By Joshua Koch
Public Communications
Since Damico Bartley took over as Principal of Ross Sterling Middle School, he has embedded the motto “Kids First” into the culture of the campus.
The embodiment of this motto by the staff is evident, especially when it comes to being innovative in literacy instruction.
“We have done our best to meet our students where they are, while also pushing them to reach deeper than they would have otherwise thought capable,” Bartley said.
The commitment to literacy at Ross Sterling Middle School under Bartley’s leadership was honored recently at the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts Conference as he was named the first-ever Dr. Roni Dean-Burren Literacy Leader of the Year Award Winner.
“Winning this award was very humbling,” Bartley said. “I know I don’t do all of the work that goes into actually teaching our Reading and Language Arts classes so it was certainly a reflection of all of the work that our teachers, interventionists and Instructional Coach have done over the years.”
Bartley admitted that being the first recipient of the award was borderline overwhelming as he learned more about its namesake.
“Dr. Roni Dean-Burren was a pioneer and advocate for kids who was determined to ensure that all students, no matter their background or economic status, were able to have access to literature,” he said. “So after this revelation it made being the first even more significant.”
As Bartley reflected on what his staff has done to truly embody the “Kids First” way in literacy, he looks back on how they have done their best to meet students where they are but at the same time pushing them to reach deeper than they otherwise thought capable.
Over the years, different things have been done to further the focus on literacy at Ross Sterling Middle School.
In-class libraries being purchased for each students’ Reading and Language Art classes that are on their reading level was one initiative, and adding additional programs to their Reading Strategies courses has been another step.
But they are not satisfied with what they’ve done and look forward to continuing to innovate for their students and their literacy needs.
“I honestly believe our staff fully understands the importance of our work as it pertains to Literacy,” Bartley said. “This year we have gone a step further by asking our staff to ensure they incorporate writing into their weekly lessons in spite of the content areas they teach. This will assist us in ensuring that we truly focus on writing in content areas other than their traditional reading classes.”
“We have also asked our teachers to have ‘writing conferences’ with our students so that feedback can be given to each of our students with the hopes of helping them gain a deeper understanding of the best writing practices.”