Superintendent's Message to the Class of 2026: In the Blink of an Eye

Good afternoon to the Hudson High School Class of 2026. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to congratulate you; and welcome all the parents, grandparents and other guests who have taken time to join us today as we celebrate your graduation from high school. 

These past few weeks, days, and even moments have been filled with both reflection and anticipation. Together we’ve looked back at the odyssey that brought you to this moment. At times, I trust you have thought this journey has felt like an eternity; and based on your life experience can make no argument with that sentiment. As 18-year-olds, this school has been at the center of your life. For 13 years in fact, most of what you have experienced has centered largely on what happens within the confines of this institution we hope you will always consider home. It’s all you have ever known. Yet it is but a fraction of what you are yet to experience. For the rest of us, this time has passed in the blink of an eye. You may not see it now, but someday you will. 

If you will indulge me, I would like to take you back. Back to the twilight of summer: 2013. Your parents were preparing to send you off to kindergarten. A youngster of compulsory age, 5 years old and ready to start your first experience with formal schooling. As you walked to the front door of the elementary across the street; with a backpack strapped on that in most cases was bigger than you were, your little hearts were beating with anticipation of what was to come. A few short yards away (much like today in fact), your mom and dad’s heart was breaking just a little bit when they gave you a hug, and with tears in their eyes let you go. Through the door you came and in the blink of an eye a 13-year adventure was underway.

Now, I’ve never wanted to be a kindergarten teacher, because; well let’s face it: It’s a lot. Yes, you were a lot! It takes a very special kind of person to teach kindergarteners all day long! Tying shoes. Wiping noses. Zipping coats. Lining up for recess. Everything was new and required lots of practice, repetition, and patience. There are a lot of firsts during kindergarten. Riding a school bus. Going through lunch line. Music. Art. PE. Routines. In retrospect, in addition to learning the basics of reading and math, a lot of time is spent just simply learning how to go to school and get along well with peers. 

Granted, much of what you learn in school is measured by grades, credit and exams. But as you step out and beyond these walls, the most vital skill you carry isn’t what is found in the textbooks that follow those years after kindergarten. It is in the quiet, transformative power of empathy and those foundational skills you learned back in 2013. To be empathetic is to look at a stranger and recognize part of yourself in their struggle. It’s the realization that every person you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Yes, having the courage to pause your own story long enough to truly listen to someone else’s. We live in a world that often prizes individual achievement. I hope you choose a different metric for success. One rooted in the skills learned so long ago in kindergarten. Take turns. Listen to one another. Learning to share. Play by the rules. Lose gracefully.

Another blink of an eye and it’s 2019. You are now in the 6th grade. To you, it’s been an eternity; but at this point you just are at the mid-point of your formal schooling. By now the routines of school are second nature. You’ve moved on from learning to read to reading to learn. Perhaps you’ve grown fond of non-fiction, fantasy, or adventure. In math the distributive process is a skill that is mastered, and in science we come to understand the scientific method. 

In these middle years we watched you move from the ‘me’ to the ‘we’. You began to realize that collaboration is the art of recognizing that your classmate has a skill, and having the humility to ask for their help. It’s been about the friction that happens when two ideas rub together to create something better. You learned that the strongest bridge isn’t made from a single stone, but of many; leaning on one another for support. 

As Mrs. Christopher reminded you of two weeks ago, we cannot forget to mention the most profound of experiences: the pandemic. When we left for spring break we had no idea that would mark the end of the school year. Instead of a crowded hallway, you suddenly became a grid of boxes on a screen. The friction of ideas rubbing together had to happen through microphones and chat bars, and that 6th grade bridge of support was suddenly stretched across miles of social distancing. You learned that collaboration isn’t tied to a physical classroom—it is the commitment to stay connected when staying apart is the only option. 

Almost an entire quarter of the school year was lost, but of course the sun rose on a new school year. You had seen the world break, and decided you were the ones who knew how to fix it. 

And yet, once again in the blink of an eye, it’s 2023. You are now a sophomore in high school. You can now see that the end is in sight. This. Now this is a pivotal year in your journey. The content is becoming more complex. Perhaps its Algebra II, Spanish or government. But it’s also agriculture, choir and theater. You are beginning to really figure out who you are, and what you want to do with your life. The skills you learned in elementary school are now being refined and expanded. Your thinking is becoming much more complex and you are tasked with solving complicated problems. And of course, that first touch of freedom comes when you earn your driver’s license. Now, you don’t have to rely on mom and dad to get you to and from school. Play dates are now replaced with homecoming dates.

By now, you are no longer merely seeking the answer, but asking; Why? And, how can we make it better? We begin to see you take calculated risks through innovation. You are moving beyond the past—to drafting the future. Believe this: the world doesn’t just need people who can play the notes on the page; it needs people like you who can compose a whole new melody. As you leave us today, don’t simply look for an open door—build one where a wall once stood. This is what you learned in high school!

So, now we arrive finally at today. With another blink of the eye, we find ourselves here on May 17, 2026. Your graduation day. In just a few short moments when you cross this stage and receive your diploma our 13-year journey together will conclude—in the blink of an eye. Much like that first day of kindergarten, I suspect once again tears will be shed. But now, much stronger hearts beat, not of anticipation but in determination to face the great unknown that you are now entering.

The empathy of your early childhood, the collaboration of those middle school years, and the innovation of your youth are meant to be an internal compass that will guide you through a world that is often unpredictable. You see, empathy without innovation is a wish; innovation without empathy is merely an invention. But when you combine the heart with care, the humility to work together, and the courage to create something new? That is when you become unstoppable. You aren’t just leaving here with a diploma. You are leaving with a blueprint for a life of fulfillment and happiness.

As you walk across this stage and through that doorway one final time the next chapter is up to you. My challenge is simple. Don’t outgrow the best parts of your younger selves. When the world gets loud, return to the kindness of kindergarten. When a problem feels too heavy to carry on your own, reach out for the partner you found in 6th grade. And when you see a wall that everyone else says is permanent, remember when you learned how to go through it anyway. Class of 2026, we live in unsettled times. The world doesn’t just need your talent, we need your humanity. So, go out there—and build something beautiful.

Congratulations!

Called to Serve

This May, we honor the dedication of our school board members. The work they do oftentimes goes unnoticed, but the impact they have on our school district is enormous. There is no mistaking the fact it takes quite a sacrifice to serve on this body. While we are blessed to be largely drama free, from time to time a difficult issue lands on the table. That is when the phone calls come. The emails. The confrontation at a meeting. I am grateful our board members are able to handle even the toughest issues with grace, professionalism, empathy, and tremendous poise. We have an outstanding school board here in Hudson. Where some school boards are composed of individuals who harbor personal agendas or vendettas, that is not the case here. Those who serve on our school board do so out of a sense of service to their community. They genuinely want to help. They want Hudson to be the best school district in the state. 

The work that all of us do in schools, regardless of the role, is almost always future oriented. In the case of our teachers, the hard work put in with students today may not be realized for a decade or more down the road. The same holds true for those who serve on the school board. Truthfully, it is no stretch of the imagination to state the decisions made by the Board of Directors are often generational. 

May offers a unique opportunity to pull back the curtain and recognize the dedicated individuals shaping the future of our district. While teachers are the heart of the classroom, the school board members are the navigators steering the entire ship. Their vision provides a framework that allows our educators to thrive, and our students to succeed. From studying the intricacies of special education policy and caseload analysis to considering staffing ratios, we owe a debt of gratitude to these volunteers who balance budgets, set policies, and champion the needs of every child.

When most folks think about the school board, they likely think about the meeting that happens once or twice a month. It may be easy to overlook the work they do-mostly because it is done in the evening; meetings that can run late into the night while contemplating thick budget reports or heady and complex policy discussions. But I can promise you, the work that goes into serving on the school board is a much greater time commitment than a couple hours a month!

Perhaps you glance over the agenda and read the minutes in the newspaper. Maybe from time to time you look over the monthly bills with passing interest. If that is the extent of your working knowledge of a school board, it is totally understandable. However, it merely scratches the surface of the work they do. The impact of the school board is felt by every student, parent, and educator in the district.  

Discernment toward serving, at least here in Hudson generally includes a stop here in my office. Would be candidates have a lot of questions, notwithstanding the logistics and mechanics of board operations. In our pre-service workshops, we spend time getting into the weeds of what to expect if they run and ultimately are elected. We begin with an overview of what they already know-usually of those topics that have been mentioned. I am quick to underscore that what they read in the paper may make it sound easy, but the homework in advance of the meeting is very time consuming. I warn them of the email or phone call from the superintendent briefing on an 'unusual' event in one of the schools; the angry phone call from a parent when their child wasn't selected for a role in the play. 

Indeed, the concepts can be dense and an agenda can include multiple exhibits with artifacts that can easily run a couple of hundred pages. Yes, the meeting is where the decisions are made. But I can promise you that the run up to the final decision is often months in the making. It includes discussion at the board table, requests for additional information, consideration of alternatives, and sometimes outside expertise. By the time a resolution is called up for a vote, it is pretty anti-climatic. Take for example our budget. When the board took final action on the budget resolution it was merely a board member making a motion for consideration that was subsequently seconded. A vote was called and the resolution adopted. This whole evolution was over in moments. Yet the lead up to that vote was months in the making. In fact, you can trace the roots of our budget work back to early November. 

While mechanically, the meeting is where the work gets done, it merely is the vehicle in which to do that work. You see, the role of the school board is governance of the school district. They set the vision for the district and establish long-term goals for student achievement and district growth. This includes setting policies dealing with curriculum standards, safety protocols, and even determining how many credits are required in order to graduate from high school. As mentioned above, the board recently completed their most important task of a school year: setting the annual budget. A total budget for fiscal year 2027 that is expected to top $16.7 million. A huge responsibility indeed! Once the board has set that vision, adopted the policy, and certified the budget-they have in essence given me my marching orders: to execute on those directives. 

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about school board members is that they are locally elected volunteers. That's right, they are not being paid. In fact, service on the school board is the only elected office in Iowa that does not come with some sort of compensation. They are our neighbors, business owners, and parents who choose to spend their free time tackling some of the toughest challenges we face in education. They engage in heated debates, make difficult decisions about resources, and act as a bridge between the community and the classroom. 

When it come to governmental service, there is perhaps no greater impact to what happens in your day to day life than what happens at the local level. Healthy schools create healthy communities. This month, let's take a moment to honor those who have give their time in service to sit in those board chairs. Their commitment to our children's education is a commitment to the future for us all.