Sylvia Stroman up for Principal of the Year

Bloomburg Elementary Principal Sylvia Stroman has been named a finalist for Principal of the Year.

The Texas Rural Education Association (TREA) named Stroman one of just five finalists in the entire state.

The TREA is a group of educators, attorneys and anyone involved in the education process who legislates in Austin to help protect the smaller schools and is dedicated to developing leadership qualities in rural educators and to improving teaching and learning in the rural schools of Texas.

Stroman was nominated for this prestigious award by Bloomburg Superintendent Brian Stroman and what made the nomination so meaningful and special is that everything Principal Stroman has brought to the elementary during her tenure was presented in the nomination process.

Stroman, who graduated from Linden-Kildare High School in 1993, is in her eighth year as elementary principal.

“I have been principal since March 14, 2016, which I remember vividly because it is my mother’s birthday,” Stroman said.

The 2017-2018 school year was her first full year at the helm of Bloomburg Elementary School.

She came to Bloomburg ISD in 2002 where she taught fourth and fifth grade math.

“When I began teaching here at Bloomburg I was the fourth and fifth grade math teacher and I loved to see each and every kid pass by my door because I loved the kids and by the end of the first week, I made it a point to know each and every one of them by name,” Stroman remarked. “From kindergarten all the way to fifth grade had to pass by my door or come into my classroom. I established a relationship with them early so that by the time they had me as their teacher they would be comfortable coming into the classroom ready to learn.”

When asked about the transition from teacher to principal Stroman replied, “Transitioning from a teacher into administration I felt confident because I had been in the school for so long and was under Brian who was an assistant principal at the high school, interim superintendent, elementary principal and superintendent. I had lived all of those roles with him, and I knew the need and where we needed to be, and I had the vision for these things and knew what I could bring to the table. I was nervous in a sense because I was now in a position to lead the people I worked side-by-side with for many years.”

When asked what thoughts she had already churning in her mind when she took on the principal’s role, Stroman said, “Brian and our school board really made it happen. I went to him about the need for a dyslexia program and he helped budget the money for it. I told him ahead of time this is what I’d like to do, and he made sure there was money in the budget. We have a phenomenal school board who really stands behind us in support. This school wouldn’t be where it is today without Brian. He had a vision, and he came in and got it done. Good money management skills help also.”

Some of her bigger accomplishments achieved as elementary principal include getting with school counselor Karen Casteel and coming up with ideas.

“Karen has been my right hand for years and we knew right off that we were going to need a dyslexia program which was before the state mandate. Karen was the first one I had certified,” Stroman said. “We paid for her to go through the dyslexia therapy program which took two years for her to complete. We started that the summer of 2016 just a few months after I was named elementary principal.”

“Before that we had great teachers doing the best, they could but the numbers were growing and the need for it was increasing and luckily a few years later the state of Texas decided that this is a program every school needs to have and we were ahead of the curve and already had that in place,” Stroman remarked. “We now have three more teachers going through the program to help meet the needs. We go to dyslexia conventions every year to stay ahead of the curve as well.”

“We also brought in our RTI program or Response to Intervention immediately as well to take the weight off the teachers. That was right about the time the STAAR test started counting we had already had it for a couple of years and the State deemed that all schools needed it and it hit schools hard,” Stroman said. “Before all of this, teachers did everything all the way through. When I worked here early on, we didn’t have interventionists. It wasn’t as stressful because the demands of the state weren’t there, but we truly got to educate the kids in the classroom.”

“We met their needs in the classroom. For the most part all our special ed kids were mainstreamed and were pulled out for their allotted time but their needs were met in the classrooms by the teachers,” Stroman continued. “We had great special ed teachers and directors but like I said we weren’t able to give the kids that needed one-on-one attention no matter what the need was we just didn’t have it but now we do. This was very beneficial.”

“Unbeknownst to us the state of Texas is now requiring every child to have RTI time especially if they struggle on the state testing. It’s a mandate so the program was already built here,” Stroman added. “Most schools were panicking wondering where they would fit in that time but we already had that scheduled into our day here because we were ahead of the curve again by two years.”

“I had a phenomenal interventionist, Wanda Stanley, who taught here for 28 years or so and was looking at retirement, but I begged her to stay on and lead our intervention program and she really helped me get the program going,” Stroman said. “After she retired our firstgrade teacher, Sydney Encina, moved into that position and has made it even better now.”

When asked how it felt to be nominated Stroman said, “To be a finalist of five in the entire state is an honor. My goal was to bring fun to the school. I like to tell people I’m not going to work I’m going to school. I wanted to bring that fun and energy to Bloomburg. I don’t want kids to be afraid to come in here if they need help. I don’t feel I deserve this. I don’t feel I’ve done more than anybody else, but I think a true educator that’s their heart. They want a good place for the kids and their staff to come to each day and I’m thankful for it.”

Another idea Stroman came across was the house system Ron Clark devised during his time in New York as a teacher there.

“This opportunity has been a dream of both mine and Mrs. Casteel and it came to fruition this year,” Stroman said. “For the next few years of our tenure here we’re going to see it through.”

“In 2017 we followed Ron Clark who started the house system strictly meant for schools. He was a Disney Teacher of the Year, Oprah Winfrey sang his praises, and we thought that with the kids of Bloomburg they didn’t have a lot to do here,” Stroman added. “He started out as a substitute teacher in South Carolina and moved into inner city school teaching in New York where he faced a lot of discipline problems, so he started instilling what he calls his essential 55 which is good ol’ southern values. He built his academy in Atlanta, Georgia, and both Mrs. Castell and I decided we wanted to go visit it and see what it was all about and wanted to bring back the house system to the school here.”

“With Mrs. Casteel being the counselor, she saw a great need for the kids here.”

“The house system creates an inner self confidence and it teaches you that even though you are working on you, you are working for the good of everyone else because if I’m successful everyone around me will be successful and as I go up I bring them up with me,” Mrs. Casteel said. “You find as one house is bringing their group up they are going to work together to make it a better elementary. You get better surroundings for everybody including the teachers. The best part about the house system is you get to know kids that you may not have a lot of contact with. Not every kid here comes through my office. You get to sit down once a month in a house meeting and get to dialog with a fourth grader who is telling me what is going on, how they can make Bloomburg better, how can they make the community better. You get kids who would hardly speak to you coming out of their shells.”

When asked how the kids have responded overall to the house system in place Mrs. Casteel replied, “Amazing. Before the house system we had kids who would cause chaos across the campus but after getting into the house system they realized ‘I’m representing someone here’ and their behavior changed. They began cleaning in the cafeteria, volunteering to push the trash can around to help others clean up. They are cleaning up the playground, holding doors open for people and greeting people correctly. ‘Good morning how are you?’. It has changed the majority of the kids which is what Ron Clark design it for.”

There are four houses that Bloomburg ISD adopted in as part of the system, the Green House of Isibindi – House of Courage, the Blue House of Reveur – House of Dreamers, the Red House of Amistad – House of Friendship and the Black House of Altruismo – House of Givers.

Everyone from the administrators to the students to the custodians are part of a house.

There are four houses. The structure is based on schools in the United Kingdom, but Bloomburg structured their houses like Ron Clark’s in Georgia. It was already created so we didn’t want to kill ourselves setting up something different,” Stroman said. “When we started this last summer, everyone got to join the house they felt drawn to based on their own personalities. Then when school started, we built up the hype for a few weeks and we had a sorting ceremony and had a huge pool full of balloons colored the same as the houses. Within the balloons we had beads, and they may or may not have matched the color of the balloon. Whatever bead color the students received that was their house.”

Stroman said this is for kinder through fifth grade students who learn about their house as the year goes on. Whichever house they belong to is the one they stay with until they move on to sixth grade.

She also talked about a point system put in place to reward the kids for going above and beyond.

“There is a house point system which ranges from academic excellence, to effort, to good character, to something they’ve done in the community where we feel the kids have gone above and beyond. The kids really try harder to accomplish things that they normally may not because kids love to be rewarded for things and it’s a great teaching tool that teaches them things they will need in the future,” Stroman said. “We have the leaderboard posted on our TV screens in the hallways. We have an app that alerts the parents of what’s going on. We have community service where if the parents help, they can garner community service points for their child and when the kids see their parent helping it puts them in the mindset to help as well.”

“The point is for them to think outside of themselves,” Stroman said. “As Mrs. Casteel says, ‘My good can benefit others’. Our official slogan is Four Houses, One Family. Some kids come from different situations and with this system it gives them a sense of belonging. It teaches them a sense of pride. We challenge them daily. Communication and leadership have come out of this as the older students help guide the younger ones.”

Both Principal Stroman and Mrs. Casteel are excited for another adventure that is coming up this summer.

“Our amazing school board has allotted us some money so Mrs. Casteel and I can take our house leaders to HouseCon in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s a 3-day event that mirrors ComicCon and we are looking forward to it,” Stroman said.

With a resumé like this one how can one not be chosen as Principal of the Year?