European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 27, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes education wednesday april 27, 1994 principal practices successful principle Berlin school chief named Best in Dodds a x to Vic 5 r m enormously proud and grateful for the recognition not Only of me., but of the importance of educators to our society and our children Ynez Olshausen. Dodds principal of the year by Jimi Jones education writer Berlin for the past three years Ynez Olshausen has been doing what she Calls tier dream Job. I Don t think i be had a better experience As an Edu Cator than i be enjoyed Here said the Berlin Elemen tary school principal who was recently named to principal for the military overseas school system. It s not without problems. But the people with whom i work teachers parents the military Community All Are committed to addressing a problem. With that kind of attitude anything is possible the rewards of the Job Olshausen said come from seeing the results of pushing people toward Success. Most of my work is about people helping them to move in the direction of their Ideal vision of themselves she said. Whatever i do As a Leader to help big people or Little people move to Ward competence. And really holding them to that expectation that they can grow get better is what my work is  to s always looking for new and innovative ways of getting student involved in their education and bringing parents into the education of their students superintendent Gene Knud Sert and a Strong builder of Community relations. There Are problems and frictions that we Are always going to have but at the same time it s an Opportunity for problem solving Olshausen said. With that emphasis everything becomes a learning situation rather than an oppor Unity for blame. That kind of positive slant. Changes the whole game and makes for a positive  every student and teacher deserves to experience the Joy and excitement of learning and mastering she said. Many educators. Measure their own Success by the growth of others. That s our  her Best moments come when teachers talk about the Success of a student with whom they have struggled. Where a teacher has not Given up on a Stu. Dent and that student has Learned grown and succeeded. Those Are the Little victories and Why we do  joining the overseas school system in 1979 from san Francisco Olshausen made her Way through the ranks from a special education teacher to education program Olshausen was chosen the principal of the year for manager at a Large school to the no greater juggling the department of defense dependents schools out of More than 200 schools in 18 countries. She was recognized for her willingness to take risks while managing her school As Well As her ability to work with teachers parents and students. She is a change agent said Gene Knudsen superintendent of the Hanau District under which Olshausen s school Falls. The principal is the kind of person who can take a look at a situation and determine a direction and then is Able to convince others that this could be to All of our Benefit the kind of person Dodds is looking for so that enthusiasm can be transferred to students and make learning  one key to Olshausen s Success is her openness and willingness to work with others Knudsen said. She s always looking for new and innovative ways of getting students involved in their education and bring ing parents into the education of their students Knudsen said. Knudsen described Olshausen As a problem solver act of running a Small school to her 1991 assignment to her dream  Berlin elementary educates just Over 600 pupils. It closes in june because of the military draw Down in Europe. Being named principal of the year is a magnificent moment she said. I m enormously proud and grate Ful for the recognition not Only of me but of the importance of educators to our society and our Chil Dren said Olshausen the Mother of two adult Chil Dren a first lieutenant daughter who is an air Force c-141 Pilot and a son who is a College senior. Our profession has not gotten the acknowledge ment that it deserves she said. But we Are getting better at affirming ourselves and each other she said. I m very blessed to work with a group of colleagues who Are really cheerleaders for each other who encourage each other to reach out get up when we get knocked Down and learn from each other. We Are a Community in that sense  arts fest puts pc ref Brushstroke on i5-y6ar Era by Nancy l. Torner  Raf Alconbury England this is the final year for the annual Young at arts festival which has attracted 1,000 Youthful participants this Spring from overseas military schools across the Atlantic Region. The Region in the department of defense dependents schools no longer will exist next year and instead will become part of Dodds Europe. The school sys tem s 15th, and final arts festival which started sat urday ends today at Raf Alconbury High school. This is the end of a wonderful Era and the genesis of another Georgia Williams Scaife director of the Atlantic Region wrote in a letter to arts festival  the beginning to the end of our festive 15 years the successes of each of the Young at arts Festi Vals have been As growth rings on a tree Williams Scaife said. The purpose of the arts festivals has been in part to celebrate both performance and visual arts said Jean Grant Dodds visual arts coordinator. Young people in All Grade Levels have participated each year she said. V they get a lot of self Confidence through this whole process Grant said. The festival has consisted of a series of arts workshops where pupils have been taught about their particular areas of interest by either american or for eign arts professionals Grant said. This year s workshops included mime dance move ment coordination dramatics theater visual aware ness1 and music. Travel and space constraints have prohibited Many interested pupils from participating in person each year particularly when they Are in schools far from England such As the Netherlands and Iceland Grant said. However visual artists have been Able to submit paintings for display at the festival even when they themselves have been unable to attend. Each school has been responsible for selecting its own festival participants based on Talent and interest Grant said. Because the festival has been held at a Dif Ferent school each year most interested pupils have been Able to attend the festival at one time or another she said. Although this is the last year of the festival Grant said she and others in the Atlantic Region Are pleased with congressional support for arts education in Public schools. The House and Senate recently adopted part of the 2000 educate America act that designates the arts As part of the Core curriculum in Public schools rather than As elective courses of study As they have been in the past. Our children possess the potential to be and do great things Williams Scaife said. It is through the arts that they learn to communicate with passion optimism sophistication intricacy discernment and refinement she said. They learn to be critical adjudicators and keen historians. Their perceptiveness about the subtleties with in their surroundings becomes finely honed she said and their attitudes toward themselves and others Are steadily  Job fairs planned at Sites in Germany Wiesbaden Germany is the Mili tary overseas school system will hold its second annual set of Job information fairs for teachers at three Sites in Germany starting monday and run Ning through May 3. The Job fairs provide information about state Side teaching opportunities and alternative certification programs. Representatives include the South Carolina Center for teacher recruitment the Region in education Center of Houston the Broward county Public schools fort Lauderdale Fla. And defense department Section 6 schools. In formation from other stateside districts will be provided As handouts at each site. Additionally a representative from the fast track teacher training program in the czech Republic May also attend to provide information about teaching institutions there. More than 500 teachers attended the first Edu Cator Job fair last year and several teachers received on the spot Job offers according to Hay Den Home Dodds Germany personnel director. Job fairs will be at the following locations Dodds Europe conference Center april 30,10 a.m.-4 p.m., Mainz Kastel building 4003. Wurzburg High school May 1, 10 a,m.-4 p.m., Leighton Barracks. Berlin elementary school May 3, 3 p.m.-8p.m. Additional information is available from Hay Den Home at Dan 338-7661 or civilian 0611-380-7661