Sheila (Hays) Powell ’71

Swede Spotlight

by Jill Fishburn

in Curriculum and Design from Wichita State University. She said,

If you had told Sheila (Hays) Powell ’71 that she would one day be part of a large network of training students to mentor and coach other students, she might have said, “no way.” While she started as an Elementary Education major at Bethany, she decided teaching was not for her and earned her degree in German with a minor in Spanish. She obtained her teaching degree from what was then called the KCAC Cooperative Urban Teaching Education (CUTE) in 1972. Still, she spent 17 years in the traveling tourism field, where her Liberal Arts education exposed her to areas such as art and music and helped inform how she handled travelers during her career. In 1999, she received her Master’s degree

“Bethany did have a role in me later pursuing endeavors in the education field as Dr. Gladys Peterson planted seeds about cooperative learning and centers that I never forgot.”

In 2004, three teachers at Wichita East High School approached her and the school counselor asking for help. Their school had a huge influx of ESL students whose educational needs were not being met. After examining the shortage of teachers, resources, and funding, one teacher asked what they did have in surplus. The answer was we have a surplus of students. Their collective decision was to use their students to improve the educational experience.

Powell said the book and training program “Adaptive Schools” helped them recognize how they might change the culture and look at doing things differently. They implemented the program, and Powell recruited and trained students to coach and encourage others to build confidence and problem-solving skills. Instantly, students who had or had nearly given up began improving. Others, who were not leaders elsewhere, could gain skills while helping fellow students. Teachers’ stress decreased, and Powell saw several student coaches pursue teaching careers because of their success as self-directed learners and leaders. She asked, “God if you want me to do something else with this, open a door.”

Powell was instrumental in working on the district level, training others, and bringing the program to multiple schools in her district and the surrounding area. She retired in 2017, with seven high schools and three middle schools in the Wichita area still utilizing this program today.

“We must adapt and be open to where our path leads us. Rarely do people do one thing in their career, but we do many things over the course of our lives if we are willing to pause and listen.”