A Sense of Family

by Jillian L., Friendswood Junior High student

Alyson Olson of Sioux City, Iowa was one of the attendees at the NMSA conference in Houston, Texas. Mrs. Olson, the assistant principal at South Sioux City Middle School, and her principal are both new to their positions this year, and Mrs. Olson was excited to attend NMSA as an administrator.

During our interview, Mrs. Olson expressed one of her concerns to me right off the bat. "If the teachers can't work together, then the students can't work together," she said. She knows that her goal is to make her teachers and students work together more efficiently. She has ideas to make teamwork at South Sioux better, and hopes that the NMSA conference will provide creative avenues to reach her goal.

I thought about all the teachers and administrators in attendance at NMSA: Do they have strong student-to-student and teacher-to-teacher bonds? If school isn't able to function together as a team, what product or technology could possibly fix that problem?

From the sessions she attended, speakers she heard, and the booths she gazed at, Mrs. Olson found ideas and gained skills to bring home to South Sioux City Middle School and share with her staff. It's a growing district in terms of population, and she hopes it will grow in terms of togetherness and teamwork, too.

I was amazed by Mrs. Olson's determination to bring her school, her staff, her students, and her community together as one. As I wrapped up our interview and hugged my stepmom from Sioux City, Iowa, I realized the responsibility that rests on her shoulders, and it made me admire and love her even more.