35 community stakeholders tour classrooms for annual Your Public Schools In Action

FRANKLIN PIERCE SCHOOL DISTRICT – A total of 35 community stakeholders toured Brookdale Elementary, Ford Middle School, and Washington High School on Tuesday, October 15. The group included elected officials and their staff, a dean from Pacific Lutheran University, business leaders, school board directors, community associations, parent teacher associations, unions, community residents, and interested parents. The tour was this year’s Your Public Schools in Action tour, an annual event that Franklin Pierce Schools hosts to empower community stakeholders with a first-hand experience educational rigor in the district.
The guests arrived at Washington High School at 8:30 a.m. to be greeted by coffee and district administrators. Dr. Frank Hewins, Superintendent of Franklin Pierce Schools, started the program with a presentation on the characteristics, challenges, and successes that define the district. Then the tours of the three schools commenced. With the group of guests split into three groups, students at each of the three schools led the guests to classrooms, where engaging lessons were being taught by teachers and worked on by students. In between each school visit, guests rode one of the district’s school buses, on which they received handouts from administrators on topics of budget and finance, teaching and learning, human resources, and learning support services. Each of the three school principals also provided a formal introduction to the school upon the guests’ arrival. The day concluded with a lunch catered by the district’s Nutrition Services Department; the lunch consisted of the same ingredients used to prepare student meals.

This year’s tour held a theme of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). While guests did see some general education classrooms, they mostly visisted classrooms with a STEM focus.
“We wanted guests to experience and appreciate the great work of our staff, the curious and engaged minds of our students, all in an authentic context — visit actual classrooms that didn’t change their work to accommodate the tour, ride a school bus, and eat typical school lunch food,” said Dr. Hewins. “I think we accomplished that, and more,” he said.
Guests remarked how impressed they were with the work that the district was doing and the corresponding results, as well as how different schools of today are from schools that they attended.
Franklin Pierce Schools has an open door policy. Anyone interested in taking a tour of schools need not wait for the next Your Public Schools in Action tour. If you would like a tour, please contact the Public Information Office at 253-298-3087.