ROJ Principal's Notes

Welcome to Richard O. Jacobson Elementary!

Young picture1_auto_auto

My name is Mark Young and I remain excited, proud and humbled to have served since July 1, 2017, as the principal here at Jacobson.  This fall will begin my fifth year at Jacobson, and I believe that the students and staff here are truly part of my family and as such, we work hard to keep our family members safe and secure.  

We serve nearly 400 students from pre-school through 6th grade and are proud of our diverse student body.  I was raised in North Iowa and have lived most of my adult life here. Both my parents were educators and life-long learners, products of the great depression who believed that each of their three sons would grow up in a world better than the one that they experienced but who shared their beliefs in hard work, honesty and integrity.  Above all, they provided me with an abiding respect for all people, especially those who came from different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs.  

My wife Lorrie and I have been married 41 years and raised 8 (now adult) children.  Briefly empty nesters, we are starting over with two more children who have blessed our home, so I bring a renewed insight into the impact that modern education has on young children. Both of our younger children now attend school at Jacobson, and they love coming to school with me every day, and I am proud to bring them into a school where I know that they are cared for and pushed to excel. 

I was a successful high school distance runner in high school but did not run again for many years until rediscovering running at the age of 54.  Since then, I have competed in over 50 events at distances from 5k to the the marathon.  Since 2014 I have run 9 half marathons and completed a total of eight marathons, the most recent in Manitowac, Wisconsin.  We have added running to our school curriculum by offering a Reading and Running program in the spring for students in grades 4 through 6, culminating in a 4K road run/walk on our wonderful walking path, located a block from the school.  I am an avid fan of the Minnesota Twins and have spent the past summers cheering their recent success.  I enjoy reading as well and spend a lot of time with Robert Parker, Lee Child and Jonathan Kellerman psychological mysteries as well as non-fiction history. 

Contact: Mark Young

Running & Reading with Buddy

 

READING & RUNNING WITH BUDDY!  

We are continuing to look for ways to help our students emotionally as well as academically, and our emphasis on Social-Emotional Learning, Zones of Regulation and PBIS are vital to our success here, where we try and educate the whole child.  We are excited to be sharing out the latest research on the brain and what we are learning about the best ways to ensure a strong educational foundation for our students. We are starting our third year of our re-shaped PBIS curriculum, and as part of this program we utilize Buddy the Bronco, who you will continue see at our events and around our building to help model positive behavior.  Our PBIS goals are simple; students and staff collectively agree that we will keep our students safe, encourage them to be responsible and expect them to be respectful of both staff and other students.  We are justifiably proud of our school so if you would like to learn more about our school, please stop by and say hello. I am always excited to talk about our school, our staff, and most importantly, our students.

We are continuing to look for ways to help our students emotionally as well as academically, and our emphasis on Social-Emotional Learning, Zones of Regulation and PBIS are vital to our success here, where we try and educate the whole child.  We are excited to be sharing out the latest research on the brain and what we are learning about the best ways to ensure a strong educational foundation for our students. We are starting our third year of our re-shaped PBIS curriculum, and as part of this program we utilize Buddy the Bronco, who you will continue see at our events and around our building to help model positive behavior.  Our PBIS goals are simple; students and staff collectively agree that we will keep our students safe, encourage them to be responsible and expect them to be respectful of both staff and other students.  We are justifiably proud of our school so if you would like to learn more about our school, please stop by and say hello. I am always excited to talk about our school, our staff, and most importantly, our students.  

  

Buddy & Mr. Young

Mark  (and Buddy)

#broncopride #pbis #gobroncos