Michael Guthrie, principal, Shannon Park Elementary

Michael Guthrie is the principal of Shannon Park Elementary School, a K-5 school with 800 students, and one of 18 elementary schools in ISD #196, in a southern suburb of the Twin Cities metro area. The school sits a top a hill once surrounded by rolling hills and fields and over 200 sheep. Housing developments and an Athletic Park belonging to the City of Rosemount now surround the school.

The staff at Shannon Park are committed to excellence, meaning: high achievement for students, good student behavior, a positive climate for learning, parent involvement, clearly defined goals and expectations for students and staff, high staff morale, and the constant monitoring of the needs of their students. Parents are actively involved in the school culture and learning process. A recent survey found that 99 percent of the school’s parents thought Shannon Park Elementary provided a safe and welcoming learning environment for students, parents, and community members.

The school’s mission is Teaming for Growth. “With students and staff working together everyone accomplishes more,” Guthrie explained. The school’s values are reflected in the four Shannon Park Expectations, which are at the center of all daily activities and learning experiences: treat others and property with respect; be responsible for your own learning; strive for your best achievement; and be cooperative. Several school programs enable students and staff to reach their full potential in fact of these values, including: Acts of Character, a program that teaches, promotes, and recognizes positive character traits; and the EIP Team (Educational Improvement Planning), a group of teachers that works with the Shannon Park principal to create the school’s annual targeted Q-Comp (quality compensation) goal.

The school focuses on key learning goals with Minnesota state standards and ISD 196 benchmarks as the basis for curriculum. All staff members are responsible for all students. “Everyday the entire staff of Shannon Park Elementary School works diligently to assess and reflect on our daily educational practices in order to raise student achievement for all groups of students,” said Guthrie. “The ‘we’re all in this together’ team philosophy promotes a nurturing atmosphere for students.”

The supportive atmosphere extends from students to the entire school community. The school creates mutual respect among staff – and between staff and community.  As evidence of the positive school atmosphere, 98.4% of students had a parent attend the school’s February 2010 parent-teacher conferences.