Capistrano School Program Fosters Unity: Employees Experience Colleagues' Roles Firsthand

This article contains content summarized with GPT-4 Learn more. It is based on information from cusdinsider.org, which reflects the perspectives and priorities of the organization. Please consider the specific interests of the source when reading

The Capistrano Appreciates Certificated Employees (CACE) program, a joint effort by the Capistrano School Employees Association (CSEA) and the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD), has been updated to improve understanding and relationships among school district employees. The program enables managers to work alongside classified employees for a day, aiming to promote respect and teamwork.

In the latest session, 43 managers shadowed 43 classified employees from different departments, including paraeducators, food service workers, maintenance staff, skilled tradesmen, and nurses. This experience gave managers a direct view of the daily challenges and contributions of their classified colleagues, boosting empathy and cooperation across departments.

The shadowing was recorded with photos and a list of participants, showing the variety of roles in the district. For instance, Brittany Casey, a principal, shadowed Brenda Ancsanyi, a Para-Educator III at Wood Canyon Elementary. Clint Collins, Assistant Superintendent for Special Education, spent his day with Linnay Bergman, a Library Media Technician at Tesoro High School. These pairings provided valuable insights and understanding between different levels of the school hierarchy.

Feedback from participants was very positive, with many managers gaining a greater appreciation for the complexities of the roles they shadowed. The program has helped bridge the gap between different groups of employees and improved the working environment by fostering a sense of community and shared goals.