Anders, Hall, Trigg: 2020 MAIS Leadership Institute Participants
Three Hartfield educators are taking part in the esteemed MAIS Leadership Institute, a program designed and operated under the authority of the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools Teacher Certification Commission. In early June, Courtney Anders, Tara Hall, and Angela Trigg attended the Institute alongside other MAIS educators, where they took part in professional development coursework.
Courtney Anders is the REACH program director and has been a part of the Hartfield community for six years. She describes her Leadership Institute as a blessing, saying “the Lord has blessed both Hartfield and the REACH program with team members that love the Lord with a heart to help children reach their fullest potential. I am thankful for Hartfield’s support in attending the MAIS institute. The Lord has placed upon my heart a desire to be a lifelong learner, which I believe affords me opportunities to minister to a larger audience of students and families.” She continues:
“I believe in Hartfield’s mission to prepare students, not only academically, but spiritually for the next stages of life. My heart is that every student and family I come in contact with will be ready for the next journey the Lord has for them. What stuck out to me the most in our classes so far is the importance of the mission not only as a school collectively, but within the REACH program particularly. In my opinion, evaluating and clearly establishing the mission of our work frees us from simply beholding ourselves to adhering to arbitrary objectives that fail to provide valuable spiritual or academic growth. I hope to gain further insights that will allow my team and me to constantly evaluate, adjust, and improve our program. Our services within REACH must align with the mission of the school academically and spiritually to appropriately prepare our students for the next chapters of life.”
Not only were these educators enriched by the Institute, but they were given the chance to take part in mentorship and other professional and personal development opportunities. The full program consists of three major requirements:
1. Successful completion of 12 college hours taken through Mississippi College.
2. Completion of a “Mentor Week” provided by tenured MAIS administrators on 10 topics relevant to independent education
3. Completion of a one-year internship under a certified Administrator
In her seventh year at Hartfield, Dual Credit English teacher and Upper School Curriculum Coordinator Mrs. Hall also shared her experience taking part in the Institute:
“Being able to attend the Leadership Institute has been a desire of mine for several years as I have moved into working with curriculum planning for our upper school. I feel like I have learned more about how all aspects of an independent school work together to be successful after having taken [the] classes. As we worked through topics like curriculum, technology and finance, I continued to see where Hartfield has grown in such a positive way and has been so successful in these areas and how blessed we have been as a school. I am excited to continue growing in my leadership role at Hartfield. The conversations during class have helped me see new ideas and perspectives on how we can continue to successfully navigate distance and blended learning possibilities.”
Hartfield Academy is thankful for these three extraordinary teachers, and we trust that their experience through the MAIS Leadership Institute has left an impact that will benefit all of us for years to come.
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Hartfield Academy
Hartfield Academy is fully accredited by both the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the MidSouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS), the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the Southern Association of independent Schools (SAIS).