By Sahar Chmais
From the classroom to the community, Regina Butcher’s career created a rippling effect through the involvement of arts and nature in every class at her school.
Butcher, principal at the Susie Fuentes Elementary school, boiled her career down into two of her proudest achievements – the arts and nature. The two pillars Butcher involved in teaching young developing minds were her key to success, and after 12 years she is passing the torch on for a new foundation.
“There are so many schools with STEM education,” Butcher said, “but at the elementary level we have to engage kids and motivate them to come to school and stay in school. Part of building the whole child is recognizing what the arts bring to the child’s life.”
Focusing on the arts does not mean creating more art classes, but means involving them in math, science, writing and making room for free after-school programs. Not all parents have the money to sign their children up for dance lessons, and some could not drive them after school, so Butcher extended the programs.
That was not all Butcher offered her students. About a decade ago, she had a vision on how to teach children a standard of environmental responsibility and brought in a recycling and composting program.
Fuentes Elementary became the first school in the district to do single-stream recycling and composting. The students had influence on their parents and the community.
Two years later, the City of Kyle adopted single-stream recycling.
Butcher’s effects spanned beyond the local spectrum. When the green initiative in schools was not as popular, Butcher travelled around the nation about 10 years ago to speak at the National Green Conference in Education.
Students also learned about saving electricity and before going on holiday, they would search the classrooms to make sure nothing would use too much electricity. They took that initiative home, Butcher said.
All of these efforts were student-led so they could become part of the children’s lifestyles, Butcher explained.
After Butcher laid down the blueprints for these long-lasting habits, she decided it was time for someone new to bring in their ideas for future students. Shay Howard, the assistant principal, will be filling in as the new principal beginning next year.
Butcher passed down some advice and broke it down into three L’s. The first is living the life of a principal by knowing the community, students, staff and parents.
“To be an effective principal, you have to build the trust of the community and do so by being there for a long time,” Butcher said.
The second piece is knowing the limitless possibilities of achievement in success. Principals have to have that belief in every child, she explained.
Lastly, a principal has to lead with confidence, learn new ways of doing things, listen, love and laugh.
While these virtues are important for a principal, Butcher will carry them into her personal life after retirement. She will continue to focus on children and nature even after she leaves her 30-year-old career.
“I am going to spend more time with my daughters and grandchildren,” Butcher said of the future. “I am an avid camper and naturalist. I’m very devoted to our state and national parks.”
Butcher said she will take every opportunity she can to go camping. She has scheduled trips for next year.
But education is not completely out of her life either.
Years ago, Butcher worked with dog trainers and brought a trained seeing eye dog as a reading buddy to the school. The program eventually dissolved, but she hopes to bring it back by training dogs and bringing them into the school.
“From the day I stepped on campus, I knew it was home and wanted to stay here for the rest of my career,” Butcher told the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch. Even when she leaves, Butcher will never truly say goodbye to the home she nested in.
