Sheahen to Lead Lipscomb Academy Elementary School

Nationally recognized education veteran Jonathan Sheahen has been named Lipscomb Academy elementary school principal in a joint announcement from L. Randolph Lowry, Lipscomb university president, and Mike Hammond, university vice president and Lipscomb Academy headmaster.

Sheahen, mathematics faculty team leader at Nashville’s Harding Academy, brings a variety of teaching experience that has been recognized by his peers and by the White House to the Lipscomb Academy administrative team. He was selected as part of a rigorous national search and selection process and will assume the duties of principal on June 15.

“Jonathan Sheahen is an enthusiastic educator, committed Christian and brings tremendous credentials and experience with him. In our exhaustive search for a new principal, we looked for someone who would not only model Christ’s love of people and teaching them, but also model a hunger for developing each pupil to his or her potential as a student and as a future man or woman of God. We believe we have found that person,” said L. Randolph Lowry, Lipscomb University president.

In 2010, Sheahen was one of 85 mathematics and sciences teachers across the country honored by President Barack Obama with the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. He was honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Sheahen has been a member of the faculty at Harding Academy since 2004. Last year he received Harding Academy’s Ed and Hattie Stuart Spirit Award as Teacher of the Year. For the past five years he has served as a teacher and advisory team member for the Vanderbilt Program for Talented Youth.

“Jonathan not only has rich professional experience but also the heart and mind to help our students grow academically and has a great passion to nurture the spiritual environment at Lipscomb,” said Mike Hammond, university vice president and headmaster for Lipscomb Academy.

His faculty experience includes teaching positions in Tampa, Fla.; Portland, Ore.; and Hillsboro School in Franklin, Tenn. In addition to classroom work, Jonathan has coached middle school volleyball, soccer, softball and tennis. He has participated in a variety of professional development programs such as the College of William and Mary’s Integrated Curriculum Model, the University of Connecticut’s Project M3, Harvard University’s Project Zero Classroom and WIDE World as well as participating in the Everyday Mathematics Leadership Institute. Sheahen is also a frequent speaker at conferences and workshops hosted by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools.

Sheahen holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in elementary education from Western Kentucky University and a Master of Education degree in educational leadership from Trevecca. He and his wife, Shawna, have three sons, Eli, 8 and twins, Silas and Cooper, 6. They are members of Broadmoor Church of Christ, where Sheahen is a deacon.

The Miracle of Life - on the big screen!

Our kindergarten students have been taking care of eggs for the past few weeks. Carefully following their progress in our new incubator, we were all instructed to not prop doors, stay away from adjusting the air conditioner (to maintain consistent temperature), and - above all - pray for the health and well-being of our latest life science endeavor. At exactly 21 days, teachers were found running down the hall to the front office exclaiming, "The chicks are coming, the chicks are coming!" With great excitement, several of us entered one of our kindergarten classrooms to find all of our pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children anxiously awaiting the arrival of their first chick. Everyone was given a bigger-than-life-view by use of the new document camera, as projected on the screen we watched and listened to the first emerging chick. After a whole lot of work, along with quiet encouragement from the captive audience, the first baby finally broke through. I was amazed listening to the conversations taking place among five and six-year-old children and their teachers. They intelligently discussed the various parts of the egg and chick, pointed out observations on the screen,

and feverishly recalled past classroom lessons helping to prepare them for this day. Then one of the most moving moments came - student-led, impromptu singing of "Awesome God," and "My God is so Big." At Lipscomb, the pull of the spiritual into the academic, even for the youngest, has become so natural and necessary. Faith and learning. It's what we do. And on that day, in that classroom, it might have been the best I've seen yet... Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

No Mustang Ran Alone - Marathon 2012

What a perfect night it was, Friday, April 27th... marathon night! After weeks of training and clocking miles on our campus, we had over 160 student participants who enjoyed running their final mile down Woodland Street together with parents, grandparents, and teachers. There are no words to describe what it was like watching each pass by in their shirts proclaiming, "No Mustang Runs Alone." It was pretty poignant and heartwarming to see the message in action. Thank you to our organizers, Belle Cromwell and Melanie Grogan, their fantastic helpers, and all of our families who made this event such a success! "Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!" 1 Cor. 9:24

All the way from Mexico?!?!?

On Monday, Ms. Collins, kindergarten teacher and Monarch Butterfly extraordinaire, reported Monarch eggs on the milkweed in our school gardens.  It's the earliest she can remember such an occurrence, and there is great excitement that this means the female came straight from Mexico!  The children, along with Ms. Collins, were all a-buzz yesterday morning visiting the garden and doing "big math" as they added the number of eggs on various milkweed plants. 

As designated Monarch Waystation #1056, DLES continues to use the butterfly project in cross-curricular ways.  Metamorphosis and environmental needs are discussed in Science, graphs plotting gender and kinds of butterflies in Math, map skills, cultural studies, and discussions of migratory patterns to Mexico are a part of Social Studies, not to mention the phonics, spelling and journaling that becomes central to Literacy.  Above all, during Bible and other spiritually formative times in the classroom, kindergarten students absorb the age-old story of God's wonderful creation and His protection of even the tiniest creatures. 

Kindergarteners, thank you for taking care of our earth.  You make God smile!

Kudos to Third Grade!

Yesterday morning our third graders and their teachers were honored at the Sustainability Breakfast at Lipscomb University. At that event, our students learned that they were the first place winner in Tennessee for their Disney Planet Challenge project (just look at the excitement on their faces). Beyond the state, they placed in the top 20 elementary schools in the nation. "Keep Our Water Clean; Don't Rush to Flush" has been a great learning experience for our third graders, with that project integrated into every subject. Congratulations to our third grade teachers, Ms. Sanders, Mr. Chisam, Ms. Smith, and DLES Science Lab Coordinator, Ms. Reasonover, as well as all third graders for a job well done! We're proud of you.