Whole Grade Sharing -- Part I

The process of working together with folks from the Valley school district, as well as North Fayette patrons and students has been exactly what I expected: a challenging, exciting, interesting experience.  Talking to fellow principals that have gone through the same experience, I was told that there would be bumps in the road, and in the past couple of weeks, we have had the bumpy part, or at least our first bumps.  However, I think we have navigated them well and I am very confident moving on that we are going to have this agreement in place soon and we can get down to the planning for next year.  However, even though we’re still a long way from finished, there are some things that standout so far.

First off, I have been impressed by the common goal expressed by so many on the three committees I serve to pull together and create more positive learning opportunities for our children.  That is the focal point and for the vast majority of people, creating the best academic program possible is very important.  Yes, there are some loud voices out there that seem to care a lot more about things that are not quite as important.  But my experience on a daily basis is that a majority of people cares a lot about what we can do to put together a strong school for our kids.  Contrary to many of the rumors floating around, there is a commitment to make this work in both districts.

There have been a lot of emotions expressed on some topics, but I do maintain the best decisions are made when one takes emotion out of the equation.  Because of that, I am encouraged that we are going to take some more time with the school name, mascot, and colors.  I am absolutely convinced the students from both districts will be able to come together on this, and what is now a very divisive issue will be one that unites our kids.  In my opinion, it is a lot more important that our kids are united as one moving forward, and I think the majority of people agree, than what our colors are.  I have tremendous faith in young people because in reality, we need to find a balance between tradition and a new beginning, and the kids are capable of doing that.  What we have not done so far is communicate, and going forward that will happen.  We have some very talented students in both of our schools and we will see how effective our young leaders can be. 

I often pose the question “Are we preparing our kids for our past or their future?”  There is only one right answer – their future.  School, while the centerpiece for many communities, is about the students and we need to keep that are the front of all of the decisions we make.