Monday, June 30, 2014

Day 303: Collaboration - Elementary Music Literature Recommendations

Daily Blog Challenge Day 303/365

As I prepare for a new school year I am organizing different spreadsheets with resource ideas.  One of my goals this year is to incorporate more books into my clasroom.  I decided to create a public Google Spreadsheet with the hope that teachers can collaborate and create a resource we can all use.


Please add your favorite books that you use in your classroom.

Thank you for reading and sharing.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Day 299: Water Your Garden

Daily Blog Challenge Day 299/365

 “The grass is not greener on the other side. It’s greener where you choose to water it.” (Found on Twitter).
There were times this past year when I felt my beat option would be to find a new position. There were times when the little things became too frustrating. One fact I always came back to is that there is no guarantee that another position would be better than the one I have.

The grass is not always greener on the other side.

I know this is a saying I have heard often throughout my life.  I found this new version of this quote (the added part about where you water) and I find it to be a great life lesson.

Our brain perceives what we focus on.  If we focus on all the negatives, our brain sees the bad things. At the same time, if we focus on the positives, our brain sees all the good things.  Our brain sees what we put our effort into seeing.

My main goal for this next school year is to douse my classroom in water. I want to put my energy into making my classroom better and making my student's musical experience better.

Where are you going to water this year?

Thank you for reading.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Day 298: Building Blocks

Daily Blog Challenge Day 298/365

I am beginning my third year in my current district and I feel I am slowly getting the program to where I want it to be.  I believe I have made progress my first two years and I look forward to making the elementary program even better.  Each year I ask my students for their input and many of these ideas are their suggestions.

Things I would like to add/improve my music program...
-A more stable 3rd/4th grade choir.
-Perform at the local nursing home.
-Have every grade Skype (2nd-4th) at least 2 times a year.
-Have students be more involved with our Twitter posts.
-4th graders do Innovation Day twice a year.
-More focus on music history.
-More creating activities.
-Have all students play a variety of band instruments each year.

Thank you for reading.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Day 297: Voxer (Technology Tuesday)

Daily Blog Challenge Day 297/365

Technology Tuesday

I had been hearing on Twitter about this app called Voxer for a while and I finally jumped on the band wagon and I love it!  It is a fantastic app and I strongly recommend you check it out.  You can send voice messages or typed messages to individuals or you can be part of group chats.  My favorite part of this app is the ability to connect with other teachers from Twitter without having a character limit and the voice option allows you to respond to questions when typing is not possible.

How do you use Voxer?  What are your favorite groups.  So far I am part of an exercise group, a digital citizenship group and the Christian Educators group.

Thank you for reading.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Day 296: Collaboration - Elementary Music Technology Resources

Daily Blog Challenge Day 296/365

As I prepare for a new school year I am organizing different spreadsheets with resource ideas.  I decided to create a public Google Spreadsheet with the hope that teachers can collaborate together and create a resource we can all use.


Please share your favorite technology resources.

Thank you for reading and sharing.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Day 295: High Fives

Daily Blog Challenge Day 295/365

How often do you give your students a high five?
How often do you give your students a pat on the back?
How often do you give your students a hug? (If you don't teach elementary, this one is not as relevant.)

I know that I for one do not do these things enough. It is so easy to focus on the negatives that we miss the growth. We miss the progress our students make and we miss the opportunities to celebrate these moments with them.

We all want to feel appreciated and valued. High fives and hugs are great ways to show this to our students.
What ways do you show your students they are cared for, appreciated and valued?

Thank you for reading.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Day 294: Looking Forward to Next Year

Daily Blog Challenge Day 294/365

Each year has its ups and downs, but at the end of the day I feel truly blessed to be in the position I am.  I get paid to play sports (coach), work on computers and play music. What can be better than that?
The longer I teach, the more I am reminded that teaching is about relationships. Teaching gets a little easier each year I am at the same school because I have more time to build positive relationships with my students. Students (people in general) are more invested when they know someone is invested in them.

I am pumped for this next school year. I am excited to try new things and to improve upon things we started last year. I am excited to rearrange my room and I look forward to implementing many of the suggestions my students gave me.

What are you most excited about as you prepare for the upcoming school year?
The beginning of a new school year is always fun for me.  I love new school supplies and the opportunity of a fresh start. How do you help keep the new year excitement going throughout the year?

Thank you for reading.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Day 293: My Child

Daily Blog Challenge 293/365

How do you want your child talked to?
How do you want your child interacted with?
How do to help want your child disciplined?
How do you want your child to describe his/her teacher?
How do you want your child to describe school?
How do you want your child to describe sports and extra curricular activities?

Do your answers align with how you talk, interact and teach? How do you ensure that this is true?
As a new mom, even though I have many years, I am already thinking about my little girl going to school. the important thing to remember is that everyone is someone's little girl or little boy and we as teachers need to treat them like we would treat our own.

Thank you for reading.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Day 292: You Know...

Daily Blog Challenge Day 292/365

I recently had a conversation with a high school golf coach about how our brain knows more than we give it credit for. When we look to throw a ball or hit a chip shot, our brain knows how far we need to throw or hit the ball.  The problem is we tend to over think and not let our reflexes do their job.

I believe there are many things we know instinctively,  if we let our brain react without over thinking. Athletes know what needs to be done to make a play, parents now when their child needs a hug and great friends know when to listen.

Great teachers know how to reach their students. Sadly, we fill our brains with protocols,  rules and programs that we do not allow our teachers to react the way they feel they should.
The key is to not let our brain be overloaded with the challenges of the day.  Our brain is a powerful tool and it is capable of amazing things if we allow it to work properly.

How do you ensure that you are using your brain to its fullest power? How do you help eliminate distractions?

Thank you for reading.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Day 291: What Can You Do?

Daily Blog Challenge Day 291/365

I have spent a lot of time lately reflecting on how to make next softball season go better.  We all have our individual strengths and weaknesses and we all can offer many skills to those around us.

What Can You Do?

This is a question I am going to focus on during this next school year.
What can you do to help your class?
What can you do to help your school?
What can you do to help your classmates?
What can you do to help your coworkers?
What can you do to help your team?

I strongly believe that we all become better when we pull our strengths together.  We can all teach each other something.

Thank you for reading.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Day 290: Class Dojo: A New Plan (Technology Tuesday)

Daily Blog Challenge 290/365

Technology Tuesday

There has been a lot of conversation on Twitter lately about public behavior charts and reasons why they are good or bad. I struggle with this because for some students, a public display is a quick and easy way to discourage a behavior. I cannot decide if this demonstrates that they have learned anything or if they are just avoiding the behavior.

In any group of students or people, there will be a group that will behave regardless, a group that will behave with a little prodding and another group that will behave will individual aids. In my experience, a public behavior chart only targets the middle group of students.

I used Class Dojo sporadically last year.  I am not sure how I feel about it as a tool to keep up on a screen, but I really like it as a tool to keep track of student's progress on standards.  It allows me to quickly keep track of standards that they are strong at and standards they are still mastering.

How do you use Class Dojo? How do you encourage positive behavior in your classroom?

Thank you for reading.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Day 289: Collaboration-Elememtary Music Song Suggestions

Daily Blog Challenge Day 289/365

As I prepare for a new school year I am organizing different spreadsheets with resource ideas.  I decided to create a public Google Spreadsheet with the hope that I can collaborate with other teachers and to create a resource we can all use.


Please add your favorite songs and where we can find the music for them.

Thank you for reading and sharing.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Day 288: Misconceptions

Daily Blog Challenge Day 288/365

My husband I attended a family wedding in the Chicago Suburbs this weekend and we drove through parts of the state that are much for ethnically diverse than where we live.  We started discussing how the houses looked and the impact that has on the community in general.  There were many assumptions made and generalizations.  The conversation reminded me that all people (based on race, job, personalty or a combination of other things) come with stereotypes and misconceptions.

Which of course made me wonder, whose job is it to control/change these stereotypes/misconceptions?

I am fairly used to being misunderstood. As a female percussionist, softball player, music teacher, non girly-girl, I have become used to people making assumptions.  The challenge as a young person and as an adult is do I accept what other people assume about me or do I go on a mission trying to change their views?

How do you deal with stereotypes and misconceptions?  Do you accept them or do you try to change them?

Thank you for reading.


Saturday, June 14, 2014

Day 287: Are You Prepared?

Daily Blog Challenge Day 287/365

My husband and I are preparing (the best we can) to welcome our first child into the world.  Being on summer vacation has given me more time to reflect and ponder all the changes that are about to happen.  We feel truly blessed by the gift of a child, but I know that I am also feeling scared.  Being responsible for a child full time is a whole new ball game.  For five years I have been responsible for other people's children for 30-40 minutes a few times a week, but never on a scale like this.

People keep asking me if we are ready and the best answer my husband has come up with is we are prepared to the best of our knowledge.  I am sure we have forgotten somethings, but we believe we have taken care of the things people have told us we need to have lined up.  I have started wondering though, if we are ever truly prepared?  This goes for anything and everything in life.

Was I ready to be a teacher? Was I ready to be a wife? Was I ready to be a coach? Was I ready for that interview?  Was I ready for that game?  Was I ready for.....

I definitely think being prepared is important, but I question if it is possible to truly be prepared for all situations.  I think we can prepare ourselves with a strong foundation of skills and abilities and be open to always learning along with way.

Do you feel prepared for where you are at in your life?  Is it possible to feel prepared or is it a learning process?  How do you ensure that you are prepared?

Thank you for reading.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Day 286: Retirement Party

Daily Blog Challenge Day 286/365

Two weeks ago, my husband's school had a Retirement party for their first grade teacher who is retiring after twenty years at St. Paul (she also taught in public schools for a few years before coming to St. Paul.)  I was fortunate enough to also work with her during my year at St. Paul and she is a wonderful teacher and an even better person.

During the party, a few parents came to the microphone and spoke about how she had impacted their children and their families in general.  People often talk about a person who you cannot find anything bad to say about and this teach is a prime example of this.  She is always smiling and always willing to help.  Many times the only way to prevent her from helping is to not ask her because she will always say yes.  She is also someone that has a good sense of humor and is able to laugh at herself.  One thing that was brought up often was her inability to keep a class pet alive.

Towards the end of the party she gave a short speech.  She is a wonderful public speaker even though she despises talking in front of groups of people.  She is also someone who clearly has her priorities right.  She continually mentioned God and she is very clearly an example of letting God's Love shine through his people.  There are many things about her that I hope to be able to copy.  She is a wonderful example of what it looks like to be a positive Christian and a great teacher.

Hearing these stories made me think about what people will say when I retire.  Granted I have only been teaching for five years and I have many years ahead of me (God willing), but what will they say at my retirement party?  What do I hope they say?

I hope they are able to say that I positively influenced and impacted my students, that I helped them grow and I helped instill life skills that led to future success.  I hope they say I was loving, cared about their children/family and that their children enjoyed their time in my classroom/playing on teams I coached.  I hope they say they learned a lot and that they have many great, funny and random memories.  I hope they will say that I was a religious person and that I shared the Love of God through my actions and words.

What do you hope people say at your retirement party?  What are you doing now to help make this a reality?  Thank you for reading.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Day 285: BHAGS

Daily Blog Challenge Day 285/365

I am slowly working my way through the book "The One Decision" by Judith Wright.  The chapter I read tonight talked about BHAGS-Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals.  The author defines these as "desires we find so impossible we would not even say them."

As I read through the examples of other people's goals, I started thinking about what my Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals are and I came up with some that are personal and others that are professional.

1.  Win many Conference Championships in Softball.
2.  Take a team to the State Tournament.
3.  Increase my savings account.
4.  Build the 3rd/4th grade choir to have 50% participation.
5.  Build the 5th/6th grade choir to have 50% participation.
6.  Build the 5th/6th grade choir to be filled with students who have a passion for music.
7.  Create a music program that the school/community cannot ignore.
8.  Create a music program where the school/community can easily see the value of music/the arts.
9.  Fix the reputation of specials teachers as "not real teachers."
10.  Put AFC Softball on the map in terms of powerhouse programs in northern Illinois.
11.  Create (strengthen) solid and positive relationships.

I am sure my list will change with time.  Some of these seem "easy" to accomplish, while others seem almost impossible.  What are your Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals?  Thank you for reading.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Day 284: Confidence

Daily Blog Challenge Day 284/365

In my opinion, confidence is vital to success in life.  Of course we need to balance true confidence with being arrogant.  Even as an adult I struggle with having self confidence and I know that I am not alone in this struggle.  It is very easy to become overwhelmed with all the abilities of those around me and to start doubting my own skills and abilities.  If there was only one thing I could give my students and players, it would be self confidence.  The feeling that you are worthy and are able is powerful.

Many of my students this year struggled with confidence.  They feared failure and were afraid to make a mistake.  For some of them, this fear was so great that they refused to participate in class activities.  To see a student in elementary school so afraid to mess up was heartbreaking for me.  After all, it is music class and it is supposed to be fun.  Confidence is hard to build, but easily destroyed.

I describe my softball team this year as a group of "no confidence talent".  I coach at a small school and our school is not known for its athletic abilities.  Many athletes saw success in middle school, but many of our teams struggle at the high school level (at least in recent years.)  Throughout the season I was routinely told by my players how good another team or player was and how much better they were than us.  The interesting part is that at the end of the season, the top offensive players on our team matched up statistically with the top players from other teams in our conference.  I tend to over simplify things, but our struggles this season had little to do with ability and a lot to do with our confidence or lack there of.

How do you help your students and athletes build their self confidence?  Thank you for reading.


"Remember, confidence comes from knowing you are mentally and physically prepared. Not simply from past results."
-Jamie Gilbert
Train 2B Clutch


Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Day 283: Technology Tuesday: Year In Review Top Apps

Daily Blog Challenge Day 283/365

Thanks mostly to Twitter, I have learned about many apps this year. I have a ton of apps on my iPad and Android phone that I do not use often (some I have not even looked at after I downloaded them.). There are a handful of apps that I use on a daily basis that I would feel lost without.

1. IFTTT: This app automates actions for you. You create recipes so that when one thing happens, another happens automatically. I use this app to categorize email subscriptions so they do not clog up my inbox, to send twitter favorites to Evernote, to send new Facebook links to Evernote and to post on my classroom Facebook page anything with the hashtag #AFCMusic or #AFCMedia.
2. Evernote: I love Google Docs, but I prefer Evernote for organizing information.
3. Google Drive: I use Google Docs to create content. It allows my students to share projects with me and makes giving feedback easier. I also lo e the fact that many different tasks can be completed on one place and they can all be connected.
4. Social Media: I use YouTube, Twitter and Facebook in my classroom to help connect with students, parents and the community.

Which apps do you love?  Thank you for reading.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Day 282: Material Monday: Music Appreciation Curriculum

Daily Blog Challenge Day 282/365

Material Monday

I will be teaching a music appreciation class during the upcoming school year.  This year was the first year for this class and it was taught by the other music teacher in my district.  It is part of the four class rotation for 7th and 8th graders, so I will have one section of each class for one quarter (there are two sections of each grade).  I will be using many of the projects the previous teacher used, but I will need to add new projects for 8th grade because they had the class as 7th graders.

7th grade is 1:1 with Chrome Books, so I plan to use these often during projects.  8th grade is 1:1 with iPads, so I plan to use these during many projects too.

I only have roughly eight weeks with each class and we meet every other day, so we will not have a ton of time.  An extra challenge is that the second half of class is when students are pulled for RTI time, so I must plan a second activity that enriches the students who stay without causing the other students to fall behind or to miss activities.  Right now, my ideas are very broad.  I have a basic idea of what I want to cover, but do not have individual lessons planned out.

I am also brainstorming ways to make the class gamified.  While both sections will be 1:1, I am going to have them create online portfolios using Google Sites for their projects.

7th Grade Ideas
-Instrument Families
-Musical Family Tree
-Musician Study
-Garage Band Project
-Incredibox
-Bucket Band
-Music History Project

8th Grade Ideas 
-Instrument/Musician Study
-Garage Band Project
-Garage Band Group Project
-Incredibox
-Bucket Band
-Music History Project

Do you have any other suggestions for projects or ideas to make the class better?  I would love to hear from you.  Thank you for reading.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Day 281: Change

Daily Blog Challenge Day 281/365

This softball season has reminded me that change takes time and it is not always easy. I am also reminded of this as I continue to make changes to my elementary music program.

Change is a journey and it takes time. The important thing is to have a destination in mind, a plan on how to get there and to stay focused on the ultimate goal.  There will be challenges and not everything will go smoothly, so persistence is key.

Elementary music was cut from my district for a few years and many of my students and parents are not accustomed to having music twice a week. Plus, I have been told by many parents that music is not the same as what they experienced when they were in school.  Slowly, my students and parents will adjust to having music at the elementary music and they will get used to the new things I am trying to do: Facebook, Twitter, class website, Skype performances and videos to name a few.  This school year concludes my second year in this district and I know things will slowly get better the longer I am here. The key is to continue to go forth with the plan. 

As a softball coach I am going against years of what some of my players consider normal. I am asking them to build new habits and this takes time. Building trust also takes time.  Record wise this season did not go as well as I would have liked, but I see many improvements and I believe we have made baby steps towards my goals for the program. 

How do you make sure you stay on the right path as you try to make changes?  How do you deal with the disappointments? Change does not always happen at a pace that I am happy with, but I am learning to stay focused and stick to my plan. 

Thank you for reading. 

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Day 280: The Hierarchy of Teachers

Daily Blog Challenge 280/365

Today I was reminded that there is a hierarchy in terms of teachers. Many do not mean for it to be disrespectful but specials teachers are not seen to be on the same level as classroom teachers.

I admit I am biased, but if you want to see examples of differentiation and classroom management, find the specials teachers. I can't guarantee they will all be awesome, but these two skills are vital in these classrooms (even more so than other classrooms).

In my opinion, a good teacher is a good teacher. It has very little to do with what they teach. Sadly, this is not the view of many (even when those people mean no disrespect).

As a specials teacher how do you help change this perception? Specials are vital to our students success and there is plenty of research that backs this up. Despite the research, it is still an uphill battle in many districts. How do we help others see that specials are not just so other teachers can have prep time?
I would love to hear your suggestions. One of my missions next school year is to work towards changing this perception.

Thank you for reading.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Day 279: End of the Year Self Reflection

Daily Blog Challenge Day 279/365

The end of the year is always hard for me.  I tend to be overly critical and the end of the year reminds me of all the things I messed up on throughout the year.

This year was my second year in the district and was excited to continue to strengthen the elementary music program.  Along with elementary music, I accepted the position as High School Softball coach and I was asked to teach a media class to fifth graders.  I enjoyed teaching the class, but it did not come without stress:  no curriculum, little structure, students with very little background knowledge and computers that did not always cooperate.  Some days I felt like I was going in a million different directions and I did not always feel like I was able to fulfill all of the things I wanted to do.  Now that I have had almost a week to relax and reflect, I realize that this year was pretty good.  I believe the elementary music program made positive steps forward and we are slowly working towards my goals for the program.

Positives from this year...
1.  Students in grades 2nd-4th all participated in a Skype Performance.
2.  We started a class Twitter account and communicated with other classrooms.
3.  We started a Twitter account and Facebook Page for parents to follow.
4.  Musically, students in kindergarten built a solid foundation for rhythm reading.
5.  We spent more time on recorder in 4th grade and more students received their black belt

Disappointments
1.  I need to focus on building relationships with all of  my students.
2.  I need to take better care of myself, so that I am able to handle frustrations in a better manner.
3.  I need to remember what I have learned through the Love and Logic Training.
4.  I need to take a deep breath and focus on the things that are really important.
5.  I need to remember that my job is to teach students, therefore they have to make mistakes or I have nothing to teach.
6. I did not stay as organized as I should have been.
7.  I need to stop taking things so personally.


What was your biggest success from this year?  What challenged you the most?  Thank you for reading.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Day 278: Grades

Daily Blog Challenge Day 278/365

This past week was our last week of school. Grades were due Tuesday and Wednesday thru Friday were filled with assemblies and dun days. It felt like we were babysitters. The theory seemed to be there are no grades so we cannot really do anything academically, which adds to the argument that grades are not very useful.

I am afraid we are teaching our children that they should only put forth effort if there is a grade or a punishment for not doing the work. We are also training our children that learning is a one time race. Having a growth mindset will lead to future success. There is no finish line when it comes to learning.

How do you help teach your students to focus on the process instead of the end result? How do you handle grades in your classroom, so they do not become the predominant focus?

Thank you for reading.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Day 277: Being Present

Daily Blog Challenge Day 277/365

I spent a portion of my night reading "One Decision" by Judith Wright. I have been slowly working my way thru this book and I am on a mission to finish it soon. One of the chapters I read tonight was about being present and living life in the moment.

Today I found myself very short on patience. Call it waking up on the wrong side of the bed or being cranky, but either way I was not able to positively handle many situations with my students today with out becoming annoyed. I experience these days throughout the year and I believe they are a common experience among teachers. The fact that we only have eight days left of school does not make it any easier. 

The book gave many examples of the frustrations that accur when we try to multitask our way through life. Upon reflection, I realized that this is why I become annoyed with my students. I am not truly present and I am not dealing with them in the moment.  Between an ever growing to do list and students who seem needy, it can be exhausting to deal with it all. In the end, my students deserve my attention and I believe many of the challenges I face in class would disappear if I would force myself to fully pay attention to my students. This is a painful realization to have, but in the end it will be positive. 

How do you stay in the moment? 

Thank you for reading. 

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Day 276: IFTTT (If This Than That)

Daily Blog Challenge Day 276/365

Technology Tuesday

IFTTT (If This Than That) is my new favorite app.  The program allows you to automate actions.  I use it to post messages on my classroom Facebook account (all I have to do is tweet using specified hashtags).  This allows me to post in two places while only actually writing once.  I also use it to send e-mail subscriptions to my Evernote.  My favorite part of this program at the moment is that all of my Twitter Favorites and Facebook Links are automatically sent to Evernote, which allows me to organize and search for different notes.

My IFTTT Profile

How do you use IFTTT?  What are your favorite recipes?  Thank you for reading.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Day 275: Softball: Pre-Season Reflection Form (Material Monday)

Daily Blog Challenge Day 275/365

Material Monday

I have realized over the years that being reflective is easy for me. I have also realized the more I teach that this is not a given behavior for all people. I am trying to help instil this skill in my students and players. One way I hope to help teach this is to have them fill out a form at the beginning of the season. I have found it is much easier to be successful in any endeavor if I am focused and concrete about what I am working on and trying to accomplish. It is also important to look at the details because sometimes the big picture can become overwhelming.

AFC Lady Raider Pre-Season Reflection Form
What areas/skills do you feel are your strengths?

Why do you believe this? 


What areas/skills do you believe are weak?

Why do you believe this? 


What are you team goals for this season?

What do you believe we need to do in order to achieve these goals?


What are you individual goals for this season?

What do you believe you need to do in order to achieve these goals? 


Do you use written reflection forms as a teacher or a coach? I would love to hear about how you implement them into your program. Thank you for reading. 

Day 275: Question Door (Updated Idea) (Material Monday)

Daily Blog Challenge Day 275/365

Material Monday

Towards the end of last school year I came across the idea of a question wall: a place inside the classroom where students could ask and respond to questions.  Due to lack of wall space, I turned the inside of my door into the "Question Door" and I included post it notes so students could write their questions/answers.
This year, after a discussion on Twitter, I decided to cover my door with paper and allow my students to write on the entire door.  I am excited to read their questions and to see where they take the opportunity. Last year I learned a lot from their questions.

Do you have a space in your room where students can share their ideas? I would love to hear how you have it setup.

Thank you for reading.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Day 274: Sports Reporter Season Wrap Up

Daily Blog Challenge Day 274/365

AFC Lady Raiders finished the 2014 Softball Season with a 10-1 loss to Milledgeville in the first round of regionals.  Despite having eight base runners, the Lady Raiders were only able to score one run.  The lone Raider hit of the game came from LM.  The Lady Raiders finished the season 4-20.  Highlights from the season include hitting three home runs (BN, CK and LM), beating Durand in ten innings, having a pitching staff with a 1.42 ERA and having a player, LM, named Athlete of the Week.  Individually, three AFC Season Records were tied or broken and three more records came very close to being rewritten.  CK tied the doubles record with 8.  She also set the records for highest batting average at .406 and lowest ERA at .799.  The Lady Raider Coaching Staff is proud of the improvement the team made throughout the year and looks forward to continuing that growth during the 2015 season.