Applicant and School Narrative

My name is Kyle Shryock and I am a Social Studies teacher at Vista Verde Middle

School in the Paradise Valley Unified School District. I was hired shortly after my graduation

from Arizona State University in 2016. I believe the purpose of education is to help in creating a

society filled with individuals who are empowered and well-informed. As an educator, I believe

that I should strive to foster a safe learning environment conducive to students of every

background and learning style. When you build a relationship with a student it’s easier to

understand their learning style and properly incorporate them into the classroom. I believe my

role as an educator in the community is to be an exemplary role model as a Father, a Teacher,

and an actively engaged and informed citizen. My goal is to create a positive classroom

atmosphere that reflects a school-wide open approach to learning of all kinds. A positive school-

wide atmosphere will benefit it’s surrounding community. With better communities, so improves

the entire city. If we can positively influence the city of Phoenix, then we can positively

influence the entire state’s educational system.

The desire to create safe environments in our educational institutions is increasingly

becoming an issue of security and personal wellbeing. As demographics shift over the

generations the populations in our schools continue to diversify. With shifting demographics

comes the inevitable cultural clash. Conflicts arise as we integrate these children into our

institutions. Thus, the amount of physical altercations between students has risen. As this climate

of violence manifests, we must take it upon ourselves to promote school-wide safety that starts in

the classroom. While most schools, including ours, have an on-campus police officer, the risks

currently posed to our students outweigh the duties and responsibilities of just one officer.

Additional measures must be taken to stabilize our school environment. To address this issue, I
am proposing a problem-based project which formulates a campus-wide peace treaty for Vista

Verde Middle School.

In order to create the institutional atmosphere that we desire as educators, we must

continually strive for the safety and security of our students. While we acknowledge the

inevitable culture clash of changing demographics, we must also address the conflicts that

consequently arise. Therefore, this problem-based project will include as its final product a peace

treaty presented in a school-wide assembly to be signed by every single student on campus.

School Environment

Our school’s mission statement is as follows:

 Values a positive learning community

 Victories in individual growth for all

 Mindful of the world around us

 Successful in a global society

The current racial makeup of our institution is 55% Hispanic, 32% White, 5.5% African

American, 3% Multiracial, 2.5% Native American, and 2% Asian, with an approximate total of

650 students (Vista, 2019, Table 1).

References

Vista Verde Middle School – Niche. (2019). Retrieved September 22, 2019, from

https://www.niche.com/k12/vista-verde-middle-school-phoenix-az/students/