During her first stroll around the campus of C.T. Sewell Elementary School, Carrie Buck was hit with the harsh reality of a school in terrible condition. The school was one of the oldest still in use in the district. The computer lab, if you could call it that, was terribly outdated. Teacher retention was around 50%, and morale was very low. Unfortunately, it was the kids who were suffering the most. Test scores were among the lowest in the entire county.  Well over half of the student body qualified for free/reduced lunch, and many of them regularly faced being homeless. This was not an environment where children were going to learn and thrive. Dr. Buck was determined not to allow these children to fail.

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     Carrie gave the school a new motto: ‘Kids First.’ From then on, absolutely every decision, conversation, policy and action was held up to the ‘Kids First’ standard.  Things began to change.  She created the C.T. Sewell Empowerment Model which communicated a clear vision and instructional plan to teachers, staff, and parents.  The mission made clear the importance of collaboration, high expectations, and an environment filled with positivity.  Teachers were celebrated, coached, and encouraged in areas that needed improvement. Leadership support, teacher collaboration, parent involvement, staff collegiality, and a strong common vision united a community. Collective buy-in from everyone in the building helped turn around a school that had been struggling for far too long.

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     Student’s test scores skyrocketed. Math proficiency went from 36 to 90 percent and  Reading went from 35 to 83 percent. "From 2006 to 2014, Sewell increased student achievement more than any other school in Henderson. In 2007, and again in 2012, the school was designated one of Nevada’s ‘High Achieving Schools'. In 2011, Sewell led the Clark County School District—the nation’s fifth largest district in the nation—in individual student growth percentiles for math. Most recently, the school ranked in the top 15 percent of the district."1

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     After 9 years at C.T. Sewell ES, Carrie left to lead a charter network called Pinecrest Academy.  The positive culture that Carrie established at Sewell still exists, and it remains a high performing school to this day under the leadership of Dr. Holli Ratliff. Dr. Buck still believes that a "Kids First" approach and clear vision are the only way to create and maintain the kind of schools all our children deserve.

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1. Milken Educator Awards. Connections: Linking Talented Educators. Chairman and Co-Founder Lowell MIlken. January 31, 2013. http://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/connections/articles/view/from-obstacles-to-opportunities.