Carole Colburn: Model Teacher, Mentor…and Madam Mayor?

Carole Colburn, Highlander Way Middle School

“There is nothing in the world like seeing a student taking responsibility for his or her own learning and watching that student succeed.”

Carole Colburn has done a lot of stuff. Once a substitute teacher in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and a technology trainer in the private sector, Carole came to Howell Public Schools nine years ago. She initially served as the District Instructional Technologist, helping train teachers and staff to use software applications to enhance curriculum and streamline management.  After three years training adults, she was shifted into classroom teaching at Highlander Way Middle School where she now teaches technology classes to all middle school grade levels.

“I currently teach Multi-Media Presentations, Elements of Web Design and Lights, Camera, Screen Education. These are all classes I developed specifically to meet the state’s technology Grade-Level Content Expectations and benchmarks,” she says, adding “I love my job; teaching is the best job in the world. The thing I love most about it is getting to be a part of guiding students into being totally engaged in the learning process.  I strive each and every day to be a positive influence in the lives of the students I teach and those I interact with.  By being a positive influence, I feel that I can make a difference in student’s lives. In some cases, we all know that we as teachers may be the only person who actually believes in the student and his or her ability to succeed. They may not get that from anyone else.”

Mrs. Colburn’s teaching excellence has not gone unnoticed. She’s been the recipient of numerous awards and grants bringing in thousands of dollars worth of free, new technology and benefiting the entire school community in the process. For Carole, though, teaching technology is not all about hardware and software, it’s about the human touch. “I have been recognized for various projects and am very proud of each of them. Mostly though, I am proud of my ability to bring a positive influence into the daily climate at Highlander Way. Additionally, I work diligently at creating a safe, positive, 21st century learning environment that allows students to think outside of the box and encourages them to take responsibility for their own learning.”

Actively involved in the Michigan Association for Computer-related Technology Users in Learning (MACUL) and the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE), she also has a civic leadership role people may be less aware of: she’s the mayor of the Village of Dansville, Michigan.

Jayne Williams: Healthy Lives are Happy Lives.

Jayne Williams, Challenger Elementary

“I love the laughter and smiles I get from the kids and knowing I’m making a difference in their lives..”

In her sixth year of teaching Physical Education at Challenger Elementary,  Jayne Williams knows that happy smiles and healthy lifestyles go hand-in hand.

” I really want to be able to show the kids how important it is to take care of their bodies, and to teach them how to do that.  I hope it’ll show them how much I care about them.”

Jayne’s proud to have been able to create differently themed field days each year–from boot camp to career Olympics–involving the community as much as possible. Local veterans, the fire department, and Howell Armory personnel are among those she’s recruited to promote healthy lifestyles. It’s not just Howell’s adults that help make field days a community event, though. “Lots of important input and ideas come from a group of fifth graders, too,” she adds.

She’s been the coach of the Howell Sea Serpents for the last five years and is also a youth group sponsor at Brighton Christian Church.

Does Jayne Williams have a life outside of teaching? A rich one. She’s played volleyball with her sister at the University of Michigan and she’s currently a photographer with the Howell Fire Department.

Marilyn McEvoy: Three Decades and Still Changin’

Marilyn McEvoy, Freshman Campus

“We learn by doing. I hope students learn that it’s safe not to be right the first time…”

About to mark her thirtieth year as a teacher, Marilyn McEvoy, currently teaching child development and psychology, foods and health at the Freshman Campus, realizes that life and learning are all about change. She lists among her proudest accomplishments “adjusting to multiple personal and professional changes, through hard work and dedication.”

She realizes that her students need to go through the same process. “I love doing an activity the second or third time around and seeing how much better the kids get at it because I get better teaching it; giving directions, providing resources and reviewing it with them.  I hope that all students feel they can and do contribute something positive to the learning situation; that we learn by doing and mistakes are only things we don’t know yet. I hope kids learn that it’s safe to not be right the first time. And I hope they develop work habits that will lead them towards quality, excellence and a desire to do their best.”

Marilyn’s most proud of having pushed to start a child care program at Howell High and built a co-op program that’s grown from 22 students to 140 over a five year period. She’s active when away from school, too. She’s heavily involved in her Fowlerville United Bretheren Church and has served as a Trustee on the Fowlerville District Library Board for six years.

What don’t most people know about Marilyn McEvoy? “I drive with my left foot,” she tells us.

Really? Well, luckily, there’s still plenty of time to change.

Bonnie Buck: Middle School Math, Science…and, maybe, Art?

Bonnie Buck, Three Fires Middle School

“I couldn’t imagine teaching anywhere else…”

Though she’s taught in Howell Schools her entire career, Bonnie Buck, currently teaching program success, science and pre-algebra at Three Fires Middle School wouldn’t have it any other way.  A veteran with experience in three different buildings, she says she enjoys Three Fires most of all because of the helpful colleagues and pleasant aesthetics. “I truly enjoy working with the staff at Three Fires,” she says, “they’re the best, always willing to work together towards common goals. It’s also a beautiful building to walk into every morning.”

Mrs. Buck says the biggest challenges in education lie in the task of taking a prescribed, bare-bones curriculum, fleshing it out and transforming it into something that’s both educational and enjoyable. Again, she thanks her colleagues for teaming up with her to take on this job.

A married mom with three children, her son Brandon is finishing up college at her Alma Mater, Central Michigan University. Likewise, her daughter Kristyn is also following in her footsteps to a certain degree, substitute teaching in Howell and looking for a permanent teaching job. Her son Steven is an attorney for the State of Kentucky.

Bonnie thinks the best part of teaching is when former students visit and reminisce. “I want my students to have good memories of eighth grade, and many students who come back to see me bring up many ‘remember whens’ and let me know that they’ve wound up making good choices based on something that happened or was covered in my class.”

Active on committees ranging from those that help define curriculum, earn the school deserved recognition, and enhance its social life, this recognized and esteemed science and math teacher may have a flip side that people are less familiar with: she’s also the artist responsible for painting all the wolf mascots and teacher names next to Three Fire’s classroom doors.