Since there are several new administrators this year in Jasper County Schools, we thought we would take the time to introduce both the veteran administrators and the new ones. Today, we have the opportunity to learn more about Katy Conder from Newton Elementary.
Can you tell people who might not know you a little about yourself?
My name is Katy Conder. I am currently the Newton Elementary Assistant Principal and K-6 Director of Student Services. This is my second year at Newton Elementary. Prior to coming to this district I was a school counselor at Moulton Middle School in Shelbyville. I love being an educator and working with students, staff, and families. I feel very supported and welcomed in this community going into my second year and am excited to be a part of this school district.
➢ Family?
I am married to Chad Conder. We have been blessed with two children. We have a son, Carter, who is 4 years old and a daughter, Caroline, who is 1 ½ years old. My family is very special to me and we have a lot of fun together.
➢ Education?
○ B.S. in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice – SIUE
○ M.S. in School Counseling – EIU
○ M.S. in Educational Leadership – EIU
➢ What made you go into education?
I started out in the school setting as a volleyball coach. Through this experience I really liked the idea of being involved in a school, but I did not know in what capacity that would be. During my time as a coach, we had a student who was in an accident – which created a whole new role as the coach and counselor. I really did not know how much I would grow and find passion for helping others through difficult times until this experience. I then went through the EIU school counseling program and started as a school counselor. I finished my administration degree and the opportunity to join Jasper County came into my life path and I feel that it is a good fit for my passion of helping others.
➢ What are some of the greatest strengths you feel our school district has?
#1 – JCCU Staff – the staff at JCCU#1 is incredible. Being an educator, in my opinion, is one of the most incredible careers and I feel that from the staff. They truly work hard to get to know the student and build a relationship with them.
Being an educator is so much more than teaching a subject matter, but it is an opportunity to leave a lasting impression on our youth as well as our colleagues. I am excited for the opportunity here to not only create this for our students but for the staff that I work with on a daily basis.
#2 – Community Support – the community is such a driving force for a successful school and the outreach from the community to help support our schools at JCCU#1 is evident. I believe that we all play a role in the success of our youth in becoming contributing members of a community and teaching them what that looks like by modeling it through our school system is a great way to teach so many great things to our students.
#3 – Vision for the Future – this school district continuously brings ideas to the table and is very forward thinking. I believe that we have to continue to teach and create the best opportunities on a daily basis for our current students, but continue to make decisions for our future buildings and students as we propel into a building project and future plans for our students, staff, and community. I feel that this district is equipped with a leadership team that includes as many tenets as possible from the community and school system to create a vision for many years ahead. That is exciting to be a part of in this district.
➢ What are some of the greatest improvements you have seen over the years?
I cannot speak to this question as much being that I am only in my second year of administration as well as in this district. I believe from a leadership standpoint, improvements come alongside awareness and communication with staff, students and community. The ability to really hear what they are telling you and being able to find ways to include their thought process and feedback into school improvement planning.
➢ How have educational priorities changed since you began teaching?
I am not really sure how to answer this question. I think this is dependent upon the educator – what is your priority. The answer on a personal level is relationships. They are the single most important thing to me in education, I don’t see that ever changing. I would say that budgets, safety, testing requirements, state mandates, curriculum management – these are always priorities that require us to look at them and make decisions, but that is part of education as a whole.
➢ What do you feel are the most important qualities of an educator and why?
○ Relationships – the ability to connect with others – have the ability to listen, understand, and relate – is my #1.
○ Communication – once you have the ability to relate with those in a school system – you need to be able to communicate your message and listen to their message.
