest grade levels.
- Episode 10: Qualters Middle School Assistant Principal Mary Cotillo – The ways that access to literacy was increased for students during the pandemic.
- Episode 11: Qualters Middle School Principal David McGovern – How the school re-focused its priorities to help ease students back to in-person learning for the start of the new school year.
- Episode 12: Director of Facilities Matt Jacques – What the facilities team does over the summer to get the school buildings ready for the new year and what they have to do during the school year to make sure buildings and grounds are kept operational for students, staff and the community.
- Episode 13: Jordan/Jackson Principal John Nieratko – The sense of community that exists at the Jordan/Jackson School, and ways parents can stay connected during the school year.
- Episode 14: Robinson School Assistant Principal Ryan Gentili – What’s new at the school, as well as his numerous personal connections with the Robinson School (including how he himself was once a student there).
- Episode 15: School Resource Officers Kenneth Wright and Derek McCune – The role of SROs in the school and how they bridge the gap between the Mansfield Police Department and the Mansfield Public Schools.
All episodes in the Hello Hornets Podcast are shared on the Mansfield Public Schools news blog at mansfieldschoolnews.com/podcast, as well as on the MPS Facebook and Twitter pages. Episodes do not need to be listened to in order, and listeners can select any episode from the list on the blog.
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