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Sheri Modderman: Blue-ribbon resolve

Recent doctoral graduate leads one of nation’s best elementary schools

By C. Brandon Chapman
May 29, 2024

Deer Park Elementary School in Montana is located on Middle Road, which makes sense since it’s actually located in the middle of nowhere.

Taking a trip to the big town would mean driving 15 minutes up the road to Columbia Falls. And then you’re still in the middle of nowhere.

So, to say the school is off the beaten path is like saying water is wet and a bear does you-know-what in the woods.

Yes, it has indoor plumbing. Yes, it has modern electricity.

And, yes, despite its inauspicious travel location, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) is paying attention, but not because of the scenic beauty. Or, perhaps, not just because of the scenic beauty.

This last September, the ED recognized 353 schools around the nation as Blue Ribbon Schools.

One of those is Deer Park Elementary School.

The national award is given as a recognition to both public and private K-12 schools and is based on overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Exemplary schools have state assessments where its students score in the top 15 percent in mathematics and English.

Not surprisingly, the bulk of these 353 schools came from more populated states, such as California (33), Texas (29), New York (22), Illinois (20), and Ohio (19).

Only three came from Montana. For context, Washington had two: Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Seattle and Apple Valley Elementary School in Yakima.

So, to be one of only three schools in the whole state is impressive and exciting for principal Sheri Modderman.

“The Deer Park School District is only three-square miles in size with one of the lowest tax bases in the area and we have to get creative and make do with a very small budget,” Sheri says. “The recognition for all that hard work and effort is extremely rewarding.

Its differentiator matters

As it turns out, it may very well be the size of the school and the isolation that has helped create the kind of environment where the recognition was possible.

“My favorite thing is how small a community it is,” Sheri says. “Everyone knows everyone, and we have some families that have been going to this school for four generations or more. I love that we are located away from everything, and we are a very rural community.

“Much of our success is our small-town approach to things and because of how tightly knit the school community is.”

Deer Park is a Title I school with a high number of students from low-income families, qualified for free or reduced lunches. Where a budget is small and a school is rural, all educators must wear many hats. That helps them to get to know the students – each and every one of them.

“We are extremely focused on individualized learning as much as possible,” Sheri says. “We ‘see’ every student and no student falls through the cracks.

“The middle school teachers take on mentoring roles with the students that need a little extra push or motivation or attention. We also have a very active and involved school counselor who engages students with student council and making the school day fun.”

It’s not just others. It’s also Sheri herself.

“My favorite thing is that I have opportunities to interact with students at all grade levels and for a variety of reasons,” she says. “I often cover lunch and recess duties and I teach a couple of middle school classes a week as well due to a staffing shortage. I love that they are not afraid to talk to me and say hi.”

A College of Ed connection

It’s all well and good that Deer Park has won this award. A sincere congrats to them. But why would the College of Education care to share a story about a small elementary school in Big Sky country?

Well, that same Sheri Modderman who is the principal extraordinaire of Deer Park Elementary School, also happened to be a doctoral student in the college’s Special Education program for the last handful of years.

She was already an accomplished educator before starting the program in 2016. She had a B.S. in Sociology and a B.A. in English from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. She had a post-baccalaureate professional degree in Elementary Education from the University of Nevada Reno. She had a master’s degree in Special Education from Eastern Washington University.

But she didn’t have a Ph.D. with a strong research focus. That’s what she was working on.

But not anymore. Not this year. On May 1, in Cleveland Hall’s conference room, surrounded by key faculty and people joining in by video stream, Sheri successfully defended her dissertation.

In addition to calling it “surreal,” Sheri says she has worked on the doctorate for so long she can’t remember what life was life before she started.

“I find myself wandering around wondering what I should do with my time,” she jokes.

From the moment she started the program, Sheri was particularly interested in researching students with learning disabilities and how teachers respond to them and interact with them in the classroom.

“These students’ academic engagement and outcomes are not always favorable and teachers are often unprepared to present curricula in a way that is engaging and accessible for students at every skill level,” Sheri shared with the committee and observers. “Further, while teachers’ attitudes and perceptions of students with mild disabilities were positive, they expressed frustration with a lack of support and proper training.”

To do this demanding doctoral program, Sheri lived in Pullman for the first two years of her studies. It was hard, yet she calls it a highlight.

“Though I moved away from my family during that time, we never went more than two weeks without them visiting me or me going home,” she says. “But when they visited, we went to WSU footballs games or basketball games. Some of my family’s and my best memories are from that time. Those weekends with my families got me through hard parts when I was living away from them.”

Pride cometh before… the finish

While being away from home is hard enough, the third year was arguably even harder as she was granted a teaching assistantship for inclusion courses in the college’s elementary education program. That meant she commuted back and forth between Pullman and Northwestern Montana.

But none of that was as hard as simply being back home and needing to work on prelims and her dissertation. Precisely because she was at home.

My motivation was low,” Sheri admits.

Not only was she working, but her kids were busy with high school sports and other events.

“Writing and researching were the last things I wanted to do,” she explains.

That’s where many people might quit. And certainly Sheri could have done that. But her obstinance – dare we say pride – disallowed that. But it’s not actually our choice of words, it’s hers.

“I got through by remembering what we all went through to get me to that point and I had too much pride to tell people that I didn’t or couldn’t finish.”

So, she continued to plug away at her research while also working. While the commute didn’t exist like it did before, life was still a grind.

“I don’t always balance it well, but I focus on my doctoral life after school and on the weekends, and, let me tell you… burnout is real,” she says emphatically. “My family has taken over most of the household duties and chores and it’s been a family effort to get me through this program. If I didn’t have a family willing to take some of the home duties off my plate, it would definitely be a lot harder.”

And therein lies the experience that Sheri can parlay into morsels of wisdom to share with others, be it new doctoral students or new principals – or those who are also doing both.

“My one piece of advice would be to give yourself time to learn and adjust and don’t beat yourself up over things,” she says. “It’s a big job to learn and is all encompassing. Give yourself a little grace and a big learning curve.”

In the end, Sheri says the late nights, tired eyes, and long drives have made her a better educator.

“I have learned so much about teaching and instruction during my program that I have been able to pass along to my teaching staff,” she says. “It has made me a better evaluator when doing teacher evaluations and it has also made me more tolerant to other ways of doing things.

“I’ve had to learn that while a teacher might be doing something that I wouldn’t do, that doesn’t make it the wrong thing.”

In November, Sheri and Deer Park’s Title I coordinator Pam Clark traveled to Washington D.C. to receive the national blue-ribbon recognition. Sheri says it was an amazing trip.

“We didn’t have a lot of down time, but my friend and colleague and I were able to go to the National Mall and Washington Monument,” she says. “We were able to walk through and see all the war memorials and the Lincoln Memorial. Washington D.C. was a bit overwhelming for a girl who lives in rural Montana.”

But fun aside, the recognition itself humbles Sheri, especially since her small school was included with so many large ones.

“The best part though was getting texts following our time on stage from teachers who were watching the livestream with their classes. The 2nd-grade class sent an adorable video of the class watching and then cheering when we crossed the stage to accept the award.

“We know what we do every day is worthwhile and important, but it’s great to know that others see that as well. It’s very validating.”

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They said it…

“Sheri’s commitment to individualized learning and research on educators’ knowledge of Universal Design for Learning and their attitudes and perceptions about students with disabilities showcase her impact on the field. Her journey exemplifies dedication and passion for education, and demonstrates a genuine love for teaching!” —Marcus Poppen