At the end of each regular Board of Education Meeting, board members take a moment to share some of the great things they see in the district while serving on the Board. Recently, board members were asked to share their biggest “awesome” for this school year.
Here are this month's points of Pride & Progress:
“My ‘awesomes’ this year were more micro than macro. I saw a lot of small, student-level moments this year that really impressed me, and when you add them all up, they show the district is moving in the right direction.
Because the board played a role in this decision, I’d like to focus on the 14 girls who got to play softball this year after I was able to coach the team. The night before the season was set to begin, I received a call from our athletic director saying, “I know you offered to step in if nobody else could, and nobody else can.” Without that decision, we would not have had a season. We ended up winning 12 of the last 16 games, and, most importantly, the girls had a great time! Sometimes we have to put aside politics and simply do what’s right for the kids. Now, many of these athletes will go on to play softball because of that opportunity. I am personally grateful to the board for allowing me to coach – it was awesome, and I would not have had that experience without your support.” Brent McNitt
My biggest ‘awesome’ this year was my kid’s transition to middle school. At first, we were anxious about it, but it turned out to be really smooth. We had excellent communication from teachers; he played his first sport and really enjoyed it and participated in Principal McDaniel’s cool clubs that were started this year. The connection between the middle school and Luc’s Light has been fantastic! For a kid who did not want to be in band, my compromise was he had to take lessons at Luc’s Light. Now, not only is he taking multiple lessons there, but he is also joining band next year. The community piece we have there is phenomenal. I am proud of the middle school this year - it has been a great experience for our student.” Lindsay Clark
“For me, it would be seeing the renovated STEAM Lab and the SME Prime Program at the high school. We also got a sneak peek at the wood shop and some of the other spaces in the new STEAM wing, which was really cool.” Nate Mitchell
“I’d like to start by reflecting on the last couple weeks. Cedar Street’s graduation was truly amazing! It is so inspiring to see the friends and family who come together to celebrate each graduate – many of whom have overcome such adversity to reach this milestone. The program has an enormous impact and positively changes lives. I also had the opportunity to attend so many special events in the schools and extracurricular activities. It was wonderful seeing such kindness displayed all throughout the district!” Mary Beth Sons
“My greatest ‘awesome’ this school year was the Response to Intervention (RTI) program at Paw Paw High School,” Maria said. RTI is time built into the school day for a teacher to work with a student who needs some extra time to practice skills or review material. Students who aren't working on remediation have the opportunity to learn something new or do an enrichment activity. “The mental break it provided my freshman was perfect, needed, and necessary. Sometimes the extra incentives, such as playing Euchre, playing Ultimate frisbee, or attending a Key Club meeting, were great ways to incorporate that time. I love the creativity and how the high school is putting students’ needs first.” Maria Bowater