Seeley reflects on first months as Special Education Director/LIE Principal

Big Horn County School District No. 4’s Katie Seeley took on additional administration duties this school year. Her official title is Laura Irwin Elementary principal and Big Horn County School District No. 4’s director of special services.
Seeley has been with the district since July 2022. She said, “The intent when I was hired was that I would assume the role of special education director and take on some of the administrative duties at Laura Irwin Elementary School to alleviate Mr. Jensen, (Jensen was principal for LIE/Riverside Middle/High School) some of the behavior management and be available to assist when staff needed help.”
As a new principal this year, Seeley said she has many learning opportunities presented to her daily. Her role as special ed director is busy. Adding the role of principal has made time management her biggest challenge. She added, “These first few months of school have gone by really quickly, I can’t believe we have nearly been in school one quarter of the year. Fall parent-teacher conferences are right around the corner. At LIE, we have implemented a big schedule change to have time during the school day that is devoted to interventions and enrichment that target student needs called WIN Time. WIN stands for What I Need. During WIN Time, students are grouped based on their academic needs, specifically focused on math and reading. The purpose of these interventions is to provide personalized support to
students in small groups, allowing for more individualized instruction and attention.”
However, Seeley savors her new role. Explaining it this way. “When I worked as an instructional facilitator for
three years in Natrona County School District, I found my passion for helping teachers improve their daily practices. I know teaching in the new post-COVID era is mentally and emotionally taxing, so I want to find ways to support teachers and make their jobs easier. I love being an instructional leader and finding ways to assist teachers in aligning teaching standards to effective teaching practices which in turn creates an opportunity for students to demonstrate their learning. The pressure to perform well on state assessments makes teaching
and leading a building that much more stressful. I am very proud of our staff and students for achieving the status of Exceeds Expectations on WY-TOPP last year. This was an amazing accomplishment and everyone’s hard work paid off.  
“With my background in special education, I do want to acknowledge that not all our students’ accomplishments can be measured by WY-TOPP. We experience small victories daily when students who struggle with behavior and emotional regulation are able to use coping skills successfully or when they are able to express their feelings without becoming physical. I am so excited to be a part of this learning community with such a positive culture you can feel it when you walk into the building. The staff at Laura Irwin Elementary have worked hard to create a welcoming and safe environment for students to learn.”
Her goals this year are to get a repeat of exceeds expectations in WY-TOPP testing. A challenge that is embraced by the students and staff as well. “As the principal at LIE, I have been focusing on building positive relationships with students, staff, and parents. We will soon be celebrating our WY-TOPP scores with the elementary students. I spent time this week in Casper recognizing the outstanding work of Mrs. Laura Godfrey as our district teacher of the year and attending a cohort of fellow teachers and principals in the Level Up Program.
There are so many collectively positive things going on in our district and I am extremely proud to be a part of them.”
Seeley noted “I am grateful for the support and encouragement of Mr. Jensen and Mr. Thompson (superintendent) as well as staff at all three building levels. I am excited to continue to grow Big Horn County School District No. 4’s reputation as a school district where parents are proud to send their kids. I am already so proud of our students and staff. I can’t wait for word to spread like wildfire about the positive energy and culture of our school system.”
Seeley recently married Logan Whipple on a “perfect day with family and friends.”