Rise up-Conclusion

This afternoon we officially concluded our school year with a delicious lunch catered by Randall's and sponsored by Lincoln Savings Bank. Our employees were also treated to some fantastic ice cream from Hansen's, so what better way to end the year! I want to extend a heartfelt thanks for those who made today's celebration possible. At the writing of this post, our hallways are now dark and our faculty and staff have checked out for the summer after completing a number of routine tasks. After Memorial Day we'll shift to our summer schedule with the main office being open during regular business hours Monday through Thursday and Friday's by appointment. For the next three months, it will be just general contractors, our maintenance staff, and those of us in the office. 

Today was a special day. Once the students had departed yesterday it provided me an opportunity to reflect on the challenges of the school year and consider the magnitude of what we were able to accomplish. I was honored to share some of those reflections with our employees at our lunch today. You see, today was the first time we had ever deliberately made an effort to gather all of our employees together for an event. It was tough, as many of our part-time coaches have other commitments during the day, but it was still important to recognize the size and complexity of our operation. Most people probably don't realize it, but our most current census includes 136 employees. This visualization, hopefully helps to illustrate the enormity of the task we faced this year, and the sheer number of people it took to get our Pirate Ship underway this past fall. 

Each one of our employees is a valued member of the team and showed tremendous commitment, dedication, courage, and 'can do' attitude over the course of the school year. Whenever a task needed to be completed they did whatever asked. Not once did I hear, ‘that’s not my job’, or ‘can you find someone else’. I asked our employees to ‘Rise Up’ this year and they did. In spite of the fact our work was done in unusual and stressful circumstances under which none of us were trained or equipped to handle. 

I think of our coaching staff. In many ways, our coaching staff was the first group to lead the way when our activity program restarted last July. They demonstrated what was possible and taught us many lessons that we applied over the course of the school year. There is no doubt they had their share of disappointments and setbacks with disruptions and suspensions of seasons.

I think about our food service department. They provided steady service now for more than a year straight without disruption throughout the course of the pandemic. Pickup, drive-through meals became a source of comfort and reliability for so many families. Their work will even continue over the course of the next month as they will provide meals during our summer school program. 

I think about our maintenance and custodial department. They too worked straight through the pandemic. They had to learn new and innovative ways to clean, disinfect, and reassure our community that our buildings were safe, clean and comfortable. 

I think about our transportation department. Much like our coaching staff, they were among the first to resume contact with our students. Theirs was a challenging work environment that came with risks that were not easily mitigated. The provided safe passage to and from school each and every day. 

I think about our office staff. They ensured all the details were attended to and that we had thought of everything. They answered questions from angry parents and kept the administrators in line and organized. There is a lot of truth to the statement that it is the office staff who really run the school district. 

I think about our school nurse, Mrs. Brandhorst, the only employee mentioned by name in this post. But under the circumstances I can think of no one more worthy. Her diligence to health and safety during this past year should not be understated. She ensured we followed the guidance, managed the data, and kept everyone safe.

I think about the administrators. Many of you may not know this, but when we originally shut down last spring, I called them, all of which were on vacation and out of town and asked them to return to the district. They did so immediately. Over the course of the next 14 months, we would meet frequently: late at night and on the weekends to work through the challenges of this school year. 

I think about our instructional staff, which includes all of those who work in our classrooms with the students each day. The challenges they faced this year were unlike anything ever experienced. We looked to them to diagnose gaps, accelerate learning, and make up lost ground. Because of their hard work, we are well on our way. 

As you can see, it took a lot of people, including the Board of Directors, to get us to this day. A day that we can celebrate! The fact we got through it with 100% in person learning every single day of the academic year is certainly a reason to celebrate! I asked our employees to Rise Up, and they did. So now, I say thank you to all of them. Our journey and our work will continue, and we are well positioned for the next chapter, set to begin anew in August. 

Have a great summer and if you happen to see one of our school district employees out and about in the community, please thank them for their service during this most unusual of school years.