Category: High School

Ep. 28- GEARing UP for College

BCPS Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan sits down with the GEAR UP team to talk about how this program introduces students to the possibilities of college and university. GEAR UP is a partnership with Appalachian State University designed to prepare middle and high school students to succeed in postsecondary education. Listen to learn how BCPS students are GEARing UP for college.

Ep. 27 – Media center and internet safety tips

In this episode of Learn in Burke, we listen in on a conversation between our Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan and Dr. Melanie Honeycutt our chief information officer as they discuss how books and supplemental materials are chosen for our media centers. They even uncover important internet safety tips that all parents need to know! This episode is a great one to take a moment to listen in on as your driving running errands or at home completing tasks off your to-do list. This episode was a part of the Superintendents Snapshot series by the City of Morganton Compas Cable! #ignitelearningBCPS #allinBCPS

Ep. 24 – What is our Strategic Plan and why is it important to you?

We have recently unveiled the 2023-2028 Burke County Public Schools Strategic Plan that includes our “All In Promise.” What is it? Why is it important to me or my student? These may be a few questions you have and in this podcast episode we answer them all! Our Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan and our Assistant Superintendent Dr. Karen Auton join us for this episode to break down our new strategic plan and why we are ALL IN for our students and staff! 

Please subscribe to Learn in Burke on Spotify, Apple Podcast and many more platforms to keep up with each of our podcast releases. #allinBCPS @ignitinglearningBCPS

 

Ep. 22 – How BCPS and WPCC are making education better together

Most of our community knows about Burke County Public Schools and Western Piedmont Community College, but do you know their leaders? What about how the two educational institutions partner together to create opportunities for workforce development? BCPS and WPCC are impacting our community in many different ways and together they are preparing more and more for the workforce or higher education. In this podcast, we touch on many different topics with WPCC President Dr. Joel Welch and BCPS Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan, including a special opportunity juniors and seniors have to attend Pioneer Preview at WPCC! So much good information is jam-packed into a 30-minute podcast, you don’t want to miss it!

Ep. 21 – Sheep, rabbits and turkeys OH MY! – How agriculture is a growing trend in schools

Inside schools we are used to seeing students learning in classrooms, laboratories or gymnasiums, but in the recent years some classrooms are turning into barns, greenhouses and grazing fields. Why may you ask? Agriculture, that’s why. A growing trend is taking our students outside to see all the different ways our world grows when it comes to plants, animals and more! For this episode, our Superintendent, Dr. Mike Swan joins us as we visit East Burke High School’s agriculture class to talk with student about the program. We might have even taken a stroll to the animal barn! Take a listen to hear first-hand from students as to why this class is growing in popularity.

Ep. 20 – “How are the children?” – A look into the well-being of our students

Special Guests: Jennifer Hawkins, coordinator for MTSS and students success; Elicia Carter, school counselor at EBMS; and Sara LeCroy, director of student and family services. 

Here at Burke County Public Schools, we want our students to know that as soon as they walk into their school they will be surrounded by people who care for them. In this episode of Learn in Burke, we dig deep into how we support the mental well-being of our students and staff. It is no secret that the amount of mental health services we provide through BCPS has escalated over the past couple years. We talk about different aspects of our MTSS program, the Mindfulness Classroom and the help that our many school counselors provide for each student and staff. We even offer up advice to parents on how they can help their student who may be struggling. This is a great episode for our whole community to hear!

In case you have any questions for our three guests on this episode, please see their email addresses below. 

Elicia Carter – eliciacarter@burke.k12.nc.us

Sara LeCroy – slecroy@burke.k12.nc.us

Jennifer Hawkins – jchawkins@burke.k12.nc.us

How we help our “Grand-families” succeed – Ep. 19

More and more we are seeing a generation of our students being raised by their grandparents. The challenges that are presented to these “grand-families” are numerous, but for the past 20+ years, we have helped them and parents who need support raising children succeed through the Burke County Public School’s FUTuRES program. The program is led by Lisa Schell and Michael Massey. Take a listen on your drive home or play us during your lunch break to see how this program has changed lives for the better! #ignitelearningbcps

Here is a link to the BCPS FUTuRES program site, where you can find the resources and reach out for help! – – – https://www.burke.k12.nc.us/cms/one.aspx?portalId=697882&pageId=10809314

Pictured below are Lisa Schell (left) and Michael Massey, who operate the FUTuRES program for Burke County Public Schools.

Not just a translator: How parent educators build bridges for Hispanic families – Ep. 18

Parent Educators are a fairly new position within Burke County Public Schools and hold a very important part in making sure Hispanic students and their families are able to navigate school. Take a listen to the stories of Ted Pedro Mateo (middle), Liliana Javier Zamora (left) and Rebecca Wilcox as they share their experiences of being Parent Educators and why they do what they do. #ignitelearningbcps

Auxiliary Services: the nuts and bolts that hold our schools together – Ep. 17

It is the work in our schools that most of the time goes unnoticed… Auxiliary Services. Everything from heating and air, electrical, painting, carpentry and so many other jobs that keep our schools up and running. Dr. Bob Acord, our director of auxiliary services and Mr. Kevin Herron, assistant director of auxiliary services take a moment to explain how they keep each of our schools in tip-top shape for our staff and students. #ignitelearningbcps

Supporting “Exceptional Children” in exceptional ways – Ep. 16

Burke County Public Schools takes pride in every single one of our students, especially those in our Exceptional Children’s Department who need some extra love and support. For this episode of the Learn in Burke podcast, we take a little time with Exception Children’s Director Shane Mace to understand all the ins and outs of special education and how we support our students with special needs. This podcast is also for parents who may suspect disabilities in their child and the steps that they can take to get the best support from BCPS! This is a info-packed podcast that you don’t want to miss. Thanks for joining us today and Happy Friday! #ignitelearningbcps