It is great to see everyone this morning. Welcome back! You know, the energy I feel in this room right now is exciting and suggests that, you most certainly are ready—and looking forward to a normal school year. That is what we are aiming for—a relatively normal school year. I don’t think we are quite there yet, but we are awful close.
Nevertheless, it is incumbent that we proceed with all due urgency. Perhaps it is because of the journey—the battle we fought last year and the fact that this year—this year is our opportunity to regain the momentum that in may ways was robbed from us (and our students) by the pandemic. And I know you are prepared to accept the challenge. Because after last year, you can do anything!
To begin this morning, I am thrilled to welcome our newest colleagues. It was a great to get to know them all last week during our orientation. I’ll tell you what, they can’t wait to step into their classrooms for the first time. And looking around this room, I can tell that you are ready too! Now it is certain our faculty looks very different than it did one year ago. So while I look forward to our new faculty’s contributions, I will also lean on the leadership and experience of our veteran staff. The wisdom you bring to bear each year is a great strength of our district and serves as a foundational pillar of what it means to be a Hudson Pirate. Put together with everyone’s contributions this is a recipe for a great school year!
I don’t know about you, but it really seems like this summer flew by in the blink of an eye! Perhaps because we [all] tried to pack so much into these days. You know, in an effort to make up for all the lost time, Ann and I had a summer filled with weekends of camping trips with the grandchildren and vacations to some not too far off destinations. While I could regal you with tales of my adventures, you can be assured that I am not that exciting. I sincerely hope you each had an opportunity to enjoy a slower and hopefully relaxing pace that comes with the summer months.
Now, before getting on with our plans for this year, I want to spend some time this morning reflecting and acknowledging the voyage we were on last year. Partly for therapeutic reasons, but more so to acknowledge the mountains you all moved in order for us to have and keep school open. While I think we are close to normal, it really wouldn’t be wise to throw caution to the wind. Indeed, I think we’ll need to depend on some of that ‘grit’ and determination that got us through last year.
Each year during this Convocation, we mark a milestone celebrating the beginning of a new school year, a fresh start, and a vision filled with a bold agenda. But last year at this time we prepared to chart a course through the unknown. We encountered obstacles that had never been faced before. To weather that storm, I asked you to Rise Up, and you did. Navigating through a school year that couldn’t have been scripted any better, you all rose to the challenge and I couldn’t be prouder of the work you did. So, before I share with you an agenda for this year, let me first say to you all, thank you and welcome to shall we say ‘close to normal!’
‘You are the engine that makes all things go.’ You are the engine that makes this school go, and our students, our kids are the reason why you moved mountains last year. Even so, as normal as we want this year to be, we’re not there yet; and we must acknowledge that we are living through a strange time in our chosen vocation. But; then again perhaps upon closer scrutiny it isn’t all that different from the obstacles that public educators have faced since the origins of the American public school system. Indeed, the past 18 months have felt like a case of whiplash. At the beginning of this most recent epochal, educators around the nation were heralded as heroes. Parades were held and heartwarming stories told of the lengths our educators went to ensure students were served. Society finally seemed to understand that the role our public school systems played in the development of young people extended far beyond the academia of the classroom. You feed. You counsel. You protect. And from time to time even provide healthcare. Then of course the tide began to change when some schools didn’t reopen fast enough for some. Or when schools taught concepts in their classrooms that made a few parents uncomfortable. Hearings were held. Laws were changed. Yet, through all the trials and tribulations of the year, you marched forward.
You showed our community that we were committed to them and to the students we served.
You drowned out the noise and were mission focused.
You modeled a professionalism that demonstrated to all what a noble vocation it is to be called an educator.
You moved mountains. But it was hard!
I share this tale of two educational paradigms not to dishearten you, but instead to lift you up! Because what you did last year was REMARKABLE, and that you are here right now is a testament to your character and dedication to the 760 some students that will walk through our doors on Monday morning.
If anything, this discourse has taught us two important things: First, our nation most certainly has come to terms with the import of our public school systems; not just as an educational enterprise, but as a key pillar of democratic civilization. Parents want their children in school. Yes, perhaps some for reasons of convenience; but for many more—most in fact understand the key to their child’s future success begins on the day they walk through our doors as kindergarteners and comes to fruition when they depart as graduates. Parents found out in the most profound of ways that the work you do is not for the faint of heart.
Let’s also make no mistake: the proof is in the data. The contrast between those who were here with us last year and those who were not; couldn’t be starker. If ever there was a question as to the value of the service you provide this community: to this country let those data be a demonstration of your worth!
And second: truth matters and education is an everchanging and powerful commodity where you are the vessels with which we will educate the masses! What a powerful role you play! In this, there is no doubt our quest to prepare a well-informed citizenry has been put to the test. Yet, we should not mistake this as a new epiphany. But hopefully it demonstrates a recognition of the influence you yield!
Our charge, our goal is to ensure that our students don’t have to rely on catching a break or dumb luck. Because, most of the time ‘it’ won’t break the right way. Instead we have to live our mission: Create Effective Learning Environments that Result in Success for All Students.
Fortunately, we all know that school is way different than it was when I went to school! The supports that are available to students, the programing we have to offer, and our attention to ensuring that youngsters are prepared for whatever their next step in life has in store for them—school is as different today as it ever has been! I know, the primary structure needs some attention; but look from my view. I have watched most of these kids from kindergarten. The transformation, the learning that has taken place…My God, it’s an amazing thing to witness! Let’s celebrate the magic that happens in our school.
Yet we can’t celebrate the status quo. We have to continue improving to remain relevant. Our students are counting on us to keep our foot on the gas and help them reach new heights. To tear down walls, move mountains, remove obstacles to their learning and help them to rise.
Our students most certainly are looking for you to raise them up! And there will be many students. This year we anticipate enrollment in our district that hasn’t been seen in almost 15 years. With changes to state law and growth in residential development, the Hudson Community School District is proud to be one of the prime school destinations of choice in the Cedar Valley.
So, with an overarching agenda for this school year, I have identified 4 key area to focus our efforts. An agenda that attends to both our youngest and our oldest students. Granted, these may not touch your day to day work but I believe it is important for you to understand our district’s focus for the school year.
Equity and Culturally Responsive Practices: Over the last year and a half this has been a topic of nationwide interest. It is paramount in our school district that all students, regardless of who they are or where they live are treated fairly. As our Core Purpose states, we must invest in the success of all students and do all we can to raise them up so they can unleash their full potential.
Early Childhood Programming and Transitional Kindergarten: Both parents and teachers in our PK-K program have suggested we evaluate our programs to determine whether or not it makes sense for us to offer a transitional option for our ‘young’ five-year-old(s) as they transition from preschool to kindergarten. This is, no doubt a challenging dilemma, since based on enrollment growth we are also considering whether now is the time to begin transitioning to four sections of kindergarten. Nevertheless, our end goal remains the same: ensuring effective learning environments to meet the needs of all families.
Investigate and Implement Robust Career Exploration Including Internships and apprenticeships as part of our CTE program: We are excited this year to begin providing work-based internship and apprenticeships to high school students that bear credit. For years local business leaders have shared with us their difficulty finding employees for good paying jobs in their companies. This year we will take the first step in our desire to create a direct employment pipeline from our school to local businesses.
Finally, begin planning for the high school renovation and expansion: While the pandemic may have thrown a wet blanket on our planning for the renovation of the high school, which this year will be 24 years old, we are ready to restart those discussions. Where this ultimately leads is yet to be determined but there is no mistaking the fact that the time is now to begin planning for our future facility needs as we grow.
This year, again I am asking you to rise up and build on the momentum that was gained through the tribulations of last year. I am asking you to put your students: all of them regardless of their social station; at the center of your work. Move mountains, remove obstacles, and lift your students. In so doing we all will rise!
Thank you. May the waves be gentle as we get this pirate ship underway. It's Great to be a Pirate!
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