The Vandalia ONE Podcast is a conversation with and about the Vandalia CUSD 203 school community. Each month we sit down with game-changers within this community and we talk about the differences they’re making, are a part of, or are witnessing. We talk with teachers, students, administrators, parents, community volunteers, alumni, coaches, and others who are committed to making the absolute most of educating the kids who attend our schools. The Vandalia ONE initiative is a joint school and community idea that emphasizes both personal and community-wide Ownership of the way forward, the Naming of that way forward, and the Embrace, or commitment, to that path or those pathways. These three important words drive Vandalia ONE, and the Steering Committee, made up of partners from the community and from the school, will meet regularly to discuss and refine our work to stay on task in our mutual commitments. If you’d like to become more directly involved in the work we’re doing, just reach out to Dr. Jennifer Garrison’s office at 618-283-4525. You are also invited to submit your ideas for how we can improve our podcast and make suggestions for guests you think we should have on. Reach out to us at the school or through our producer, Journey12 at info@journey12.com. We are all committed to being responsive to the needs of our community and, if you’re listening, that’s you! We’re glad to have you with us!
Keri Buscher: Opening Doors, Meeting Kids Where They Are, and Creating Opportunities
Today, I get to sit down with Keri Buscher, a Special Education Teacher who’s been with the District for 6-years. Keri has coaching in her blood and a real heart for kids, and what she brings to them through her work is nothing short of life-changing. The teachers here in Vandalia, far more often than not, are either from the community or have a deep connection to it. And even those who commute in from one of several nearby burgs, or worked previously in another District, I’ve found, are fier...
20 Dec 2022
A 5-Way Conversation on The FNB Community Bank Vandalia Holiday Tournament
As the 50th edition of the Vandalia Holiday Tournament is cued-up, I have the opportunity to speak with several of the keepers of one of Vandalia’s great traditions—the FNB Community Bank Vandalia Holiday Tournament, arguably one of Illinois’ finest Basketball traditions in a state that is dripping with small-town basketball traditions. I sit down with Vandalia’s Coach Brian Buscher, Brian Kern, Carl Clymer, and Hannah Edgar, four people who have basketball in their blood, and who know this t...
5 Dec 2022
Keli Ritchey, Paraprofessional Extraordinaire: A Purpose-Centered Life
Our conversation with Keli Ritchey is much more than a discussion of day-to-day educational support, it is an examination of a journey, which has been taken, in large measure, because of a mother’s love for her son and, by extension, encouraged and amplified upon through a series of observations Keli has made during her life and career with Vandalia Elementary School.
22 Oct 2022
Same Values, Different Generations: The Appeal of a Multi-Generational School Community
Principal Stacy Mesnard and her former student Elizabeth Washburn, joined by her two kids, Sampson and Jaxson Washburn, sat down with us for this episode of the Vandalia ONE podcast to discuss what it's like to have multiple generations in your family be educated by the same teachers. What values are passed down, and where do they originate? How much easier could we make some children's lives if we divided the duty of maintaining their well-being between the school and their parents instead o...
13 Aug 2022
Teachers pay it forward: A conversation with Julie Lay
In my conversation with Julie, as you’ll hear, we find someone who is deeply devoted to her profession, her family, her community, and to her students. As a Junior in high school, she was the beneficiary of a teacher who helped her solidify her own path, and so she fully appreciates the importance of paying it forward, which, it is clear, is something Julie does every day.
16 Jun 2022
Yearbooks, Business, and Dogs (OH MY!) A Conversation with Marissa Dunn
Marissa Dunn is a lot of things. She is a high school business teacher, a librarian, and a yearbook advisor— which is, frankly, an underwhelming title for an overwhelming role. Think: human embodiment of a Swiss Army knife or Leatherman pliers but with hydraulic power, laser guides, and transformer-like versatility. She is also someone who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis during her first year of teaching, but who has found a professional community of support and a life’s work in teachin...
8 May 2022TRANSCRIPT
Calibrating our way forward with the Vandalia ONE initiative
Dr. Jennifer Garrison, District Superintendent, and Mrs. Greta Krueger, Assistant High School Principal, talk with us about what brings us to this moment, what the priorities for our collective future look like, and how the Vandalia ONE initiative will serve as an important guide for both school and community as we move forward.
Inside a recent episode
Calibrating our way forward with the Vandalia ONE initiative
Published 8 May 2022 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And it sounds like exactly what you guys are doing. Dr. Garrison, can you talk a little bit about this wonderful acronym, this Vandaleu1? Can you tee that up for us and tell us a little bit about what that means to you, to the district, to the community? When I started four years ago, I had a group around this table that we're sitting at now and we did some brainstorming. There were community leaders, educators of where do we want to go? And we kept, I kept hearing the word one. So I just did some reflection, Vandaleu pride. We had code red and I was just looking around because remember, I was new coming in. […]
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