Madison Reporter

The cheers, claps, and music at the entrance of Vel Phillips Memorial High School were audible from across the parking lot as nearly 300 educators arrived for the first day of their orientation.

“This is what the Olympians in Paris must have felt like walking into their stadium,” one teacher joked while filling out a name tag.

Each August, MMSD’s New Educator Orientation welcomes school-based educators with three days of connection, curriculum, and resources as they prepare for their first year in the District. Staff pick up their laptops, meet with specific instruction groups, and collaborate with colleagues and mentors.

MMSD Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard, Deputy Superintendent Dr. TJ McCray, and Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Cindy Green addressed the auditorium full of educators each morning, emphasizing community-building and centering students in their work. Executive Director of Professional Learning Lachele Fisher noted that staff began forming important relationships from day one.

“You just can't jump into your role in isolation,” Fisher said. “You need to pull people together in a community to make sure that everybody is getting what they need.”

In their initial days at MMSD, new educators reported feeling connected to both fellow staff members and the District’s Strategic Framework Goals.

Reggie Patterson, who substituted in MMSD last year, will now teach physical education at Milele Chikasa Anana Elementary School.

"They allow you to be yourself here, which I really like,” Patterson said. “I can be who I want to be.”

Maddy McMahon will start her first year teaching seventh-grade science at O'Keeffe Middle School, where she completed her student teaching.

"I didn't grow up in this District, but it's always been the place I wanted to work, so I’m really happy to be here,” McMahon said. “There’s an understanding here that school is more than just a place students go to learn and go home; we need to be supportive of all students.”

The orientation concluded with additional cheering for new educators during a halftime celebration at Memorial’s first home football game of the season.