#Between2BlueDevils

This weeks episode features the first person one may see when they enter the high school...our Attendance Secretary Mrs. Gibson. She is the smile you are greeted with from behind the "plastic curtain" in the main office. If you have never seen her you most certainly have heard her voice if you have ever called your child off of school. 

Her job by day is to keep track of any and all students who are marked absent, whether on purpose or accidentally. She is constantly tracking kids down and making sure they are safe and where they are supposed to be. When not on the phone with parents and guardians she is most likely on the phone calling teachers, like me, to remind us to submit our attendance. Let me tell you...she extends a lot of grace my way in this category. 

By night she is super mom to two incredible young men who both have come up through Tallmadge City Schools. She loves living life with them, her husband, and her dog.

So often the people in front of the classroom, or the people making the decisions get all the attention. But what our audience needs to know is that behind the scenes are people who play just as important part in making sure our kids are safe, provided for, and above all else that they feel loved and accepted. This is Mrs. Gibson's goal: to love each child as her own.

This she does extraordinarily well. Kick back and listen in on our conversation and get to know this super hero just a little bit more.

This week we sit down with teacher and head basketball coach Bill Johnson. Coach sits down with me and talks about what it is like to coach during a pandemic and all the lessons learned from this unprecedented season.

Coach is happily married to his wife Annie and they have a beautiful daughter named Abby. The story of how Annie and Coach met is a great one. It typifies the adage that behind every good man is a better woman!

When not hanging out with his family you will most likely find Coach either golfing at nearby Brookledge Golf Course or watching one his favorite Cleveland teams play. He is an avid sports fan and at one point dreamt of being the next Tom Hamilton.

Coach Johnson has been coaching for the past 17 years. He has been working within the school setting for 8 years but only teaching the past 3. His journey from college, to the sideline, to the classroom is an inspirational one full of lessons of resiliency and persistency. It is these qualities that he brings to his basketball program and his classroom. He is passionate, energetic, and committed to his students, his players, and most importantly to his family.

When walking past the gym during practice or the locker room during a team meeting you can often hear coach repeating his favorite quote:

“Would you rather be individually great in the midst of mediocrity or individually involved in the midst of something great?”

Teamwork, commitment, and a family mindset are what Coach preaches, daily. Put your teammates first, serve others, and great things happen.

#FAMILY

You can follow Tallmadge Basketball on Twitter at: @Tallmadge_BBK and Coach Johnson at: @Bill_Johnson_3

This week's episode is a bit of a special one. My guest is none other than my wonderful niece Kayla. The WHY behind this podcast is to tell stories...people’s stories. Kayla’s story is pretty amazing. As you will hear in the interview Kayla loves drawing. I think she was born with a sketchpad in her hand! I have watched her grow in her passion for the past 21 years. She has a gift. 

In the episode she shares with us who has inspired her as an artist. The list is pretty amazing. These artists and illustrators are super influential in the world of animation.

Brothers Tom and Tony Bancroft have played a HUGE role in her pursuit of becoming an artist. You can hear in her voice the impact they have had. Two other digital artists who have influenced her are Mike Nawrocki (yep, the voice of Larry the Cucumber) and Phil Visher (voice of Bob the Tomato). Since an early age Kayla has been drawing Veggie Tales, and other characters as she has grown as an artist.

Click here to visit the Veggie Tales YouTube Channel

Kayla is currently attending classes for digital animation at a local college. This is a big step for her considering her struggles with social anxiety. Her anxiousness has been something that has been an issue all her life, and was one of the deciding factors in pursuing home-schooling her junior and senior year of high school. To cope with her social anxiety Kayla has leaned heavy into her faith and she has embraced the arts and humor. Brian Hull has been a constant source of stress relief and comfort for Kayla. His unique talent as an impersonator has inspired millions of people and provided joy and laughter during a much needed time.

Click here for Brian Hull's Link Tree

On Kayla’s 21st birthday she and I started chatting about this podcast. I asked her if she would be interested in drawing a new podcast picture for me. The picture you now see is her amazing work. I absolutely love this picture. In her words it captures a few of the things I love...the Teach Better Team and Crimson Cup Coffee. This is a story about a young girl seeking to live life for God, pursue her passion for drawing, and spread a little love and joy along the way. It is my privilege to share her wonderful story and talent with all of you.

Click here to visit the Teach Better Web Site

Want to check out Kayla’s work? Click here:

Instagram: @kaylarickart

YouTube: @KaylaRickAnimations

Click here to listen to Veggie Tales Song of the Cebu

This week we sit down with TCS's School Resource Officer's Dave Quillen and Mike Dornack. Find out who these guys are behind the uniforms! We chat hobbies, stories, what life is like on the road as a Tallmadge police officer, and you may even hear them poke a little fun at a few of their fellow police officers. These two have been serving in Tallmadge for a long time. They love their job, their community, and our students. Yeah, this was a little longer than most interviews but it was so much fun. It was also recorded in front of a "live audience!" Thanks for tuning in and be sure to share!

Be sure to follow Officer Quillen on Twitter: @SRO_Q and Instagram: _bountyhunterq for all kinds of entertaining tweets and pics. Also follow Tallmadge Police Department on Facebook: @TallmadgePD

What an interview! I had the privilege of sitting down with our new Superintendent Mr. Steve Wood (click link to read Steve's message to the community). At the time of this interview Mr. Wood had only been in his new position for 5 days. You are going to enjoy this interview! Hear how Steve went from chemical engineer, to school board member, to Chief Operations Manager for Tallmadge, to our new Superintendent. You can follow Mr. Wood on Twitter: @sswood.

A day late but why not extend the Christmas spirit!! This episode features a chat with Assistant Principal Jen Stewart and two funny and amazing teachers, Tammy Habbyshaw and Lauren Stone. Enjoy this final episode of our Christmas series. Merry Christmas!! While your at it check out Mrs. Stone's amazing podcast: That Just Happened!

Tonight we hear from Mrs. Dunton, Mr. Slivka, and Mr. Taylor. Now this was a good time. Enjoy a little holiday cheer from some all star teachers!

Hear from some of your favorite teachers what their favorite holiday traditions are. This is the first, of a 3 part series of Between2BlueDevils Christmas Edition.

This week we sit down with Tallmadge High School Spanish teacher Mr. Dave Slivka, aka Sr. Slivka, aka Slivka, aka Sliv. This amazing teacher has been teaching for 11 years. Sliv describes himself as being silly, helpful, and reasonable.

Mr. Slivka loves teaching Spanish. He also loves being a teacher. He was inspired to become a teacher because it encompasses two of his passions. In his own words he became a teacher because:

“I enjoyed helping others and very much enjoy the Spanish language and what it did for me and my life.”

When not in the classroom you can find Mr. Slivka hanging out with his wife, Kelli and their two children Ari and Steven. They love to be outdoors hiking, and simply hanging out.

Dave loves to keep it real. His life quote is “life goes on.”

The advice he most commonly shares with his students is:

“Find some perspective...Learn to appreciate others for their differences... Learn about other people’s cultures, family’s differences and respect them for what they are and maybe it will take you down a path you never thought you would have explored.”

Mr. Slivka truly cares about his students, and wants to spread his love of foreign languages to his kids.

Enjoy this interview and be sure to follow Mr. Slivka at: @SrSlivkaTHS