Agent of Change Keeps Things in Sync on the Ice
NHA Communications TeamNHA Communications Team
Articles by NHA Communications Team
-
2 NHA Students Headed to Scripps National Spelling Bee
Published: Apr 17, 2024
-
Published: Apr 05, 2024
-
NHA Schools Celebrate Reading Month
Published: Apr 04, 2024
-
NHA Experts Reveal Keys to Learning on Spring Break – Balance Fun & Education
Published: Mar 28, 2024
At work, Kelsey Roggenbuch is all about change. Away from National Heritage Academies (NHA), she prefers things to stay the same – namely the synchronized figure skaters she coaches.
Along with coaching figure skating at Western Michigan University, Roggenbuch is a manager of organizational change for NHA’s Project Management team, working with individual user groups to make sure they have what they need to make the change successful. That includes managing change strategies, working with teams both on existing things they are working to update and rolling out new technologies, as well as new processes and procedures.
Some of the projects Roggenbuch’s team has helped implement include Oracle Learn and Oracle Guided Learning, SchoolConnect, a communications tool for parent communications, and FMX, a facility request system. For NHA schools, she makes sure they can get all of their transcripts for any learning requests, along with building any training a school might have.
“Working at NHA aligned with everything I want to do from mission-based work,” she said. “It was a pretty easy sell for me to be involved in a mission like this.”
Roggenbuch has been with NHA for about 1 ½ years. She has coached figure skating for 18 years and in her third season as a coach for the Western Michigan University figure skating team, which has placed top three in the nation.
The 2023-24 Western Michigan University figure skating team, which Kelsey Roggenbuch coaches.
She has skated for about 30 years and skated on teams that won the 2002 national championship and national medals in 2004 (pewter) and 2005 (bronze). She has competed as an individual but her primary focus was on synchro, which she prefers because of the team camaraderie.
Kelsey Roggenbuch skated on a team that was 2002 national champions.
“In team sports, there’s so many skills you learn out of it,” she said. “Even after going to school and doing my bachelor’s and master’s, I still feel like I learned the most out of being in a team sport in that environment. There are so many things that are dependent on it. You learn your time management skills, you learn how to work with people who are different from you, you learn how to come together and work toward a common goal. There’s just so many key aspects of life that happen within synchronized skating that have translated into my real life really well.”
In synchronized skating there are 16 people on the ice who need to move as one with each element – the choreography, music, themes, the design of the dresses. That requires a lot of repetitions to build such a nuanced foundation.
Kelsey Roggenbuch, first row on the left, coached a team that won a national championship in 2012.
“You have to build that trust with people. We have turnover year after year, so you have to be able to rebuild that trust pretty quickly to start working together,” Roggenbuch said. “We do lifts, we have people going into the air while we’re skating with their blades on being held by people wearing blades … you really have to trust your teammates.”
Western Michigan will compete Feb. 10-11 at Tri-states in Dearborn, Michigan, and will end its season at Intercollegiate Nationals on April 12-14.
Keep up the excellent work, Mrs. Roggenbuch!
About National Heritage Academies:
National Heritage Academies (NHA) is a network of more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
Along with coaching figure skating at Western Michigan University, Roggenbuch is a manager of organizational change for NHA’s Project Management team, working with individual user groups to make sure they have what they need to make the change successful. That includes managing change strategies, working with teams both on existing things they are working to update and rolling out new technologies, as well as new processes and procedures.
Kelsey Roggenbuch has skated for about 30 years.
“We’re involved with almost every department in the organization, which is a lot and fun,” she said. “No day is the same. It’s fun to see what each team is working on and how we’re working together to work toward a common goal supporting our schools and students.”Some of the projects Roggenbuch’s team has helped implement include Oracle Learn and Oracle Guided Learning, SchoolConnect, a communications tool for parent communications, and FMX, a facility request system. For NHA schools, she makes sure they can get all of their transcripts for any learning requests, along with building any training a school might have.
“Working at NHA aligned with everything I want to do from mission-based work,” she said. “It was a pretty easy sell for me to be involved in a mission like this.”
Roggenbuch has been with NHA for about 1 ½ years. She has coached figure skating for 18 years and in her third season as a coach for the Western Michigan University figure skating team, which has placed top three in the nation.
The 2023-24 Western Michigan University figure skating team, which Kelsey Roggenbuch coaches.
She has skated for about 30 years and skated on teams that won the 2002 national championship and national medals in 2004 (pewter) and 2005 (bronze). She has competed as an individual but her primary focus was on synchro, which she prefers because of the team camaraderie.
Kelsey Roggenbuch skated on a team that was 2002 national champions.
“In team sports, there’s so many skills you learn out of it,” she said. “Even after going to school and doing my bachelor’s and master’s, I still feel like I learned the most out of being in a team sport in that environment. There are so many things that are dependent on it. You learn your time management skills, you learn how to work with people who are different from you, you learn how to come together and work toward a common goal. There’s just so many key aspects of life that happen within synchronized skating that have translated into my real life really well.”
In synchronized skating there are 16 people on the ice who need to move as one with each element – the choreography, music, themes, the design of the dresses. That requires a lot of repetitions to build such a nuanced foundation.
Kelsey Roggenbuch, first row on the left, coached a team that won a national championship in 2012.
“You have to build that trust with people. We have turnover year after year, so you have to be able to rebuild that trust pretty quickly to start working together,” Roggenbuch said. “We do lifts, we have people going into the air while we’re skating with their blades on being held by people wearing blades … you really have to trust your teammates.”
Western Michigan will compete Feb. 10-11 at Tri-states in Dearborn, Michigan, and will end its season at Intercollegiate Nationals on April 12-14.
Keep up the excellent work, Mrs. Roggenbuch!
About National Heritage Academies:
National Heritage Academies (NHA) is a network of more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.