🎙️ Back to School with Dr. Brennan Asplen: A Look at the 2026–2027 School Year A new school year brings new opportunities, new challenges, and plenty to talk about; and who better to give us an inside look than St. Johns County School District Superintendent Dr. Brennan Asplen? In Episode 24 of The INK! Podcast:…
🎙️ New Episode of The INK! Podcast: How Mentors Change Lives Sometimes, one caring adult can make all the difference in a young person’s life. In the newest episode of The INK! Podcast, Episode 23: How Mentors Change Lives, hosts Ian MacDonald and Jim Wheeler explore the powerful role mentors play in helping students build…
🎙️ New Episode of The INK! Podcast: A Year of Impact Across St. Johns County Schools The newest episode of The INK! Podcast is now live! Join hosts Ian MacDonald and Jim Wheeler as they look back on an extraordinary year of impact, innovation, and community support across St. Johns County Schools. From celebrating another…
🎙️New Episode of the INK! Podcast: Accelerating Student Success in St. Johns County – Expanding Opportunities for Every Student We are excited to share the latest episode of The INK! Podcast—highlighting how the St. Johns County School District is creating more opportunities for students to thrive through accelerated learning. In Episode 21: Leveling Up Learning:…
🎙️New Podcast Episode: A Conversation with 2026 Teacher of the Year, Sabina Atic We’re excited to share a brand-new episode of The INK! Podcast, where we spotlight extraordinary educators and celebrate the impact they have on students and our community. In Episode 20: Honoring Excellence: A Conversation with 2026 St. Johns County Teacher of the…
🎙️New Podcast Episode: Community First Credit Union & INK! Supporting Local Educators & Students We are excited to announce the release of the latest episode of the INK! podcast — now live! In this episode, we sit down with Missy Peters and Sabrina Papovitch from Community First Credit Union to explore their deep commitment to…
🎙️Ready to Learn: Why Early Literacy Matters A conversation with Dawn Sapp, Deputy Superintendent of Academic Services In Episode 18 of the INK! Podcast, Dawn Sapp, Deputy Superintendent of Academic Services, joins our hosts to dive deep into the vital topic of literacy and reading readiness. The discussion takes us beyond simply learning to read…
🎙️ New Episode Alert: “Leading the Way: Superintendent Asplen Reflects on the Start of the School Year and What’s Ahead” We’re excited to share the latest episode of The INK! Podcast, where we sit down with Superintendent Asplen to look back on the start of this school year and discuss what’s coming next for St.…
🎙️ INK! Podcast Episode 16: Running and Readiness – Jail Break 5K & Tools 4 Schools We’re excited to announce that Episode 16 of the INK! Podcast is now live! In this episode, Running and Readiness: INK!’s Jail Break 5K & Tools 4 Schools, we shine a spotlight on two of INK!’s signature programs that…
🎙️ Episode 15: Meet the new St. Johns County School District Superintendent, Dr. Brennan Asplen Leading the St. Johns County School District Into the Future We’re thrilled to share the latest episode of The INK! Podcast, where we sit down with Dr. Brennan Asplen, Superintendent of the St. Johns County School District. In this enlightening conversation,…
During the November 2024 election, St. Johns County voters have the opportunity to support their local schools with 2 important votes. Early voting began in St. Johns County on Monday, October 21. There are 2 critical votes on the ballot that directly impact St. Johns County Schools and our students. The INK! Team sat down…
Today is World Mental Health Day. Today, October 10, is a day is to raise awareness of mental health and drive positive change in support of mental health. A simple conversation can make a huge difference to someone who is struggling with their mental health. Check in with a friend, colleague, or family member, and…
In this episode, Ian and Cathy speak with Teresa Andrews, Director of Fund Development at EPIC Behavioral Healthcare, and Emma Benoit, a suicide survivor who shares her story to inspire hope and change. In August, INK! and EPIC partnered with the St. Johns County School District (SJCSD) and local mental and behavioral health providers to…
In this episode of The INK! Podcast, St. Johns County School District Superintendent Mr. Tim Forson sits down with Ian and Jim to share an update on the start of the 2024-2025 school year. Tune in to hear more about new school openings, FAST progress monitoring, school grades and Career Academies! This August, the St.…
In this episode, Jim and Ian are joined by Marci Poston, Director of Take Stock In Children Program, to talk about this unique statewide program and all the latest happenings within the program. Some key takeaways from this episode are that every student’s path is unique and a mentor’s influence and support in guiding a…
 Episode 10 of the INK! Podcast has dropped and it’s FLY! In this episode, Ian MacDonald and Jim Wheeler speak with Mary Alice Hayes, INK!’s Five Learning Years (FLY) Program Director about the importance of literacy success for our youngest students in Pre-K, Kindergarten and First grade. Since 2015, the FLY Program has helped…
Check out Episode 8 of the INK! Podcast! In this episode of The INK! Podcast, Jim Wheeler and Ian MacDonald speak with Superintended of School Tim Forson about the start of the 2023-2024 School Year. Hear from Mr. Forson about the smooth start to this year, FAST progress monitoring, and universal vouchers. Mr. Forson shared…
Free Money Time! College and post-secondary education costs money! That’s a fact. Episode 7 of the INK! Podcast has dropped. In this episode of The INK! Podcast, Jim Wheeler and Ian MacDonald talk about free money (a.k.a. scholarship opportunities) for graduating seniors and a new online application portal that will streamline the process for a…
 Check out Episode 6 of the INK! Podcast on Spotify or your favorite podcast service. In this episode, Ian MacDonald and Cathy Newman speak with Andrew Burk, 2022 St. Johns County District Teacher of the Year, and Kaitlyn Holle, 2022 St. Johns County Rookie Teacher of the Year, about what it means to be…
Episode 5 of the INK! Podcast is now available to stream on Spotify (or on your favorite podcast service). In this episode, Ian MacDonald and Jim Wheeler speak with Donna Lueders, INK! Executive Director, and Nick Reuther, Beaver Toyota St. Augustine General Manager about the recent 2X Match Campaign Beaver Toyota and INK! partnered to…
The newest episode of the INK! Podcast is now available to stream on Spotify (or your favorite podcast service). In this episode, INK! supporter Ian MacDonald and INK! Operations and Student Programs Director, Jim Wheeler, speak with St. Johns County Superintendent of Schools, Tim Forson. Mr. Forson shares some highlights from the first few weeks…