NDMU’s Award-Winning PDS Program Wraps Up Successful 2021-22 Academic Year

Belvedere Elementary School
Liaison – Dr. Lisa Pallett, Associate Professor
Site Coordinator – Kelly Henderson, Teacher at Belvedere

Belvedere hosted seven teacher candidates this academic year. Interns participated in a walkathon to help raise funds to help create new outdoor learning areas at the school. Additionally, interns participated in a variety of equity and diversity professional learning opportunities. Through the partnership, NDMU supported the school’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiatives by purchasing materials related to positive behavioral supports.


Broadneck High School
Liaison: Dr. Kristine Larson, Assistant Professor
Site Coordinator: Elisa Kraus, Teacher at Broadneck

Members of the PDS team at Broadneck enhanced and expanded partnership efforts this year. Mentor teachers were trained prior to welcoming interns into their classrooms. Upon their arrival, interns received personal parking spots, mailboxes, email accounts, and laptops. Interns also co-observed classrooms and participated in professional development activities, including the county-sponsored book study entitled, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond. At the end of the year, one of the interns, Diana Pallone, presented her action research project entitled, “Is Exposure Enough?” to members of the team and administrative team.

Mentor teachers were supported through weekly emails containing strategies to support successful mentor/internship experiences. Team members co-hosted a mentor breakfast to thank current mentors and to recruit future mentors. This event also increased Notre Dame’s visibility at Broadneck.

PDS stakeholders continued to integrate flourishing/comprehensive wellbeing into the partnership. The University liaison worked with other PDS stakeholders to integrate flourishing into an English 9/10 class. This collaborative team co-taught a lesson linking the Flourishing Standards to the required curriculum. The PDS team then collaborated in writing an article for the School University Partnership journal. Lastly, the Student Alliance for Flourishing completed its second year with eight students participating consistently throughout the year, a 100% increase in membership!

John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle School
Liaison – Patty Silver, Assistant Professor
Site Coordinator – Lauren Watson, Vice Principal at John Ruhrah

Six interns completed their internships at Ruhrah this year – two were offered full-time teaching positions, and one, Valerie Titus, was hired. The PDS team at Ruhrah completed work with the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) grant by offering a final, tuition-free course to all PDS faculty and staff entitled Spanish for Teachers. The team worked with the professor teaching the course to meet the differentiated levels of Spanish among participants, to share information about the cultures of Ruhrah’s students’ families, and to address how to best advocate for multilingual students. 

The site coordinator and liaison presented at the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Conference in Chicago in February and worked with other PDS liaisons to write a book chapter regarding the PDS partnership’s accomplishments through the GEER grant, which will be published this year.


Medfield Heights Elementary School
Liaison – Dr. Lisa Pallett, Associate Professor
Site Coordinator – Stephanie Jones, Teacher at Medfield

At Medfield Heights elementary, two teacher candidates successfully completed their internships. Both interns (Charlotte Yim and Brooke Stankiewicz) were hired to teach at Medfield next year. Through the partnership, NDMU supported the school’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Arts, and Math) initiatives by purchasing Magna-tiles building sets for use with the curriculum. 


Western High School
Liaison – Dr. Stephanie Savick, Associate Professor
Site Coordinator – Leah Prandi-Abrams, Teacher at Western

Four interns successfully completed their internships at Western this year. Interns were welcomed to the school and integrated with the faculty immediately upon their arrival. They were supported by weekly chew-and-chat sessions organized by the site coordinator, and they were provided with Western swag upon the successful completion of their internships. Two of the interns, Keywanda Bradley and Stephen Willertz, presented action research projects to coordinating council members, showcasing what they learned about the importance of data-informed instruction and the development of interventions to support student growth and learning.

The partnership offered a professional article study on critical race theory in education. Approximately eight teachers participated in the study during the spring semester; they engaged with topics related to teaching and learning using a racial lens. 

Hillcrest Elementary School
Liaison – Patty Silver, Assistant Professor
Site Coordinator – Andrew Weymont, Teacher at Hillcrest

Hillcrest Elementary hosted three student interns this year. Monthly chat-and-chew sessions provided interns with ongoing support and an opportunity to discuss personal areas of need. Student interns participated in monthly grade-level meetings that provided them with valuable professional growth opportunities. All interns successfully completed the edTPA, a formal assessment of their teaching required for certification in Maryland. The new administration at the school is supportive of the PDS partnership and committed to its future growth. The liaison and site coordinator supported the efforts to encourage experienced teachers to become mentors through an information breakfast.


Johnnycake Elementary School
Liaison – Dr. Renee Garraway, Assistant Professor
Site Coordinator – Jolene Antioli, Teacher at Johnnycake

The school warmly welcomed two interns this year. Interns participated in monthly grade-level meetings and all professional development sessions and faculty meetings scheduled at the school. The interns gained valuable experience teaching in-person during the challenging post-pandemic transition. The liaison and site coordinator hope to increase in-person collaboration to include administrators and other staff more frequently in the years to come.


Kenwood High School
Liaison – Dr. Angelo Letizia, Assistant Professor
Site Coordinator – Samantha Andrucyk, Teacher at Kenwood

Three interns completed their internships at Kenwood this year. The liaison, site coordinator, and one of the mentor teachers led a graphic novel study using They Called Us Enemy, which discussed a survivor’s story of the Japanese internment camps in America. Arts and comics content from the novel were used to discuss how diversity and inclusion issues can be addressed in the classroom and taught through the history curriculum. The liaison presented the partnership’s work on graphic novel studies at the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Conference this year, and also ran an article study focused on classroom management ideas in which both interns and mentors participated virtually. Finally, a professional development library was created to support PDS stakeholders in their work towards creating inclusive and equitable classroom environments. The goal moving forward will be to add more titles to the library each year.


Stemmers Run Middle School
Liaison – Dr. Angelo Letizia, Assistant Professor
Site Coordinator – Jen Miller, Teacher at Stemmers Run

Four interns successfully completed their internships at Stemmers Run this year. The liaison and site coordinator, in conjunction with several mentor teachers, participated in two graphic novel studies – one on The Iliad and one on March. Content gleaned from each novel study was aligned with lessons associated with the school system’s required curriculum and diversity and inclusion efforts at the school. An article study was also implemented to open discussions between mentors and interns about the arts and classroom management. 

A professional development library was created with PDS-sponsored funds. Many of the titles purchased were associated with diversity and inclusion. The partnership also supported the site coordinator’s attendance at the virtual anti-racism summit at the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Conference in February. A huge supporter of the partnership, Stemmer’s Run principal Bryan Thanner participated in the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) re-accreditation process this year, volunteering to be part of the principal interviews that were conducted by the CAEP team.


Woodlawn High School
Liaison – Dr. Stephanie Savick, Associate Professor
Site Coordinator – Denise Weeks, Teacher at Woodlawn

Twelve interns successfully completed their internships at Woodlawn High this year. The PDS team at Woodlawn continued their tradition of offering semester-long chew-and-chat sessions for the interns, who were able to engage with administrators, counselors, the school psychologist, the PBIS Coordinator, and the equity team among others. These sessions allowed interns to get to know important faculty and staff members outside of their mentors’ classrooms and feel a greater connection to the entire school. One intern, Joshua Mauk, accepted a full-time position at the school during the third quarter.

The partnership offered two school-wide professional development workshops to the Woodlawn faculty this spring. The first session, hosted by NDMU assistant professor Dr. Renee Garraway and her colleague Dr. Keena Howell, was titled Trauma-Informed Instruction Through the Lens of Homelessness. The second workshop, hosted by assistant professor Dr. Kristine Larson, was titled Promoting Individual and Community Flourishing in Schools. Both workshops were well-received, and each were attended by over 100 faculty members.

The partnership also initiated a book study on Matthew Desmond’s work, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. The study was hosted by Woodlawn’s school psychologist, Dr. D’Andrea Jacobs. The seven teachers who participated in the book study received learning stipends for their time and commitment. The partnership looks forward to expanding equity-focused opportunities next year related to supporting English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students in general education classrooms.

Church Creek Elementary School
Liaison – Rosemary Poling, Assistant Professor
Site Coordinator – Lauren McHugh, Reading Specialist at Church Creek

Church Creek welcomed seven interns this year. The interns represented Notre Dame’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Accelerated Certification in Teaching (ACT) programs in the following certification areas: Elementary, Early Childhood, Special Education, and Art. They were represented in almost every grade level at the school. Interns were welcomed at faculty meetings by the principal and invited to attend a host of community activities. The liaison provided informational meetings with interns to acclimate them to the Church Creek community. Interns participated in faculty meetings, school and countywide professional development, team planning, Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings, and a host of other school committees.

In addition, the interns attended weekly support sessions held by the site coordinator. Mentors were invited to join as well. Two interns were trained in Leveled Literacy Interventions and conducted small group interventions in 1^st and 3^rd grades. The site coordinator and liaison hosted a first-ever mentor recruiting breakfast and informational session for prospective mentors. The principal invited each intern to interview and complete a lesson observation to begin the employment process. Sonu Patel accepted a position as a long-term substitute in 1^st grade upon completion of the internship, and Taylor Beard was offered a contract for the 2022-23 school year.

Clemens Crossing Elementary School
Liaison – Dr. Renée Garraway, Assistant Professor
Site Coordinator – Michelle Alban, Teacher at Clemens Crossing Elementary

A new partnership this year, Clemens Crossing hit the ground running by hosting 10 interns! This new partnership was a good learning opportunity for the interns, school staff, and the Notre Dame community. The interns gained valuable experience teaching in-person with their master-teacher mentors during a challenging transition after the pandemic. With many open teaching positions at the school, several of the interns were hired as long-term substitutes during their internship experience. The partnership has a promising future as strategic planning goals focus on building upon the groundwork that was accomplished this year.