For the Whitley County Consolidated Schools the 18th of August was a big day!This was our first day of school for students! Actually the 17th of August was also an important day as staff gathered at each of our schools to meet and discuss a myriad of topics, going over the final details needed for a smooth start to a new school year.I had the opportunity to visit with staff in teams at most of our schools on that morning and I found the staff excited and eager, anxious to begin a new year, ready to see their students once again and begin a new year of learning and growth.
On the first official day of school I started my morning out at Coesse Elementary and watched as the buses rolled in and our youngest students strode in grouped by grade level.
Tiny Kindergarten children were first, stepping carefully down the huge steps of the school bus.I spoke to a nervous but smiling mother as she shared with me that it was her daughter’s first day of Kindergarten and she had told her daughter she wanted her to ride the bus but that she would be there on the sidewalk for that first day.Soon her little one came walking down those huge steps and mother and daughter embraced a new beginning.Watching one little boy in a bright blue t-shirt, plaid shorts, and a huge back pack on his back, his name in large print in block letters printed neatly on the top, I greeted him “Hello,” and “Good Morning.” He smiled shyly in return and proceeded on his way, no hesitation on his part.He was ready for school!I thought as I looked at him that he was the epitome of promise, representing the future and all that he could be.His potential lay in our hands and in the partnership of learning that we can create with his parents and family.His potential is unlimited I thought as he too entered Coesse’s doors greeted by smiling staff, his new beginning also starting as a WCCS student.
Heading to the high school next I got there shortly after 8:00 AM and knowing that school had just begun I thought surely I would find several students and staff still in the hallways as the first day can be challenging. But no, the hallways were deserted and I walked instead with the high school principal from room to room and saw learning in action, already, at 8:15! One group of seniors was working on a special rendition of “What I did over the summer” and I was able to join in.Another group of students were already on their fourth math problem and another group was learning about where all of the equipment is stored in the Voc Ag Shop and how safety is ensured.A group of seniors were discussing their internship opportunities and sharing when asked how they would be working at the local hospital and other businesses for a tri-mester experience, seeing the relevance of their education in the workplace as they considered future careers.
Today I traveled to Northern Heights Elementary and once again the Kindergarten students departed the buses first.I asked a little girl in pink if she needed assistance but she said no.Then suddenly she turned around and came bouncing back and announced to me “Well, I do know how to get to my class, but I don’t know how to read yet.”I had to chuckle at that one but she was truly responding to my question as she heard it, “Did she need assistance?”Kids!They are precious. They do represent the future.They do hold great promise.And, it is an honor to help them grow.The 2009-2010 school year lies before us as a year of possibilities and opportunities.What we do with this year is within our grasp.Working together as a team, at the school level, corporation level, and with parents and the community is vital.We must continue to do all that we can so that the 21st century learner, that little boy who steadfastly entered the Kindergarten doors for the first time or the high school students who are embarking upon career endeavors are given every chance possible for success.
Learning Continues: The Start of a New School Year
It must be something about my nature or perhaps my enthusiasm for my chosen field, but I still get excited when I see those “Back to School” signs.And, I admit, I usually buy a new notebook or folder or two, and yes, even a set of Crayola markers.It’s just my own personal way of recognizing that it is time.August is here! Another school year begins!
The anticipation of a new school year brings the opportunity for growth, for a new beginning.As the buses roll out and the students arrive with backpacks in tow, there is a feeling in the air of both familiarity and newness.Familiar faces bring smiles of greetings that begin with our bus drivers and extends to each and every staff member as the students arrive.How they seem to grow over the summer and as staff we look at them with wonder, were they that tall when they left us in May?Newness includes opportunity-what we can do together to enhance the learning environment and build upon what transpired the last time we gathered, the last time we were in session as a school corporation.The hallways are gleaming, the desks and lockers cleaned and ready, fresh paint on the sidewalk and friendly greetings galore.Yes, there is something very special about a learning environment, a school that is designed and centered around the youth who attend there.There is a sense of team that steps forward as one to embrace the learner as each staff member pitches in to do their part for the start of a successful school year.
Learning though is not limited to the classroom.The lessons learned over the summer break can be many and the role of family highlighted as youngsters spend quality time with their siblings, family, friends.Shared activities in the summer are learning opportunities as well because of the many lessons these experiences teach.In the school environment we are striving to highlight the 21st Century Skills and you have heard and will hear more about what those are.I would challenge that these same set of skills can be found in the home environment also, and in the many varied experiences offered to our youth, both in the classroom, and out.When we speak of the 21st Century Skills we are talking about the common sense skills of what is needed for success in the workplace, but many of these skills are needed in life in general.
In an upcoming school corporation brochure you will see those 21st Century Skills mentioned and they include such statements as “ To learn collaboration, work in teams;” “To learn oral communication, present;” “To develop citizenship, take on civic and global issues;” and there are others.Inherent in each of these is the recognition that learning is so much more than being able to recite knowledge facts and score well on a test.Learning encompasses being able to apply knowledge learned and to continue to seek questions as knowledge develops and grows.Learning thus, does continue not only from the last day of school and then suddenly starts up in mid-August when the yellow buses appear once again on our rural roads.No, learning is continuous and evolving.Learning is at home and at school, on the ball field and in hobbies and personal interests, derived through experiences shared.
As we begin a new school year, 2009-2010, we welcome back our WCCS students. We extend to the entire school community of WCCS the doorway of involvement.We are a learning organization, and a caring organization for the future citizens we now call our students!We wish for all a great beginning to a new year.
Dr. Laura Huffman is the superintendent of Whitley County Consolidated Schools.
