Committed to Serving Children

FPCS Armstrong

Melissa Isbell, Business Manager

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I love what I do and who I do it for. If I’m having a busy and stressful day, I can go into a kindergarten classroom and the young students just light me up right away

Can you talk about the journey to your current position?

I’m the Business Service Manager here at Friendship Armstrong Academy and I’ve been with Friendship Public Charter School since 2004. I had one brief hiatus when I left for two years and went to another charter school but I came back.
 
And when I did, I was greeted with open arms. I felt like I was coming home. I have filled so many different roles in this organization, from Office Assistant and In-School Suspension Coordinator to Office and Business manager. It’s been a wonderful journey and I’m excited to still be with the organization.
 
What do you like most about what you do?

I’m a “behind-the-scenes” kind of person. I like to make sure that the teachers have everything they need. It makes me happy when everything comes together smoothly, resulting in a meaningful program or aesthetically pleasing building.
 
It sounds like you have to be very organized in your position. Do you have any strategies for anyone who wants to become more organized? 

It is crucial to keep an up-to-date schedule. As a Business Manager, I work closely with Human Resources, Finance, and Maintenance. All of my tasks are organized by day: I complete finance-related tasks on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and I do purchasing for the building, events, and field trips on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Being at a school, of course, things always come up, so I have to stay flexible.

What do you like about Friendship?

Friendship is family to me. When I didn’t have that at my other school, I missed it. People check in with you and ask you what you need. We work together. Even CEO Brantley knew when my mom had been sick and checked in with me. That makes you feel important and it is not just about the job.
 
Business Managers across the network have monthly meetings where we check in with each other and others that we work closely with. If I don’t have something, Mr. Cotton might have it. We share different documents that are useful for each other. I never have to be scared that I don’t know how to do something because there’s always someone here to help me with the task. That sense of support feels good. Even Community Office staff help my day-to-day work. I appreciate people like Dee Sule, Morgan Sydnor, and Latrell Watson. Even in our leadership meetings at Armstrong, we have people who are really good with the planning, while others are good with scheduling—everyone brings their unique strengths to the table.
 
When I go to recruitment fairs, I explain to candidates how Armstrong is a great place to work. We have a wonderful Reggio Center and a new robust Performing Arts program. Also, we are centrally located in the city. Students come from all over D.C., from Ward 1 to Ward 8. It’s a great community, and parents love coming into the classroom to talk with our teachers. We have an open-door policy, which really works here.
 

I know you manage the Friendship Armstrong Facebook page, and you do a really awesome job at that, but I was wondering if you have any suggestions for any other school that wants to expand their online presence? 

I started managing Friendship’s Facebook page when I was at Friendship Southeast. Soon after the page was created, we had our first-ever earthquake here in D.C. The phones were down, but some people could still access their social media accounts, so teachers used it to send messages through social media. I started it because our parents, in this age of information, are always on social media. I try to post at least once a day – even on weekends. A lot of people think, “Wow, Ms. Isbell, you are always taking pictures,” but it is the teachers that take the pictures and share them each day. They share beautiful photos and videos from their phones, which I then post to our Armstrong pages; we’re on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter (follow us!). We tell teachers, “If you’re doing something great in your classroom, share it.” Our principal, Ms. Cowan, also walks around and takes a lot of photos of great instruction and activities. We seek multiple means of letting parents know what we’re doing in the building. If you send messages in bookbags, a week later, you’ll open the bag to see it still there. The day of paper is over.
 
Parents like to stay in touch this way and they like sending private messages, especially during winter when there are school closings. They’ll ask, “Have you heard anything yet?” They know we’ll post updates as soon as we get the news.
Is there anything that I haven’t asked that you want to be sure to include in your spotlight?

I have had a lot of mentors along the way, including Ms. Brantley, Mr. Speight, Mrs. Bhegani, and Mr. Waller – all amazing people that I’ve worked very closely with. They give me support where I need it, and the support factor is really important for me. This is another reason I came back. I also enjoy the new support systems from Armstrong such as Principal Cowan, Mr. Harris, and Ms. Hayden.
 
I work to be a support to other people, too. I want to be positive, supportive, and make this a great place to work. I am just working on my facial expressions. 
 
I love what I do and who I do it for. If I’m having a busy and stressful day, I can go into a kindergarten classroom and the young students just light me up right away. My office is filled with drawings from kids who drew me something saying, “Ms. Isbell, we thought of you!” I’m the Business Manager, so I’m not in front of them every day, but they make me feel like I’m a part of their education process. Most of my work is adult-based, but in a school it just brings me so much joy and pride to say, “Our kids are learning, and they’re learning because of something that I helped them get.” 
 
Is there a fun fact you would want to share that maybe your colleagues don’t know about you?

I’m a classically-trained opera singer, and I’ve been singing opera since I was 10 years old. I’ve been to Paris, France, Lucerne, Switzerland, and Munich, Germany. I’m especially excited for Armstrong to now be offering such a robust performing arts program. Also, I am not as hard on staff as others might think but don’t tell anyone.  

What have you learned during this temporary transition to online learning?

We all can learn new things and adapt. Our school community has come together in such a powerful way. Our parents love the interaction and the classroom work on Zoom and Google classrooms. I post on social media every day to share our new innovative ways to teach and connect. Even those of our teachers who aren’t as tech savvy have been learning with the support of colleagues and administrators. I believe we all have grown from this challenge. 

John Kenniebrew, Vocal Music Teacher

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Since I’m a music teacher, it will come as no surprise I would say this, but I really believe that music is much more than just an elective. This applies to all of the arts really, but especially to music. It is so central to everything that we do, whether we realize it or not. There is not a single person in the world who doesn’t like music.

What do you like about teaching vocal music?

Vocal music offers a million connections to other subjects. For example, having to learn about anatomy in order to perform certain vocal techniques is a science connection. Whether a student needs help singing with more volume or hitting their notes with more accuracy, knowing their body on a scientific level helps to lay out a roadmap. Through this connection, they learn how to employ the proper techniques at the proper time. A vocalist who can do this well is bound to be quite versatile, which leads to more performance opportunities.

We also do a lot of music reading, writing, and learning about history and famous composers, which all connect intricately to other subjects – math, ELA, social studies, and more.

How did you decide to become a music teacher?

Well, I started off singing in church and eventually pursued it more formally. By the 10th grade, I was taking voice lessons and singing in several choirs. I soon decided to pursue music beyond high school. So I enrolled at Howard University.

I primarily studied vocal jazz. Vocal arranging and writing for ensembles and choirs became a passion of mine. And, of course, I enjoyed performing as well, traveling all around the country and overseas. One of my favorites was a visit to the White House in 2013 to sing for the Obamas. That year, I returned to Howard to earn a master’s degree in music. As a graduate teaching assistant, I taught four or five courses at the undergrad level, and I really enjoyed giving voice lessons, teaching music theory, and preparing ensembles to perform. I saw what wonders music and academics could do and I was reminded of a time in my life when I had been a very bad student. I soon realized that my love of music had helped me to understand other subjects, which led to a great improvement academically. It was the only reason I was ever able to go to college and get good grades. So naturally, I discovered a love and respect for teaching music. I want to give someone else the opportunity to use music to better themselves, as I did.

It’s fair to say that I was a bad student. I probably would have ended up in college somewhere, but I might have landed in a field for which I lacked passion. It’s no exaggeration to say that I may not have finished college. If I had not had that introduction to a mind-opening view of music in high school, it would have changed everything. I have no idea what else I’d be doing right now.

You mentioned that you wanted to get into teaching because you wanted to ignite in students the same passion for music that you found. Do any examples come to mind from over the years?
One student, who is now in high school, first came to me as a sixth grader. She is the “poster child” for what hard work can accomplish–especially in music. While other students may have entered my class with more of a natural talent, she came in with an outstanding work ethic and a passion that was rare. By the time she graduated from eighth grade, she had learned how to do things with her voice that others had not. She had learned to listen to her own voice and how to respond to vocal instruction. This took her performance to a much higher level.

When I think about students like that, I realize how important it is for them to have these kinds of experiences. Now I’m fully confident that whether she goes into music full time or not, she is going to be that much better of a student and that much better of a person because she learned how to do something simple; to sing a song, and sing it well. That takes a lot.

Yeah, a lot of confidence I imagine.

Confidence, yes, but also a lot of higher-order thinking skills; knowing how to receive a critique, and how to deconstruct the performance. To apply the critique to one’s performance—to reinforce vocal techniques that are working and to adjust those that aren’t.

Is there something that I haven’t asked that you want to include in your spotlight?

Since I’m a music teacher, it will come as no surprise I would say this, but I really believe that music is much more than just an elective. This applies to all of the arts really, but especially to music. It is so central to everything that we do, whether we realize it or not. There is not a single person in the world who doesn’t like music. If you ask a hundred people, each will all have at least one genre of music they like. Music is all around us. And it’s not just for pleasure. Music has powerful functions. Who knows how long it would have taken me to memorize the 26 letters of the alphabet if they had not been taught to me in song? And Albert Einstein said that his theory of special relativity dawned on him while he had been pondering a beautiful orchestral arrangement. He was a musician, and a very good one at that. Modern theoretical physics wouldn’t be what it is today if he had not been one. A deep understanding of music enabled him to think about things from a different angle.

I love to see support and honor given to the arts, especially music, because it does so much for us. It’s not an “extra.” It’s something we could never do without.

What are your thoughts about the Friendship Arts program?

I’m so proud of Friendship for expanding its arts offerings! Before it was closed down, City Arts + Prep PCS was the only arts school in DC serving kids in grades Pre-K through 8th. The fact that Friendship has transplanted the entire arts team and many of the students is a testament to the vision of our leaders, which is just spot on. They can see something is working, they can see something is effective, they can see something that is changing lives, and they can see how good it is for Friendship to offer these opportunities and fill a void that was left by the closing of City Arts. The response has been great. Our kids and families that are so excited about the arts hub at Friendship Armstrong.

Is there a fun fact you would like to share?

One fun fact is that I performed as a contestant on a TV show, NBC’s “The Sing Off”, which was a competition-style show for singing groups back in 2011. That was a really fun experience and it is so surreal to be able to say I’ve performed on TV in front of millions of people. It was life-changing, to say the least.

Another fun fact is that I studied French for four years in middle/high school and then later and college. I feel almost as strongly about language as I feel about music; it opened up a lot of doors for me. My grasp of the English language grew immensely because I learned concepts in French which carried over to my mother tongue. It also aided my music studies; when you study classical music, you inevitably begin to learn music in other languages like French, Italian, Latin, etc.