As students navigate their way through high school it's important for them to find groups that make them feel at home. That looks different for every student, and the Sioux Falls School District goes to great lengths to ensure there are plenty of options to get kids engaged. Theater is just one of the performing arts that students find their community in, and it provides a space of growth, friendship, and exploration that will stick with them for a lifetime.

Julia Blashack teaches theater at Roosevelt High School, and she has been working hard to make sure that the stage is set for students hoping to engage in the performing arts. She has crafted a space where every student is invited to participate, and she challenges students to go out of their comfort zones to experience new things. Ask any of her students, and they'll tell you that they've found their people through theater.

How do you get 215 students, bus loads of equipment, and countless parents/volunteers from Sioux Falls, South Dakota to New York City and back? Careful planning, lots of patience, and deep breaths.

The Lincoln High School Marching Band has been preparing for many months to perform at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and as they make their final preparations, we hear from the band directors who helped make the whole thing possible.

The Sioux Falls School District is now in its second year of running the out-of-school-time care model known as the Community Learning Center. With this model, more children and families are able to be served and care is more accessible to a wider range of people. Partnerships have strengthened relationships, and the organization is growing and expanding rapidly. All these developments shine a light on just how important out-of-school-time care is to communities.

Lights On Afterschool is a nation-wide initiative that also highlights the importance of care outside of school hours. The CLCs spent last week celebrating this initiative with parties at sites across the District, welcoming in families and communities to see what the CLCs are all about.

In this episode, we hear about what makes the CLCs special, what they've been working on, and plans for the future.

National Arts in Education week is being celebrated September 9-13, 2024. Arts education is a crucial part of a well-rounded education and there is data to prove that students who are active in the arts excel in other areas of academia as well.

Kathy Dang is an artist, an art educator, and a creative problem solver. She currently teaches elementary art at Hawthorne Elementary, but has been active in other art classrooms across SFSD as well. Additionally, Kathy acts as an instructional coach to other art teachers, helping to guide them through their first years as an instructor.

Allison Struck is the director of the Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation. She talks about a generous gift the Foundation received recently to promote the arts throughout SFSD.

It's back to school time! In this edition of Spotlight, Dr. Stavem sits down with an incoming kindergarten student to preview everything she has to look forward to in her upcoming year at Eugene Field A+ Elementary.

Dr. Teresa Boysen has been with the Sioux Falls School District for 31 years, and she has made the tough decision to call this year her last and begin the transition into retirement. Throughout her time with SFSD, Dr. Boysen has served as an elementary teacher, assistant principal, principal, and for the past seven years as assistant superintendent in charge of curriculum. Her steady hand has guided SFSD through many transitions including new curriculum adoption, building changes, COVID protocols, and myriad other changes too countless to name.

In this episode, superintendent Dr. Jane Stavem sits down for a one-on-one with Dr. Boysen to hear about what her career in education has looked like. A lot can change in 31 years, but some things remain steadfast in their endurance, like Dr. Boysen's passion and commitment to the students, staff, and families of the Sioux Falls School District.

Going off the theme of last week's episode, we're continuing this week with a conversation featuring a mother/daughter duo at Jefferson High School.

Michele Jensen has been a science teacher at JHS for 29 years, and her daughter Hannah is about to wrap up her first year as an english teacher.

In this episode, we learn all about the pros and cons, the ups and downs, the good and the bad of working at a school with a family member.

Sioux Falls School District students recently made history by being the first to take home the State championship in eSports. This is the first year SFSD has had an eSports team, and next year the sport will be officially sanctioned as a school sport.

eSports offers another opportunity for out-of-class interaction and engagement for students, and it opens up doors for students who may not have found their friends in more traditional activities. This sport is rapidly gaining attention and interest world-wide, and SFSD is excited to have a team in the game who represent the District so well! Listen in to learn more on how we got here, and where we go from here!

In this very special edition of "Spotlight: Conversations From the Sioux Falls School District" Dr. Stavem sits down with two pairs of mother/daughter duos in the SFSD.

Sidney Kennedy is a first-year teacher at Harvey Dunn Elementary and her mom is Diane Kennedy, who serves as principal at Lowell Elementary. Emilia Skogstad is a first-year teacher at Laura Wilder and her mom is Kristin Skogstad who serves as principal at Garfield Elementary.

The generational divide between our veteran educators and those just getting into the field provides some very interesting insight into how the teaching profession evolves over time. It's clear when listening to this conversation that everybody involved has a passion for education and cares deeply about the students they serve everyday. Happy Mother's Day!

Over the course of the last 20 years high school sports have undergone many changes. One of these major changes has been the introduction of girls wrestling.

What was once seen as impossible is now being implemented at schools across the country, including right here in the Sioux Falls School District.

This is a sport that can instill lifelong character traits in young women including confidence, grit, resilience, strength, and discipline. Listen along as we meet Lydia, who will be starting high school wrestling next year, and who is looking forward to reaping all the benefits this sport has to offer.