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By Kelly Wassenberg, for the Tribune

The road a person travels to get to the same destination can be as unique as the traveler — long and twisted, straight and narrow, as smooth as a freshly paved road or as bumpy as a well-traveled country road. Neither route is necessarily better than the other, just different.

So is the case for the two new principals at United South Central School in Wells.

High School Principal Jennifer Bye moved up to administration after serving as a teacher in the district for many years while Elementary Principal Jennifer Taylor is new to the USC family.

Below is an introduction to both of them.

Jennifer Taylor

Family

Taylor grew up in Marshall with her parents and three siblings. Taylor and her husband, Craig, who is a regional sales manager for Helm Agro, moved to Greensboro, North Carolina; St. Louis, Missouri, and twice to Des Moines, Iowa, before moving to Albert Lea in 2004.

“We were thrilled to be back in Minnesota with our young kids at the time and to be closer to family,” she said.

The couple has three children, Emily, William and Jacob. Emily is a senior at Minnesota State University in Mankato and will be a student teaching this January.

William is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he is majoring in criminal justice. Jacob is a junior at Albert Lea Senior High School. He enjoys being on the swim team, trap shooting, and above all, he enjoys singing in the choir, Taylor said.

Her three children own the Taylor Kids Pumpkin Patch on the north side of Albert Lea.

Education

Taylor graduated from Marshall Senior High School in Marshall before earning her Bachelor of Science degree in sociology from Southwest Minnesota State University and a Master of Science degree in special education from the University of Minnesota in Mankato. While teaching in Albert Lea, at both the elementary and high school level, she earned her education specialist degree, pre K-12 principal licensure and director of special education licensure.

“I am a lifelong learner,” Taylor said. “I am always looking for ways to improve myself by learning new things and accepting new challenges in the name of reaching and teaching every child I encounter. I am grateful for the chance to lead a team of professionals who share the same common goal and continually strive to best meet the needs of all students at United South Central.”

Career

Taylor started her position as the United South Central elementary principal on July 1, 2021. Prior to this position, she worked as a teacher for 12 years, an academic services manager at Lindenwood University and a leadership development program facilitator at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Transition

“My transition into the role of the elementary principal has been nearly seamless due to the support I have and continue to receive from the administrative team and the staff,” Taylor said.

She said her primary goal at USC is to reach and teach every student who walks through the doors.

“Evidence is strong in the elementary building for this goal because the staff understand the importance of building community, cultivating leadership skills, utilizing data and resources, creating collaborative learning environments, and above all, they are passionate about the work they do,” Taylor said.

To ensure USC has a solid Tier I foundation in academics, she said 32 staff members accepted the challenge to be trained in the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS).The LETRS journey started in September of 2022 and will continue through May of 2024. Staff are learning the why behind reading based on the science of reading.

“We are the largest cohort of teachers in a single building in the state of Minnesota working toward LETRS certification,” she said. “I could not be more proud of this team as we continue to move forward.”

One of her favorite aspects of the job is its spontaneity.

“Every new day brings new challenges, new problems and new adventures,” she said. “Redundancy is never an issue. In addition, I have a direct hand in making a positive impact on not only the students at USC but on the teachers and staff as a whole. Collaborating with teachers, offering feedback and seeing continuous improvement are second to none. The staff at USC are incredible; they have a forward focus and are willing to implement best practices to reach and teach every student at USC.”

Outside the office

Outside of work, Taylor said she enjoys going to watch her three children compete in swimming. Her daughter swims for the Mavericks at Minnesota State University in Mankato; William swims for the Blugolds at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, and Jacob swims for the Albert Lea Tigers. She also enjoys traveling both inside and outside the United States, reading, participating in her book club, gardening and working at the Taylor Kids Pumpkin Patch.

Closing thoughts

“I was drawn to Wells and the United South Central School district because the district has something that’s truly unique and special,” Taylor said. “The incredibly strong community support is unlike anything I have ever seen with the way they get behind the students, staff, academics and sports programs. Every day is a great day to be a Rebel at USC.”

Taylor said her grit, determination and passion for education is unwavering.

“Education is the key to everything in a person’s life,” Taylor said. “Education provides stability, develops essential life and coping skills, enhances critical thinking, boosts creativity, enhances time management and aids in using logic to make decisions and interact with people. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to see students grow, develop and mature while embracing learning.”

Jennifer Bye

Family

Bye is the oldest of five children and grew up on a farm near Courtland. She currently lives in the north part of USC School District in the village of Matawan.

“My husband and I have lived in Matawan for 28 years and enjoy hearing stories about our little village’s history from our neighbors.”

The couple has two grown children who have both graduated from the USC School District. Their daughter works in St. Paul as a quality analyst, and their son works as a business manager in Pemberton.

Education

Bye graduated from Nicollet High School before attending Minnesota State University in Mankato. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering, which she utilized in her position as a quality engineer at Truth Hardware in Owatonna.

While she enjoyed her job, the people she worked with and the opportunity to problem solve at her work, Bye said she always knew she wanted to work in education.

“When my son started preschool, I knew that I needed to have a career where I could be closer to home and have a more flexible schedule for my own children,” Bye said.

“That is when I started taking classes to become a teacher. I went back to MSU to get a master’s degree in teaching along with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.

During that time I worked as the city clerk and treasurer for the city of Waldorf. That experience taught me much about finance and planning.”

Bye said she was fortunate enough to complete her student teaching at USC with Edna Husman, who she described as a wonderful mentor and colleague.

“She helped me to grow in the profession and inspired me to help students in many ways,” Bye said.

Career

Bye taught high school and college level mathematics courses at USC as well as engineering classes through the Project Lead the Way program.

“After 20 years of teaching, I knew that I wanted to make a bigger impact in education and saw a bigger vision for the education of students,” Bye said. “I wanted to make changes that would help students to be more successful.”

As a result, Bye decided to become a principal and completed her administrative licensure requirements at Minnesota State University in Moorhead in the fall of 2022.

“It was a difficult decision to leave my teaching position in the classroom because I really enjoyed my students and helping them learn,” Bye said. “However, I knew that

I needed to accept the principal position in order to make the greater impact I wanted to make at USC. I want our students to have great opportunities that allow them to be successful academically and personally. It is my goal that USC is the best place it can be for our students, for our staff, and for our community.”

Transition

Bye applied for and was offered and accepted the position of principal when Kelly Schlaak left the position.

“It was a difficult decision to leave my teaching position in the classroom because I really enjoyed my students and helping them learn,” Bye said. “However, I knew that I needed to accept the principal position in order to make the greater impact I wanted to make at USC. I want our students to have great opportunities that allow them to be successful academically and personally.”

Bye said the transition to the new position is going very well.

“Everyone at USC has been very helpful and supportive. The administrative team has been wonderful to work with and is always willing to work to find the best solutions for our students. USC is a great community. The staff, the students and the administrative team make USC a great place to work and to learn. We have something special at USC. You can feel that positive culture and climate when you walk in the doors and walk down our hallways.”

Outside the office

When she’s not at work, Bye enjoys spending time with friends and family. She relaxes and recharges by relaxing on her patio on a warm evening, reading a good book and practicing gratitude. She spends time with nature during long walks and an occasional kayaking trip on the lake in the summer.

“I also love to travel and explore new places,” Bye said. “I always learn something new when I visit a new location.”
She casts her gaze upwards as well. She enjoys stargazing and tracking the international space station when it’s visible on a clear evening.

Closing thoughts

Bye said she couldn’t be more grateful that her position still gives her the opportunity to work with USC students. She even makes it a point to be in the hallway between classroom periods to greet and check in with students.

“I was fortunate to have built great relationships with students when I was teaching in the classroom at USC over the years,” she said. “This has been valuable since many of the students knew me and my expectations from prior years as I stepped into the principal position. USC is fortunate to have great students. Students are the best part of my day and I look forward to interacting with them as much as possible throughout the day.”

She’s focused on keeping USC moving forward. Her goals include keeping the lines of communication open, increasing MCA scores in reading and maintaining a safe environment for students and staff.

“Goals are important and help a district to move in a positive direction,” she said, noting the importance of communication. “I write a monthly newsletter for parents and guardians to keep parents updated with information. I also send a daily email for the staff with important dates, activities and reminders. Communication is one of the primary parts of any successful organization.”

To increase Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment scores, the district is utilizing an online program called Edmentum to increase the reading comprehension skills of seventh and eighth graders.

“This is supported by teacher support and guidance,” Bye said. “We work on reading skills in each classroom at the high school level including using a program called Newsela. USC also provides training for all teachers in reading strategies for students.”

“I’m fortunate to work with a wonderful, talented and supportive staff who truly care about students and their academic success,” Bye said. “The staff at USC works hard to continually become better at the art and science of teaching. They continually learn and are using research-based methods to help students learn more effectively. The amazing educators build effective student-teacher relationships with our students that promotes student success and the desire to learn.”

“I am fully committed to the USC district and genuinely care about our students,” she said. “Each student is important and I want every student to be successful academically and successful as a citizen of our world.”