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School Environment Narrative

Glendale High School is located in the heart of Glendale. Just a few blocks down from

the city’s historic downtown, Glendale High School is a relic all on its own. The school has been

on its original site since the year it was built in 1911. The city of Glendale homes roughly

247,813 people, with roughly 1,709 of those in the population of high school age attending

Glendale High School annually. Glendale Union High School district has twelve campuses that

divide their 16,401 students.

Although Glendale High School is relatively diverse, the Hispanic population does make

up roughly 75% of the school’s demographics. With the respective 25% divided among African

American (10%), Caucasian (9%), and Asian American (2%). The remaining 3% is divided

among multi-racial individuals and Native Americans. Majority of the families within the

Glendale Union High School District make an average yearly salary of $48K a year. Within this

number, roughly 20% of the population lives below the poverty line. However, about 77% of the

students at Glendale High School alone are considered economically disadvantaged. Despite the

demographics, Glendale High School has committed teachers with years of experience. Students

consistently score around the 60% proficiency for Math and the 50% proficiency for reading.

However, Glendale High School has a 90% graduation rate. Glendale High School is rated 80th in

the state of Arizona.

Students at Glendale High School have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement

classes for college credit, have a number of special area electives including culinary, Woodshop

(Construction Sciences), Marketing, Art, and much more. The school is committed to the success

of students with offering extra-curricular activities from athletics for both male and female

athletes including Football, Volleyball, Soccer, Swim, Tennis, Softball/Baseball, Track & Field,
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etc. Teachers constantly engage with students and encourage them to join a number of the after-

school clubs including American Sign Language, Chess, Students Against Dangerous Decisions,

Journalism, and so much more. The school utilizes paraprofessionals for Special Education,

English as a Second Language, and Title 1 courses.

Within my classroom, I have roughly 20-35 students. Typically, classes are 55 minutes

long. However, considering the pandemic, the school had to alter their schedule to follow a block

schedule, with classes being 90 minutes long and students only having three classes a semester. I

believe we will be returning to our normal schedule in the upcoming academic year - Fall 2021.

While students are able to receive help from the teachers on a daily basis, the school also offers

before and after school tutoring in the location deemed the “CARD’S NEST.” Students are able

to get help from aides who are in the classes daily and constantly being updated on student

content. Additionally, students have the option to receive online help from the Arizona State

university GEAR UP program led by Andrew Swink. Mr. Swink has been working extensively

to ensure our students are caught up on credits and ready to progress from an early age. Although

the program targets freshman, Mr. Swink is not opposed to helping students of all classes.

In the classroom, the students have many resources. From dictionaries, thesauruses, to

Chromebooks and a plethora of novels. Students also have access to resources such as

notebooks, pens and pencils, folders, binders, etc. for any classwork that may require these

materials that they may not have access to outside of school. Many students within Glendale

High School do not have internet access at home. Therefore, much of their technological use

comes from the school’s provided internet access and technology resources. This is especially

true for many of the school’s English Language Learners who happen to be refuge students. To

combat this, the school offers not only Chromebooks within many classrooms, but the Media
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Center also homes a number of desktop computers available to students as long as they sign in

with their student I.D. These are just a few of the resources that Glendale High School offers its

students both in and out of the classroom.

Applicant Bio

I am Ms. Kacie Lee. I am currently in my second year of teaching at Glendale High

School. I have earned my bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education (English) from Arizona

State University. I am currently perusing a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from

Arizona State University as well. This past year’s pandemic has provided me with an opportunity

to become proficient with a number of different technologies from Chromebooks, laptops,

tablets, iPads, projectors, smartboards, and much more. However, I am still learning about the

plethora of applications that can be utilized on these different devices. The main goals of my

teaching philosophy is to facilitate inspiration for students in a safe environment by acquiring a

genuine relationship with my students and the community. It is my goal to make students feel

validated in their emotions and opinions and continually find ways to adapt my teaching to meet

the ever-changing needs of my students. I also believe in a variety of instructional techniques and

strongly believe in student-driven and peer-influenced learning. By allowing students to work in

groups and drive their own learning, students have the opportunity to engage in social problem-

solving techniques so students can gain essential skills that can translate into their life after

graduation. I believe that students’ role is to be responsive and open to learning. It is the

students’ role to facilitate their learning through their peers, supporting one another through the

learning process, support each other’s emotional needs, and use one another to engage with the

class content. Above all, the students’ role is to develop themselves in a proficient and

supportive manner.
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As an educator it is my role to facilitate learning through a supportive classroom

structure. It is also my role to utilize student interest to make engagement with the class content

meaningful to them. Overall, it is essential for my role as an educator to be open to new ideas

and promote growth in both myself as an instructor and my students as learners. Finally, the role

of the community and parents is to be engaged in their students learning both in and out of the

classroom. I would love for the community to support students in their extra-curriculars as well

as provide support for their class content. Overall, my philosophy of education expects growth

facilitated through student learning, teacher instruction, and community involvement.