What makes Elizabeth Duncan Koontz Elementary School unique?  Our Accelerate Rowan Lab School with Susan Heaggans as the Director.  Heaggans states, “The Lab School is a place where we are reimagining how we prepare teachers for the future of education.  Our pre-apprentice/apprentice teachers are immersed in a full-year, full-time paid student teaching apprenticeship.  Our gradual release model provides an opportunity for teachers to gain the confidence and experience that they need to maximize student learning.  Apprentice teachers develop their craft early on through ongoing professional development, job embedded, high-quality instructional and coaching support; through a co-teaching model of learning and instruction.  Students in this program have an immediate impact on the diverse population at Koontz Elementary School and will be prepared to work at any elementary school in our district.”  Heaggans is no stranger to our community and Koontz Elementary’s Lab School has thrived under her leadership. The Lab School has been an opportunity for our pre-apprentice/apprentice teachers to grow and has been beneficial for their professional careers.

Sierra Ward is a Dual Major Elementary Education and EC Apprentice Student at Catawba College in 5th grade with Master Teacher, Cristal Wright.  This experience has had a positive impact on Ward stating, “This Lab School has been an amazing way of preparing me as a future teacher and giving me the opportunity to see the importance of collaboration, classroom management, and planning.  One important thing I heard was even if you don’t think you’re doing well, you are.  Sometimes teaching is chaotic but we need to still remember to celebrate the small successes and realize how much we are impacting students.”

Markeysha McLean is a student at Livingstone College serving our 5th grade students as an Apprentice Teacher working with Master Teacher, Jena Horm.  “Without the Lab School, I would not have gained the knowledge or experience that has been given to me here at Koontz.  The only way to really learn is throw yourself in the deep end and see what happens” says McLean.

Kevin Granger, principal of Koontz Elementary School speaks positively about this opportunity for our future teachers saying, “The Lab School creates a valuable pipeline for aspiring young educators to pursue their dream and provide support to Koontz Elementary at the same time.”

Story by Laura Messenger for Koontz Elementary