GRINNELL HIGH SCHOOL 1333 Sunset Street Grinnell, Iowa 50112 (641) 236-2720 (641) 236-2692 (fax) Kevin Seney Chris Coffman Heidi Durbin Principal activities birector bean’ of Students Ethan Albertson vill Allen pan Keller Schoo} Counselor Schoo! Counseior School Counselor February 17, 2017 ‘To Whom It May Concern: Itis with a great deal of pleasure that I submit this letter of recommendation on behalf of Mr, Aaron Backlin, I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Mr. Backlin since the beginning of the’ 2009-10 school year at Grinnell High School. During our tenure together, I have been continually impressed by a number of personal & professional attributes that Mr. Backlin displays on a daily basis, Mr. Backlin displays deep conceptual and procedural knowledge of the educational pedagogies and best practices associated with foreign language development. He is constantly trying new strategies for students to further develop their understandings of not only language acquisition, but also a greater understanding of culture as well. Not only does Mr. Backlin challenge himself to learn about the metacognitive abilities of his students, but also is adept at collecting data to support his findings, His research skills and his ability to “self-teach” various strategies have been invaluable to the World Languages Department at Grinnell High School. Mr, Backlin has also personified the ability to take on many tasks and duties - some of which were completely foreign to him ~ and complete them with a great deal of suceess to benefit our students at Grinnell High School. Mr. Backlin was asked to lend his expertise with educational technology integration to our district technology committee and has been almost solely responsible for leading the implementation of our new learning management system at Grinnell High School. He has provided training to staff members outside of school time, presented at staff development sessions, and truly models technology integration in the classroom. In addition, Mr. Backlin took on the sponsorship role of our National Honor Society Organization. Through his leadership, he completely streamlined the application process & procedures, maintaining the rigor and high expectations of the organization, yet making the process more efficient for staff to give their input on the nominees. Our new process has benefited students, saved the faculty countless houts, and in the end, has worked better than any process I have seen, Additionally, Mr. Backlin has also sponsored our International Club at Grinnell High School, working with both his student members and the faculy at Grinnell College to organize a Global Village event at the high school that gives students a greater depth of understanding of various world cultures. Finally, Mr. Backlin displays a masterful use’of the English language. He clearly articulates his ideas and expresses opinions in a manner that not only speaks to his professionalism, but also his vast educational experiences. I most highly recommend Mr. Aaron Backlin for any position with your organization. I would be more than happy to speak with you in more detail with regards to Mr. Backlin’s abilities. Kevih Senty GHS Principal