Schoolhouse ROX: A POGcast

In this episode, Dr. Seipp and Mr. Trokan talk with Mrs. Hamade, Ms. DeMaio (VP of TEEEM) as well as a few students about the district's partnership with TEEEM and FDU. This special dual enrollment program with FDU allows students an opportunity to deeply investigate world issues that they care about and actually work to design solutions.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp discusses the Band program at RHS with Mr. Conrad and some music students. They talk about the accomplishments of the band program, but more importantly about the environment that supports the students as musicians, but also in their many other ventures. In an era where students time is often at a premium, the music program has figured out how to support students' success in a variety of areas.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp discusses the RHS Journalism program with Mrs. Santora and four of its leading members. They talk about the Journalism program as well as some of their operational protocols to ensure that they produce the highest quality work. This is truly an incredible career-oriented program!

In this episode, Dr. Seipp talks with Mr. Pitzer, Mr. Hellner, and a few students about the newly formed eSports team at Roxbury High School. This team has taken off and has tons of student interest. This program is just one more example of Roxbury working to design and implement opportunities that match students' interests.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp has the pleasure of speaking with a cadre of Tomorrow's Teachers students and their teacher, Mrs. Burleigh. Tomorrow's Teachers is a dual enrollment program with Kean University that supports students who want to enter the teaching profession with real-time experience in a variety of settings while they are enrolled at Roxbury High School. Hear about this amazing program from tomorrow's teachers!

In this episode, Dr. Seipp, Mr. Miller, and Mr. Argenziano discuss the importance and value of standardized testing. Yes, it is a requirement and provides the district with incredibly valuable data that supports learning, but more importantly than that it is an amazing opportunity for us to celebrate all the hard work that our teachers and students do all year long. In Roxbury, we are fortunate to have exceptional teachers, and student participation to the very best of their ability is one of the best ways to honor the commitment of their amazing teachers!

In this episode, Dr. Seipp discussed the expansion of the Computer Science program at Roxbury High School with Mr. Hayden, Mr. Fiscina, and some students. Given the changing professional landscape in technology, Roxbury High School has made a commitment to ensuring that students have opportunities to explore this learning space to support their future aspirations.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp and Mr. Bischoff speak with two students about the growth of the Sports Media Marketing program at Roxbury High School. This cross-curricular opportunity provides students with a wide variety of professional opportunities and unbridled agency. Mr. Bischoff has designed an opportunity where students can lead the athletic publishing efforts both in the school and through social media.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp discussed the power of professional partnerships with Dr. LeeAnn Jung, Lead Inclusion, and Dr. Beth Fisher, Principal Bernardo Yorba MS. The three talk about the importance of matching school goals and needs with professional learning partnerships to implement an action plan for sustained support and improvement on a large scale.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp discusses a very exciting social studies initiative, The DBQ Project, with Mr. Torkan, Mr. Tomasheski, and Mr. Iturralde. These three social studies educators have used the DBQ Project to support high-quality learning through critical analysis of text and student-led dialogue.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp discussed the growth of the RHS Bowling program with three bowlers and their coach, Mr. Kevin Cantwell. The group discusses the growth and expansion of the team as well as their success this year, culminating as Morris County Champions, which is an incredible achievement. They also talk about goals for next year to keep the success going.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp and Mr. Trokan talk about the "superpower" of being biliterate with three high school students who have earned the Seal of Biliteracy. Mr. Trokan and the students tell the story of their lived experience and how being multilingual has benefited them now and their plans for the future.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp discusses the power of teacher collaboration with the third grade team from Franklin Elementary School, Mr. Allison, Mrs. Mason, and Mr. Lane. The team shares how they have come to embrace such a strong partnership as well as the benefits of their incredible collaborative approach to planning, teaching, and reflecting. When time is such a commodity, listen to this episode to hear how collaboration with trusted, hard-working colleagues might prove to be a huge part of the answer.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp discussed the district's extensive plans to celebrate Read Across America and SEL Week with Ms. Bellardino, Ms. McInnes, Mrs. DiLorenzo, and Mrs. LaCosta. These three along with many other colleagues have planned an array of experiences for students and staff to celebrate both weeks simultaneously. Their efforts are further evidence that the district works hard to support all aspects of learning and reaching every student.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp, Mr. Mawn, and Mr. Caccavale talk with representatives from Ferguson and Explore the Trades talk about their partnership as well as how comprehensive schools work with organizations like these to ensure equitable access to vocational learning experiences for students. These experiences open up minds to a wide variety of potential career opportunities that otherwise would not be available to them.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp discusses an exciting learning collaboration at EMS, the AmeriCorps Watershed Project with Mr. Mawn, the Science Supervisor, Mr. Tatarka, Mr. Zavala, Mrs. Blewitt, EMS science teachers, and two EMS students. They discuss their experience learning alongside Chris, an AmeriCorps representative. Listen here to learn more about this exciting opportunity for our students.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp discussed the evolution of Roxbury High School's award-winning literary magazine, "The Nightingale" with a past advisor, Mrs. Schmidt, a current advisor, Ms. Stellingwerf, and two current students. "The Nightingale" provides so much more than just authentic poems and pieces of writing from students...hear all about it in this episode!

In this episode, Dr. Seipp talks with Mr. Mawn, Mr. Caccavale, Mr. Martin, and two students about Roxbury's Structural Design and Fabrication program. This class partners with Morris Habitat for Humanity to build an entire modular home every two years from the ground up. Students talk about how this program has prepared them for life beyond RHS. This unique program offers students a unique learning experience rarely found in a comprehensive public high school.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp, Dr. Zegar, Ms. Folkers, and Ms. Redwood discuss the recent research surrounding the debunking of Gardner's Learning Styles and the importance of flexibility in the learning environment to support the strengths of all students.

In this episode, Dr. Seipp discussed a refreshing new mindset in math instruction based on Peter Liljedahl's book, Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics. A group of teachers and students from Eisenhower Middle School talk about their experience with this framework, specifically thin-slicing lessons, as well as successes with its overall implementation.