As our students and staff anxiously count down the hours to the holidays and their vacation from school, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful, peaceful, and joyous holiday season. I hope each of you are able to reflect positively on aspects of the past year and are looking forward to new and greater opportunities in the New Year.
Despite the many distractions this year surrounding the budget and Worthington’s withdrawal, education continues, students learn on a daily basis, teachers go out of their way to make a positive difference, administrators deal effectively with myriad situations, cafeteria workers provide a smile with healthy lunches, custodians maintain the facilities professionally, paraprofessionals still help students overcome their difficulties, secretaries provide the grease that keeps things running smoothly, and everyone struggles with the many expectations in public education that often seem contradictory and underfunded. I know that our staff is never recognized and thanked enough for the excellent job they do and that it’s easier to find fault and complain then it is to look for, and work towards, positive solutions. I hope that everyone remembers the increasing demands of accountability that all of our staff face, yet recognize that they still maintain a positive attitude towards their students and their responsibilities—so please take the opportunity when it arises to share your appreciation for the great job that these folks do throughout the year in meeting student, parent, community and each other’s needs.
The fruits of this labor are not hard to spot. They be seen in outside measurements such as MCAS or PARCC scores; student acceptance and success at prestigious colleges; recognition for our safety and technology programs; and our staff who are asked to present across the state and the country to professional groups. Just this month in our district, we saw our students and staff welcome area senior citizens to a brunch and concert; casino online enjoyed band performances by our bands, our choral groups, and student ensembles; and witnessed students and staff contributing money, toys, and food to local groups to help make the holidays more cheerful for the less fortunate. Combined with the good sportsmanship displayed by our athletes, the sense of community and civic engagement demonstrated by our students in clubs and other activities, and the overall good manners and politeness that can be seen daily in our schools, it’s easy to see that the support of the whole child by the school committee is paying dividends.
At this time of the year, where stress is heightened due to increased anxiety and expectations, where political correctness makes us hesitant to wish people a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, a bright winter solstice, or some other greeting, it’s often hard to reflect upon our own successes and blessings. Yet, without the practice of reflecting on our own lives and our impact on the greater society, it’s far too easy to miss the importance each of us has in our own community. In this season where many in the world celebrate their faith in so many different ways, let us remember Ben Franklin’s advice that seems to transcend so many differences – “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every New Year find you a better man.” I hope that you are able to enjoy safe, joyful, productive, and pleasant holidays with family and friends and wish that the New Year brings you peace and prosperity.
