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By Mark Dykes
Assistant Editor 

Carolyn Conner honored as Director of the Year

 

Mark Dykes

Carolyn Conner

Last week, Northwest Wyoming Board of Cooperative Education Services (NWBOCES) Administrative Director Carolyn Conner was honored at the Week of Academic Vision and Excellence (WAVE) Conference in Cheyenne as the 2016 Special Education Director of the Year.

Though the administrative director since 2001, Conner has been with NWBOCES and Big Horn Basin Children's Center for 32 years, and started as a school social worker. In that first position, she explained, she worked a lot with parents, helping them adjust to their kids not living at home, providing updates and doing counseling with kids. Children in the program live on the campus unless they are from a nearby community, in which case they can transfer in for day programs.

NWBOCES serves member districts for educational needs of children, Conner said, and the needs change with the districts. Previously, the center served children who are multiple-handicapped, medically fragile or who suffered brain injuries. The current service is for those who are emotionally disturbed. Conner further noted NWBOCES is owned by 18 member school districts, and serves the entire state of Wyoming. It's a big job, she said, but it's very fulfilling to help children in crises and get them back into a school and home environment.

Children served in the program are K-8 students. Conner noted they do not serve high school students, and they can make a huge difference with children at younger ages. She shared some data regarding emotionally disturbed youth, pointing out since 1998, of the youth who have completed the program 84 percent have not had to go to another residential treatment facility. Additionally, she said, they also make great gains academically.

In order for students to be placed with NWBOCES, a recommendation has to come from a school via an Individualized Education Program (IEP), or from Department of Family Services through a court order. On average, NWBOCES has 14 or 15 students, and will work with 25 in a given year. The center has a staff of about 50, and it takes that dedicated staff to accomplish its goals. "We have a great team," Conner said.

When students comes to the NWBOCES program, Conner explained, it is not the first contact that has been attempted; these kids typically have been acting out verbally and physically, and are not doing well in a home environment. The NWBOCES campus is a lockdown facility, she said, and students earn privileges through appropriate behaviors. The overall goal is to get them back to a less restrictive environment.

Conner was first notified of her award through the Wyoming Association of Special Education Administrators (WASEA) in October., though the recognition from State Special Education Director Lisa Weigel (WAVE) made the honor very special. She said there are some wonderful Special Education directors in the state, and she works alongside some outstanding peers. As treasurer of the WASEA for the past eight years, she has been able to work on the needs not only at NWBOCES but statewide.

Going forward, Conner has no plans of retiring anytime in the near future. She loves the job, and her favorite thing is working with the students - seeing the kids come in very troubled with very severe behaviors, and watching them learn to trust people again. Often times she said, students will come back, even if they're already in high school, just to say "hi." It's encouraging to her, knowing she's made a difference in their lives.

 

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