In our first episode of the 2024-2025 school year, we warmly welcome the new families and staff joining our schools. We introduce Connie Harrell, our district’s new Belonging Coordinator, and discuss the intentional efforts and initiatives we've put in place to ensure that every member of our learning community feels welcomed, valued, and supported.
A sense of belonging is essential for effective learning, growth, and development, and it is one of our district's top priorities. In 2023, our School Board adopted the top recommendation from the Culture of Belonging Advisory Committee to establish the position of Belonging Coordinator. This role is vital in coordinating and enhancing all efforts to foster belonging across our schools.
Dr. Jennifer Schiele, Superintendent, LOSD
Mary Kay Larson, Executive Director of Communications, LOSD
Connie Harrell, Belonging Coordinator, LOSD
MICHELLE ODELL:: [00:00:00] Welcome to Learning in Lake Oswego, a podcast providing educational insights for an engaged community. Lake Oswego School District Superintendent, Dr. Jennifer Shealy, will discuss what's important to our learning community. She'll be joined by experts examining various topics, answering important questions, and sharing upcoming events and activities you won't want to miss.
And now, it's your host. Lake Oswego School District Executive Director of Communications, Mary Kay Larson.
MARY KAY LARSON:: Welcome to Learning in Lake Oswego. It's our first episode of the 2024 2025 school year. I'm your host, Mary Kay Larson, here with our superintendent, Dr. Jennifer Shealy. We're recording this show on the Thursday before school begins.
Which is a special day in our district as we welcome everyone back to school before it actually starts. On this day, our schools host Smart Start sessions for students with 504 plans and IEPs, [00:01:00] otherwise known as Individual Education Plans. And all of our elementary schools also host meet and greets for students to explore their classrooms and meet their teachers.
Given the spirit of welcoming that's happening on this day, it's only fitting that we are also talking with our district's belonging coordinator, Connie Harrell. Connie is here to talk about the intentional efforts and initiatives we've put in place to ensure our new families and employees feel welcomed and valued as part of our learning community.
Jen, take it away.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: Thanks Mary Kay. I'm so excited to be back. It's going to be a great year. A sense of belonging is crucial for students to feel safe, valued, and motivated. In Lake Oswego, we strive to create an inclusive school environment where all are celebrated and every student feels that they're an integral part of our community.
This involves promoting programs and activities that reflect the diverse cultures and experiences of our students and their families. and building strong supportive relationships between students, [00:02:00] teachers, and the broader community. In 2023, our school board adopted the Cultural Belonging Advisory Committee's top recommendation to create a position of Belonging Coordinator.
This role is helpful in coordinating all efforts related to belonging across our schools. We took time to find the right person and allowed her a few months to settle into the role, and today it's my pleasure to introduce our Belonging Coordinator, Connie Harrell, and give our community a chance to get to know her a little bit better.
Connie, we are so thrilled to have you here. First, can you tell us a little bit about your role as a District Belonging Coordinator and what inspired you to take on this position?
CONNIE HARRELL:: You know, there are so many fascinating layers to my role as the Belonging Coordinator for the District, but I'll tell you the most important one to me is making sure that all of our students, families, families, Faculty and staff feel seen, heard, and supported.
A key part of that is asking questions and listening to different perspectives so that we as a district can provide an inclusive environment. The most exciting part of my role is two [00:03:00] folded. First, welcoming new families and streamlining ways to connect them with our district resources. Second, working with our school leadership teams to reinforce the culture of belonging in each of our buildings.
What inspired me to take this role is pretty simple. I know what it's like to feel like you don't have a voice or shouldn't have a voice. And that is not how I want my children nor anyone else to ever feel. Everyone has a different viewpoint based on experience, backgrounds, and cultures. And in my role, I have felt empowered to embrace those perspectives.
Leveraging each other's strengths will lead to progressive success throughout our community.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: I love that Connie, that's so well said. How does your personal experience, like your own experiences as a child, as a parent of a district graduate, and as a current high school freshman, inform your work?
CONNIE HARRELL:: I was born on the island of Tonga, and at the age of two I was adopted by an American family and moved to the U.
S. After years of owning his own construction company, my father took an assignment with a government contract doing remodels for housing on military bases, which meant we moved a lot, [00:04:00] and I went to several different schools. In many cases, I was the first person of color that some of the other students had ever seen or been around.
So I know what it feels like to not really blend in, and I want to try and ensure that others don't feel the same way. As a mother to four children and a very young grandmother, I have always been very intentional with About the cultural conversations we have at home, because I spent so much of my youth as the new kid in town, I've worked very hard to provide my children with sound advice, focusing on the opportunities rather than dwelling on the uncomfortable or the negative aspects of a situation.
When we moved to Lake Oswego, my oldest daughter had already graduated high school. and was busy raising her small family. My second to oldest daughter was a senior in high school, and she rocked at being the new kid on campus. She graduated from Lake Ridge, then went on to college, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology.
My youngest daughter plays basketball at Linfield University and is just a freshman. beginning her sophomore year, and my son is a freshman at Lake Ridge High School. Knowing and believing that it takes a [00:05:00] village to raise children, I've been an active volunteer at their schools and in community organizations so I can keep a finger on the pulse of our community.
In 2013, my life and the lives of my family changed forever. Through a chance encounter at a retail store I was managing, I met members of my biological family, which took me on a journey of self discovery. Self awareness and self discovery. From that day forward, my whole family attends reunions, graduation birthdays, and most celebrations with our relatives from Tonga.
My children and I have been given the gift of learning our culture to embrace it and be proud of our Pacific Islander heritage. These lived experiences have informed my work in such a way that I can relate to just about every situation here in Lake Oswego, and I lead with empathy and understanding.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: That is a beautiful story, and it makes so much sense about who you are, and I love it. You just always be you, Connie. So, what are some of the initiatives that you're implementing to help some of our new families feel welcomed and valued in our community?
CONNIE HARRELL:: I'm currently working on six initiatives. First, surveys for new families and following up on the [00:06:00] feedback data that comes through this avenue.
Second, revamped our website and made it easier for new families to locate resources and get involved. Third, attending many district wide school and community events so we at LOSD can have a presence and continue to collaborate across several different organizations. like local businesses and non profit organizations.
Fourth, working with our parent club presidents at each of our schools to ensure that we have support and feedback that isn't generalized, but specific to our goal of inclusion and diversity, as well as working with the leadership in each of our buildings to ensure we have a belonging ambassador on site.
Fifth, working on behalf of our students to streamline cultural heritage celebrations in an effort to educate and bring our community closer together. Sixth, establishing a liaison program for SMEs, subject matter experts, to help guide us through language barriers, cultural and religious questions, and celebration etiquette.
This selected group of individuals could be as simple as a person who is a subject matter expert for a new student orientation, or doing data research, or [00:07:00] A SME could also be a student, faculty member, or a member of our local business community. Lastly, I've reached out beyond just our district and local entities to get best practices and share what success really looks like.
My best collaborating partner has been with Gillian Del Rio, the Equity Program Manager for the City of Lake Oswego. Together, we've uncovered duplicate areas in which we combine our resources. Once a quarter, we plan to get together with our counterparts in neighboring districts, casting our net wider to share and gain insights on how we can all do better.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: That is a lot of things you have going on, Connie, and I know that This community is going to be really grateful for all the fantastic work you're doing. You mentioned the surveys. Can you discuss the purpose and outcome of that new family survey that you conducted? Our
CONNIE HARRELL:: survey's purpose was to help us gain a better understanding of the new family experience.
We carefully curated a 25 question survey ranging from orientation and welcome to feedback and suggestions. Collectively, the response was positive. We discovered some areas of [00:08:00] opportunity. For example, the families would like us to check in with them sooner. We circled back with our parent clubs to ensure that each of them had a new family welcome plan in place.
We created meet and greets to give our families the opportunity to be seen and heard by district leadership such as yourself and Mary Kay. Overall, the survey feedback was a great way for me to hold more meaningful conversations with my respective peers. As I have mentioned before, starting school in a new district can be daunting and it shouldn't be.
Another important element from the survey identified parents who were interested in volunteering for activities or serving on advisory committees, but Both in our district and city.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: That's awesome. I think what a fantastic way to hear from our community. And obviously you did a great job with that, Connie.
How do you, you mentioned kind of the meet and greets and I know I've attended a few, but can you explain to our listeners, how do these meet and greets contribute to building a sense of belonging among new community members?
CONNIE HARRELL:: Actually, the meet and greets were a great opportunity for family members to put a face to the Mary Kay Larson and to meet [00:09:00] you directly.
Some of them, we noticed, had saved up questions that they were trying to get in front of someone in leadership, and it also really encouraged some well rounded, vibrant conversations.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: It was super fun to meet the new families and hear what brought them to Lake Oswego and kind of their hopes and dreams for their kids.
So I thought it was a great idea and really enjoyed going to those meet and greets. You also mentioned volunteers and how, how are you able to connect interested volunteers with opportunities around their child's school?
CONNIE HARRELL:: Through the survey, we were able to sort them according to the volunteering efforts they wanted to participate in, whether it was serving on a board or an advisory committee within their school, or if they wanted to go further and support something within our city, we were able to get those interested in volunteering connected with the leaders of their respective groups.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: Yeah, I think that's probably the hardest thing when you move to a new place and you don't know the principal, you don't know the teachers, you don't know, you know, you just don't know how to get connected, and that's such an important role. [00:10:00] to get our families into the school. So that that's nice that you've been that liaison for new families to get them involved.
How do you approach bringing forward the work related to belonging and inclusion in our district?
CONNIE HARRELL:: I believe in hands on face to face meetings with each school and parent clubs to identify any gaps. I believe in transparency and also showing our presence is always key. and more meaningful than just posting an email address for people to reach out to.
To me, being an ambassador inside and outside the district is something I enjoy. Meeting with people and getting perspectives and their feedback. My goal is always to leverage the strength of those in our community to put action into words. And in full disclosure, I ask a lot of clarifying questions.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: You do I can vouch for that one.
She never leaves a room without knowing exactly What we're trying to ask her to do so that's that's a great asset that you have Connie so one of my favorite things about being the superintendent [00:11:00] is access to students and their clubs and and really hearing their voice and trying to bring their voice and Support them and all that they're doing.
Can you tell us a little bit about Your mentoring of our students that are in clubs and what kind of impact that you feel like you can have on those students?
CONNIE HARRELL:: I've actually attended several student run activities and events. I've listened to feedback from their Q& A sessions and I've followed up with clarifying questions.
Some of their needs can simply be addressed by sharing my past experience as an event planner. Reviewing their to do list, helping them prioritize their steps, their marketing plan, safety measures, audience, etc. As a self appointed mentor to our students, I help them identify our district resources and I follow up on their needs.
For example, our black student unions have asked for allies, a group of business leaders, to help them navigate through the opportunities in Lake Oswego. So we have spent a lot of time this summer working diligently to put that program together. We're also [00:12:00] working closely with Respond to Racism's YEC group to help them bring one of their events into reality.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: That's fantastic. Her kids are lucky to have you. What are some of our plans that our community can look forward to this year?
CONNIE HARRELL:: New family meet and greets, specialized communications for our new families, Black History Month celebration in collaboration with the city, activities fair that will showcase all the athletic, artistic, and educational activities.
academic endeavors we have to offer in Lake Oswego and continued enhancement of the seven initiatives I outlined
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: earlier. Okay, great. How are we promoting awareness and understanding of cultural and religious observances within the district?
CONNIE HARRELL:: First starts by inspecting what you expect. The promotion of awareness begins with the central office, It appears on our websites, our newsletters, and more importantly, our schools each celebrate and recognize the Heritage Month observations.
I'll continue to work closely [00:13:00] with our liaisons to ensure we are being supportive, fair, and consistent that when you walk into our buildings, the message that we are celebrating for the month is front and center. Again, I'll ask questions of our LOSD families to make sure that we're getting it right, and if there's anything that we're leaving on the table, we'll work to incorporate that for the next celebration.
One question I know in the district we always lead with when it comes to observations, is what is the impact on our student learning? So we'll continue to inspect to make sure that the celebrations that we're bringing forward Whether collaborating with the city or outside organizations, that it's really carrying forth our message of diversity and inclusion and belonging in our district.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: What goals for the Belonging Coordinator role do you have, and then how do you envision the future of the Belonging Initiative in our district?
CONNIE HARRELL:: I have three simple goals. The first one is to normalize differences as [00:14:00] being something beneficial to all. Work to improve understanding of those differences.
Having belongings, subject matter experts, or ambassadors in every school.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: Those are very important goals, and I look forward to watching you reach all of those. What message would you like to leave with our community about the importance of belonging and inclusion in our schools? This is your last chance for a message to everyone.
What would that message be?
CONNIE HARRELL:: I'd like to leave with the message that everyone in our community deserves to feel they belong, that their opinions matter, and that there is room for all of us. I want people to remember, without diversity and inclusion, we would not be doing justice for our future leaders and history makers.
Diversity doesn't mean division, unless we let it. Inclusion is one of the founding principles in our U. S. Constitution. We the people. But to put things in simpler terms from my perspective, a rainbow would not be a rainbow or a sight to behold if it only contained the colors of red, yellow, and orange.
You need the blue, green, and indigo to [00:15:00] show and contrast what each color brings. One perfect spectrum of beauty provided by several different spectrums of light. Together, we are just better.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: Very powerful, Connie. There is room for all of us. Let us be the first community in the country where diversity doesn't mean division.
Thank you so much Connie for being in the studio today and allowing our community to learn more about you. As educators, we have the power to shape the social and emotional climate of our schools. By embracing and modeling empathy and respect and inclusivity, we will help set the foundation for a school culture where everyone belongs.
I really appreciate you being here today. Thanks Jen, my
MARY KAY LARSON:: pleasure. Thank you, Connie. It's an absolute pleasure working with you, and I'm really excited to see how this year unfolds with all of your efforts and initiatives. Regarding things to look forward to, fall is my favorite time of year. I love the energy of this season.
Jen, [00:16:00] please tell us all the things that we have to look forward to as we return to school. Absolutely.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: The first few weeks of the year are always busy. bustling with activity. One of the most important annual events for families is our back to school nights. This is an excellent opportunity to meet school principals and teachers and learn about what's in store for your student.
It's also a chance to get connected with other families and get involved in the community. Thank you This year, all of our back to school nights are scheduled for September, except for LOJ Middle School at Uplands, which was actually last week because we knew families would want to get into that new space and see it before school starts.
And despite some overlapping dates, the school board and I plan to attend as many back to school nights as possible. So please introduce yourselves when you see us. Additionally, this year we're hosting two community open houses to share the findings of our long range facility planning feasibility studies.
These events are open to all families and residents of Lake Oswego. Thursday, September 12th from 6 [00:17:00] to 8 in the staff development room on the Lake Oswego High School campus. And Saturday, September 14th from 10 a. m. to 12 noon at Lake Ridge High School. The information presented will be the same on both days, and we hope to accommodate everyone's schedules by having it two different times.
Participants will learn about the study findings, discuss perspectives with study conductors, and provide feedback
MARY KAY LARSON:: for the Board's Long
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: Range
MARY KAY LARSON:: Facility Plan decision. It sounds like we have many must see events coming up in our learning community. And speaking of the school board, in our next episode of Learning in Lake Oswego, we are going to be talking with our school board chair and one of our student reps about what it means to serve on the board and the positive impact they strive to have on our community.
Please keep listening, following, and liking our podcast as we embark on another year of Learning in Lake Oswego.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: Thanks, Mary Kay. Happy first day of school to everyone out there, and until next [00:18:00] time, keep exploring and stay engaged. Class dismissed.
MICHELLE ODELL:: We hope you found this episode informative and helpful.
While our discussions are general, we understand each family's experience is unique. If you have specific questions about your child, please contact your school principal. To learn more about the topics we discussed, visit us Ask a question or share ideas for future episodes. Please visit LOSDSchools. org and remember to like, and follow us wherever you get your podcasts.
Thank you for engaging with learning in Lake Oswego. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you with us for our next episode.