The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

With the retirement of former Turner School District superintendent, Russ McKenna, the school district which refers to itself as "one of the smallest towns in the 9C" has a new chief administrative officer.

Tony Warren, Turner's current superintendent, previously served as the Opheim School Superintendent from 2014-2019. Prior to that, he lived in Helena for six years where he worked primarily as a special education teacher at Shodair Children's Hospital. Warren also has experience as a social studies teacher and football coach in western Montana, and he has worked outside of education in different capacities for several years. He will apply this breadth of experience to his new position.

Warren believes that his years in Opheim have prepared him well for the challenges of living and working in northern Blaine County, saying: "Rural living may not have all of the amenities and choices that living in a city offers, but living on the Hi-Line definitely has its own advantages and benefits: the development and fostering of personal relationships, more personalized education, and wide open spaces, to name a few."

Warren, his wife Sara, and their five year old son Ben-who will be starting kindergarten this fall, look forward to being a part of the Turner Public School (TPS) community as well as to meeting all of the students, parents, and community members.

"I am thrilled to be part of a team comprised of teachers, staff, parents, and students who want to achieve great things! Our faculty, staff and I are looking forward to a new school year, and we are working hard to ensure that our students' learning experience at Turner Public School is a successful one," Warren said.

Warren believes that success begins with parental partnership and support, calling them "key elements to ensuring that we are able to maximize each student's educational development." To that end, he and his teaching staff will encourage a positive home-school relationship based on the mutual goal of providing the best learning experience possible for all students. Turner schools, which have a district enrollment of 86 students and a four-day school week, began their 2019-2020 school year on Wednesday, August 14. However, teachers attended an in-service day on August 13, and they joined Chinook teachers and school personnel for a second PIR day on August 19.

Another focus for Warren in this school year will be building a school that not only meets the needs of TPS students but becomes a community of educators dedicated to that purpose. "That is an ongoing and endless journey," he said.

Because one of the duties of a superintendent is the development of curriculum, Warren plans to continue working with the Golden Valley Curriculum Consortium. "Due to the small, rural nature of TPS-and many other Montana schools-the district works with the Golden Valley Curriculum Consortium in an integrated, comprehensive process involving curriculum development, assessment, and staff development within its member districts," he explained.

Warren articulated four personal goals for the 2019-2020 school year: 1) Build working relationships, 2) Invest time in our classrooms, 3) Learn how the district operates, and 4) Learn the culture of the school.

In addition to a new superintendent, the district has added three new faculty members. Callie Phillips is a recent MSU-Northern graduate and will teach business, Joana Marie Dizon is the new third and fourth grade teacher, and Mary Jane Morales will teach mathematics. Although this will be Phillips' first teaching position, both Dizon and Morales are experienced teachers. Through a teacher exchange program, both Dizon and Morales will be travelling to the United States on J-1 Visas from the Philippines, where each has more than ten years of teaching experience.

The office staff also saw some changes. Because Cindy Cowan, who served as the Turner School District Clerk for fifteen years, left her position to open a pharmacy with her daughter in South Dakota, Maggie (Fuglevand) Kimmel transitioned from the school secretary role to become the business manager. Kimmel served as the school's secretary for two and a half years before accepting her current position. Kimmel's sister, Sadie Grabofsky was hired as the next administrative assistant.

"Turner School is going through exciting changes!" Kimmel exclaimed. "We're looking forward to a great year!"

Anyone with questions for the school district is encouraged to call Warren at 379-2219 or to contact him by email at twarren@turner.k12.mt.us.