Episodes
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
Forestry and natural resources classes are CTE options at La Pine High School
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
Our students are connecting with their futures through Career Technical Education programs in all of our high schools. In one school, that means students are making their own axes and learning how to operate chainsaws. Today Dr. Cook visits La Pine High School, where students are able to take classes like Natural Resource Science, Fisheries and Wildlife, Recreation Resource Management, and Advanced Forestry. CTE instructor Cameron Salvitelli and La Pine High junior Jaret Lorimor, a state champion in forestry competitions, join Dr. Cook for today’s podcast to talk about these unique CTE offerings for students in our district.
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Where Everybody Belongs: Welcoming Students at High Desert Middle School
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Have you heard about WEB in our middle schools? It stands for Where Everybody Belongs and features 8th grade students volunteering to welcome new 6th graders and help them adjust to middle school life and feel welcome and included throughout the school year. In this episode of The Supe’s On! podcast, Dr. Cook visits High Desert Middle School, where language arts teacher Elissa Freeman coordinates WEB and speaks to the impact this approach has on building positive school culture. Also joining Dr. Cook is Abby Johnson, one of the school’s 8th grade WEB leaders. (Theme music by Zakhar Valaha)
Thursday Sep 28, 2023
Caldera High’s First Senior Class
Thursday Sep 28, 2023
Thursday Sep 28, 2023
Caldera High School is so new, this is its first year with a senior class. And what a special year this will be for the 250 members of Caldera’s Class of 2024! In this episode of The Supe’s On! podcast, Dr. Cook visits the school to meet with two of these students: Harlee Miller, a senior class officer and a member of the cheer team; and Jose´ Vera Venegas, who’s on the soccer and wrestling teams and part of our Dual Immersion program. Listen to Harlee and Jose´ reflect on what it’s like to be part of the first class that will graduate from Caldera, and what they look forward to as they help establish an identity and culture for our newest school. (Theme music by Zakhar Valaha)
Thursday Sep 14, 2023
Reintroducing Bend Tech Academy
Thursday Sep 14, 2023
Thursday Sep 14, 2023
You may know this school from a different time, with a different name. Bend Tech Academy today is entirely different: a small but mighty “choice option” high school with an emphasis on career-technical education, preparing students for college and careers. Dr. Cook visits BTA for a chat with the new Principal, Dr. LaKisha Clark, and BTA parent Sharon Miller, a member of the school’s Site Council. Hear them discuss what makes BTA an exciting high school option for students in Bend-La Pine Schools. (Theme music by Zakhar Valaha)
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Some of the heroes in our schools
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Winter can be a tough time of year for many families, as cold weather means increased heating bills and a need for warm clothing. When our families seek basic needs, there’s someone at school they can turn to for help: Family Access Network (FAN) advocates. On today’s podcast, Superintendent Steven Cook is joined by FAN Executive Director Julie Lyche, who shares the hardships families are facing right now, as well as they joy and hope she feels thanks to the powerful work of this local nonprofit.
Thursday Dec 01, 2022
How vaping is affecting our schools and what we can do to help
Thursday Dec 01, 2022
Thursday Dec 01, 2022
Vaping is impacting our schools. While we know that a majority of students are not vaping, the number who are need support. In Superintendent Steve Cook's latest podcast, he examines this topic alongside Becky Aylor, Assistant Principal at Mountain View High School, and Aimee Snyder, Prevention and Health Promotion Supervisor at Deschutes County. Together they discuss the size of the problem locally, the steps our schools are taking to help students and what we can all do to prevent vaping or intervene once a student has started. Listen now: bls.fyi/podcast
Prevention Resources:
Recovery/Intervention Resources:
- Text DITCHVAPE to 99709: Text-based, youth-focused support to quit nicotine/ vaping
- Oregon Quitline (for 13 years and older): Phone, online and text counseling to quit nicotine and cannabis: English: 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) quitnow.net/oregon or Español: 1-855-DEJELO-YA (1-855-335-35692) quitnow.net/oregonsp
- Youth can also text or call Youthline to talk to a peer about what they’re experiencing that may be influencing their substance use and to learn more about options they could consider from a peer: Text Teen2Teen to 839863 or call 877-968-8491 (link available on student iPads)
- Use Care Solace to have a Care Companion help access treatment: CareSolace.com/bls or call 888-515-0595. Their school counselor or school nurse can help them connect to a Care Solace Care Companion.
Friday Oct 21, 2022
Friday Oct 21, 2022
Season 2 of Supe’s On! With Dr. Cook is here and today he’s covering the school construction bond on the November ballot. He goes on a tour of Bend Senior High with Principal Chris Reese to learn about 70-year-old classrooms, butterfly roofs, a boiler system run on steam and the incredible Lava Bear culture that puts people first.
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Support Matters: LGBTQ+ Youth in Our Schools
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Did you know nearly 20 percent of middle and high school students in Bend-La Pine Schools identify as LGBTQ? It’s true … and it’s also true that students who identify as LGBTQ+ reported having the most negative experiences out of any demographic group in our schools. So what can we do to change this? On today’s podcast, we are focusing on our LGBTQ+ youth and what life is like for them in our schools. Superintendent Steven Cook is joined by teacher and advisor Mark Koopman and three students who identify as LGBTQ+ to talk about their school experiences, how our schools offer support and ways our community can do better.
Join us for a great discussion about allies, belonging, pride and identity in Bend-La Pine Schools.
Note: Today’s podcast includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, connect with the teen-to-teen crisis and help line Oregon YouthLine at 1877-968-8491 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. For additional resources, visit our student mental health webpage.
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Class of 2022: Ready to Reflect
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Grab your mortarboards and get ready to toss some confetti, it’s senior week on the podcast! This week, two seniors at Realms High take Superintendent Cook on a tour of their small choice high school, reflect on how the pandemic affected their high school experience and share their plans for the future.
Friday May 06, 2022
This Pod is Poggers (did we get that right?)
Friday May 06, 2022
Friday May 06, 2022
It’s Teacher Appreciation Week and that means Dr. Cook is headed to a middle school classroom to celebrate two outstanding educators. Cascade Middle School math teacher Brian Kent and special education teacher McKenna Johnsen share what they love about middle school (blunt, hilarious students who keep them young), how working together is building students’ confidence and what’s giving them hope. Plus, find out which of our teachers (who is still teaching today) inspired Kent as a high schooler by making it “cool to know stuff.”