The past couple of months have been enlightening to
say the least. Who knew that the people that I had come to know as one entity,
"the Board," would turn out to be so very normal. I don't know what I
was thinking. Why am I comforted when I hear Lynn complain about laundry? Of
course she has laundry! Maybe I was hoping there was a clause that stated BOE
members were exempt from the everyday tasks that distract from matters of
education. Oh well, wishful thinking!
Recently, we have had the pleasure of meeting our
building principals, assistant principals, administrative staff and technology
team; we were given a tour of all of our amazing schools and had the
opportunity to meet our buildings and grounds crew... all in the same day! My
favorite part of that day was touring the middle school and high school. Don't
get me wrong, I love our elementary schools but as a mom of an eight-year-old
and ten-year-old, I'm pleased to see the facilities and classes that my
children will someday call "home." I could have spent the entire day
in the Mac-lab alone learning all about the audio/recording technology that is
being used. We were able to meet several of the teachers and hear about the
projects that their students have worked on and will work on. Mr. Linkens shared every-day joys and challenges at the high school, along with his vision
for the future. Mrs. Leandro and Mrs. Maraia answered this middle school mom's
many questions and more importantly let me know that their doors are always
open as they always have been.
Thanks to the numerous community events at our
elementary schools, I'm no stranger to either of the buildings, but just when I
thought I'd seen it all, along come the observatory at Sandfordville and the
ever evolving outdoor classroom at Park Ave. Both Mr. Longfield and Ms. Woods
proudly showed us the highlights of each building and shared the changes that
have taken place over the summer.
This morning we visited with the staff in all of the
buildings as they prepared for the start of what will most definitely be a
great year. The excitement was palpable in all of the buildings. We are so
fortunate to have all of this talent in one school district. I can't wait to
see what the year will bring.
Submitted by Eilleen Gagliano
