IRSD Spotlight

David Maull

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Indian River School District Podcast

FEB 4

Episode 99 : Functional Behavior Assessment

In order to regulate and manage a child’s behavior in the classroom, it’s often imperative to find out why certain behaviors are occurring in the first place. In the Indian River School District, this done using tools such as Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans. In the latest in our series of special education-themed episodes, IRSD Director of Special Education Melissa Whisted and Supervisor of Special Education Patricia Harris stop by to discuss the district’s strategies for managing problem behavior in the classroom.

17 min
JAN 15

Episode 98: Hailey Mack, Miss Delaware

Hailey Mack is a 2024 graduate of Indian River High School and the current Miss Delaware title holder. In September, she competed in the Miss America Pageant in Orlando, Florida. Hailey joins us to discuss her experience as Miss Delaware, her “Shoot for the Stars” platform and how her experience in the Indian River School District helped shape her college and career goals.

14 min
12/03/2025

Episode 97: Alphabet Soup in Special Education

In the world of public education, there are acronyms galore. But perhaps nowhere are those acronyms more prevalent, and important, than in the realm of special education. Melissa Whisted, IRSD Director of Special Education, and Patricia Harris, Supervisor of Special Education, explain the meaning behind terms such as IDEA, FAPE and IEP.

14 min
10/10/2025

Episode 96: Tales of Athletic Glory

Stefanie McElhinny, Sam O’Shields and Jesse Steele have all experienced glory on the athletic field. In this episode, we hear their stories.

51 min
08/28/2025

Episode 95: Back to School, Part 2 – Meet Your New Administrators

In this episode, we speak with four administrators – Renee Jerns, Jenna Argo, Corey Dietrich and Kristina Gosnell – who are moving into new positions for the 2025-2026 school year.

47 min
08/21/2025

Episode 94: Back to School, Part 1 - The New Sussex Centra High School

It took five years, a global pandemic, extensive value engineering and a lot of uncertainty, but the new Sussex Central High School is finally ready to open its doors to students, staff and the community. In our first back-to-school episode for 2025-2026, we speak with two people for whom the opening of the new school has special meaning.

20 min
05/29/2025

Episode 93: Co-Teaching

On the surface, the concept of co-teaching seems rather straight-forward and self-explanatory. But the concept is much more layered and nuanced than you might think. It’s also a key component of the Indian River School District’s special education services. Melissa Whisted and Patricia Harris explain the practice of co-teaching for IRSD families.

12 min
05/19/2025

Episode 92: Amanda Howard, IRSD Teacher of the Year

Amanda Howard has been a kindergarten teacher at Long Neck Elementary School for the past 11 years and it has been the fulfillment of a life-long dream. On May 8, she received the Indian River School District’s highest teaching honor when she was named IRSD Teacher of the Year for 2025-2026. Amanda's enthusiasm for teaching kindergarten is infectious, engaging and funny. And according to many of her colleagues, she possesses all of the qualities of a truly gifted educator.

23 min
03/17/2025

Episode 91: Inclusion

Students with disabilities have many more educational opportunities than they did several decades ago. One of those opportunities is inclusion, the practice of having special education students learn in the same classroom as their typical, general education peers. Since gaining traction in the 1990s, inclusion is now standard practice in most school systems and the benefits have been far-reaching.

19 min
02/05/2025

Episode 90: What Are We Going To Do About AI?

AI, or “Artificial Intelligence,” is a topic that has become increasingly prevalent in our society. It’s been the subject of numerous media reports, of intense debate in the educational community and even of a hilarious Saturday Night Live sketch. Jeff Kilner, IRSD instructional technology specialist, is an expert on AI at both the local and national levels. Recently, he conducted an AI seminar for district secondary teachers that informative, funny and even a bit disturbing. In this episode, he stops by to discuss AI’s benefits and drawbacks and what parents should know about this technology. (Saturday Night Live audio courtesy of NBC Universal Media, LLC 2024.)

34 min

10 Episodes

Indian River School District Podcast

Creator

David Maull
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

10
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright David Maull
Show Website

IRSD Spotlight