Our Most Important Responsibility
The news from several weeks ago concerning the tragedy in Newton, Connecticut shook me to the core, as I know it did for so many of you. As a parent and educator, I was reminded of the promise that our schools and staff make to our children.
The first day of school for our kindergarten parents is always a big one. Parents bring their sons and daughters into school and leave them with teachers, who become among the most important people in their children’s lives.
The tragedy in Newton reminds us of our first and most important responsibility: to keep our children safe. Student safety is our obligation to our students and their families, and as superintendent, I know that the Merrill Area Public Schools go to great lengths to keep students safe, and to seek out the newest and best ways to continue doing so in the future.
When parents leave their children at school on their first day, they want to know that their kids are not only safe but are receiving an education that supports them in their efforts to realize their dreams, whatever those dreams may be.
As parents, my wife and I wanted to know that my children’s schools supported them and their dreams as much as we did. I wanted the schools to challenge them when they needed to be challenged, to encourage them when they needed to be encouraged, and to do everything in their power to kindle the spark of possibility that our children had.
Upholding these principles is a responsibility that is shared by our entire staff, and based on my understanding of our community, something that we all support and do well, and that we are continuing to do better.
With all of the change that is taking place in education and all of the turbulence in Madison and Washington, DC, it is important for us to continue to remember that as education changes, we must not lose our focus in fulfilling our promise of great schools to our parents and students. Our community has done an outstanding job of keeping this promise, and I know that we will continue to do so in the future.
With that, I want to wish you a terrific 2013.