DHS Graduation 2012

Last night was the culmination of all of the hard work for the Class of 2012.  It was my honor and privilege to be able to give out diplomas to the almost 300 graduates.  As I gave the diplomas, the photographer  took our pictures.  Over the last two years, I have been able to get to know some of the students.  That has been awesome for me as the day-to-day dealings with kids is the one part of my job that I truly miss.  And I was able to give diplomas to a few students whose grandmothers have been my friends since high school.  That was special to me.

The students were excited and rightly so.  But the one thing that stood out to me is the respect that Douglas students have.  So many of them said "thank you" to me as I gave them their diploma.   I even got hugs.  

Of course there were touching moments, too.   Two young men who graduated are in wheelchairs.  As they came across the stage to get their diplomas, the entire senior class stood and cheered for both of them.  It was hard to hold back the tears.

This has been a difficult week because some of our students weren't able to graduate because of AIMS (state tests).  I absolutely believe that we put way too much emphasis on testing and we are getting away from creativity and deep thinking because of this.  Despite my feelings on this, I still have to follow state and federal guidelines.  Students have five opportunities to take the tests.  The final one happens in April and we had many students who had to pass one or two of the tests still.  We didn't get the results until last week.  The students and parents have been informed of this possibility from freshman year on.  There are still opportunities to graduate if a student doesn't pass, but there are many factors that have to go into this.  It is called augmentation and the state gives us the guidelines.  When we got the tests back, several students had still not passed the AIMS math.  I think back to my math experience in school and I could have been one of those students.  However, many of them met all of the requirements for augmentation---grades in core classes, attending intervention classes and tutoring, etc.  These students got points for this and had enough to graduate. 

Unfortunately about 14 students didn't make augmentation.  Last year we only had five.  Several of the parents met with me and I had to take a firm stand as our Board Policy states that in order to walk a student must fulfill all requirements.  There was one family who could not accept this answer.  On Thursday, one of the television stations from Tucson came down to do an interview.  It wasn't aired until last night at 6:00.  I was very worried about the slant it would take because I have dealt with reporters for many years.  My former superintendent always says that the media doesn't let the truth get in the way of a good story and I have experienced that many times.  This time it was very fare I believe.  However, it was nerve wracking waiting to see how the spin would be.  I was so relieved!!!  I don't ordinarily  write about any of the negative parts of my job, but this particular event became a media event.

So after these events this week, standing for two hours passing out diplomas and getting my picture taken with almost 300 kiddos, I am very tired today.  But it is a good tired!!!  Glad we have two more days off recuperate and regroup!!

All and all it was a wonderful night and I was so proud to be able to be a part of this ceremony.  

ONCE A BULLDOG, ALWAYS A BULLDOG!!!!!!!!!!

May Milestones

What an incredibly busy month this May has been!!!  So many activities involved with our kids and the conclusion of this school year.   Our boys' baseball team made the state playoffs and the first round game was held here in Douglas.  The boys won the game, but what was even more important, they showed incredible character.  At the end of the game, all of the team walked to home plate, faced the crowd, and took of their hats to thank the fans.  What a class act!!  They eventually lost, but they represented our community very well.  

Our girls' tennis team also qualified for state.  Their coach invited me to come and talk to the team just before their first playoff game that was held here.  I was honored to be able to do this.  The girls were also wonderful representatives.  They suffered a tragedy on their way to Phoenix for the playoffs as one of their best players had to leave because her father died.  I believe they could have won the state title if she had been able to  play.  But the team was so incredibly supportive of her and the family.  

On Saturday, May 12, we had our first graduation of the Family Leadership Institute that we are doing in conjunction with Consuelo Castillo Kickbush.  It is an incredible program to involve parents in the education of their children.  Parent involvement is so important, especially today.  

Sunday (Mother's Day), I worked at the cake auction for the Douglas Area Retarded Citizens.  This auction has been going on for 40+ years.  This year they made about $23,000.  It was fun and such a worthwhile cause!

We have had so many positive comments from the community about our Diamond Scholar Night.  Last Tuesday, much to my surprise, I was presented a beautiful plaque at our Board Meeting.  I don't get surprised by very many events, but I had no idea about this.  I was truly touched.

Last Wednesday was the Awards Night at DHS.  There is a tradition for the Superintendent to give an award to the outstanding junior student.  That was awesome for me.   I also presented the Normal Littrell Scholarship on behalf of my two dear friends, Elise Littrell Hesser and Ann Littrell.  It was an honor for me to present this scholarship for them!

And on Sunday evening, I attended Baccalaureate for the Class of 2012.  It was held on the playground at Loretto School where I attended from first through eighth grades.  I walked up to the school as it is only a few blocks away and knew that the parking would be very hard to get.  The weather was beautiful and the seniors who are involved in the youth group did all of the readings, etc.  As the students walked in to Pomp and Circumstance, I have to say it was a bit emotional.  As I sat there looking around, it brought back so many memories of my life growing up in Douglas.  I thought about how my mom, Teresa, my Uncles Tom and Bill and Aunt Dot all attended Loretto, too.  After the mass, the Deacon thanked me for being there and reminded the students that I was a Loretto grad and a DHS grad.   Sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if this all is really happening!!  It means so much to me to be here and give back to this community that I feel made me who I am today.  

Today I met with DHS Grads who host a baseball game every Memorial Day to raise money for scholarships.  A large group of DHS alumni come to play in this game from the Los Angeles area.  It never ceases to amaze me how much Douglas means to the people who grew up here.  So many people want to give back to this community.  For some reason, we got into who I was and two of the guys didn't realize I was Margaret Shannon's daughter.  We had a nice discussion about how much they admired her.  This also happened last week with a gentleman who came in to do some work in my office.

And Friday culminates the school year of 2011/2012 at DHS Graduation at the football stadium.  It will be my honor to present diplomas to over 300 DHS seniors!!!

There are no funny stories in this post, nor any profound thoughts.  It is just an opportunity for me to chronicle the journey that this part of my life is taking.  Never in a million years would I have ever believed I would be doing this now.  For the most part, it has been a wonderful journey that I hope to continue for a few more years.  There is still much to be done for the good of the kids, families, teachers and staff of DUSD.  I feel as though I am making a difference and that is why I continue this journey.  I am blessed!!!

Roots

I have always been proud of our family roots--both in Ireland and in southeastern Arizona.  My great grandparents, Matthew and Ellen Roughan, moved to Bisbee, Arizona in 1903. Matthew was a miner and copper was discovered here.   My grandparents, Edward and Katherine Scott, joined them in Arizona in 1912--the year Arizona became a state.   My grandparents moved to Douglas as my grandfather went to work on the railroad.

When I started teaching at Patterson Elementary School in Gilbert, I decided to take my students on a field trip to Bisbee and Tombstone.  I was able to work this into my curriculum as there were not the standards that are required today.  I was able to make this a part of language arts, social studies, science, etc.  I remember the first year that I asked to go on this trip.  No other elementary teacher had ever asked the Governing Board to take an overnight field trip.  So I had to go before the Board and explain why I wanted to do this.  The Board approved it and thus began an annual trip with my class.  

We visited Tombstone and Bisbee and spent the night in the gym at Bisbee High School.  I was able to share my heritage with my students.  It was an incredible trip and I think I did this trip for about 10 years.

After I became a principal, our sixth grades did their science camp trip down here.  This was before science camp became more formalized.  Then one of my wonderful teachers started bringing her class down here.  By that time, Bisbee no longer allowed students to stay in the gym.  I arranged for them to stay at an elementary school in Sierra Vista.

Then my wonderful daughter, Kerri, became a fourth grade teacher.  She decided to take her class on this trip.  Kartchner Caverns had just been discovered right about the time I quit teaching.  My dream at that time was to be able to have the kids see nature made (Kartchner) and man made (Bisbee Mine Tour), but that never happened for me.

Last year, all of the fourth graders at her school did the trip.  I arranged to have them stay at the middle school here in Douglas that is close to our house.  I hosted Kerri's class at the house, but arranged for pizza for the other classes.

This year, the students in Gilbert became pen pals with fourth graders at one of our elementary schools.  So this meant that I had to host three different nights of kids meeting each other.  It was incredible!!!  We had bean burros, salsa, and hot dogs and many kids.  It was so much fun to see the groups of children getting to know each other.

Last Thursday (May 3), was Kerri's class's visit.   She asked me to get tamales for her parents, which I did.  We had a wonderful barbecue in the backyard.  One of the neatest things that happened was a visit from Ray Borane.  Ray is a very close old family friend and the middle school is named after him.  The kids got to meet him. Most schools are named after people after they die so it was so cool for them to meet Ray.

I have had many experiences that I never even thought would happen since I have been here.  This was one.  I posted a picture on Facebook and probably my most favorite comment was from one of my former third graders as to what a great trip it was.  

Education  is so much more than testing!!  It is about relationships, getting along and building community.  I saw what a great community Kerri has built in her classroom as the parents were having such a good time in the backyard and stayed until quite late.  And the kids were great!!!

This is why I am still an educator 41 years later...............  I just realized last week it has been this many years.  WOW!!  I could not have ever asked for a better career--despite what the politicians want to do to our educational system!!

And Another Tradition Started

Last Monday night, we started a new tradition for the Douglas Unified School District.  We started what I hope to be an annual event called "Douglas Diamond Scholars."  We honored all students from fourth through twelfth grades.    It was an amazing evening!!

We honored the elementary students at 5:30 in the James A. Brenden Auditorium and then the middle and high school students at 7:00.  A fifth grader spoke at the elementary program about the importance of grades.  At the middle and high school ceremony, we had a sixth grader and a junior speak.

Many years ago, my mentor and former superintendent, Wally Delecki, started doing this in Gilbert.  He felt that we honored athletes and musicians, which is very important, but we didn't honor the students who did well in school. So he started this ceremony many years ago.

When I came to Douglas, I wanted to do something similar.  Because of our high poverty rate and our high second language learners, we spend a lot of time concentrating on improvement.  This is everywhere in our schools today because of the unreasonable demands made on us by politicians.  

Our Diamond Scholar Night was incredible and focused on the things that are going well.  So often the average and above average students get lost in the focus.  

We practiced with the students in the morning.  I talked to them about the importance of being respectful during this ceremony.  I asked them to please remind their families that this was a very important and serious event.  Parents can cheer at sporting events, but I asked them to remember the seriousness of this honor.  Both programs were amazing!!  The audience could not have been any more respectful.  The students walked across the stage and were given a medallion around their necks by our Governing Board members.

One of the wonderful teachers who works in our Curriculum Department coordinated this event for us.  She did an incredible job making everything work so smoothly!!

Dr. J.D. Rottweiler, the President of Cochise College, was our keynote speaker.  We could not have picked anyone better for this first ceremony.  He spoke to the students about the importance of education and gave them statistics about their future with an education.  He talked to them about how they are now a "diamond in the rough."   With their continuing education, that diamond will become what a true diamond looks like!!   He is an excellent speaker and tied everything we were trying to do into his speech.

After the second ceremony, I went out to go to my car.  It was about 15 minutes after the conclusion.  As  I walked out of the auditorium, it seemed that most of the families were still out in front.  They were in different groups talking and laughing.  That in itself was wonderful!!!

Both ceremonies filled the auditorium.  One of the fourth grade teachers told me that his student had 21 family members there.  I even had a Facebook friend (from Douglas who I didn't really know) there to see her nephew.

I have received so many compliments about this evening.  I am hoping to make it a tradition here in Douglas.  We have wonderful students and families and we need  to celebrate that!!  As I told the students, I am proud to be their superintendent!!

Despite what  grade our District has received from the state and federal government, I know we are doing a good job for our students.  It is time to acknowledge the wonderful jobs our teachers and administrators are doing!!!

What a wonderful end to this school year Diamond Scholar Night has been!!

Front page of the Douglas Dispatch was covered with pictures and the article.  Here is the link:

http://www.douglasdispatch.com/articles/2012/05/03/news/doc4fa18bac2ffb1656884290.txt 

Starting a Tradition

Since I have been down here in Douglas, it has taken time for me to build trust with the wonderful people who work for the district.  As I have worked to build that trust, I also wanted to start building "community" with the people who work at the District Office.  I took the time to build community in my classroom as a teacher--although in those days that wasn't what it was called.  As a result, I still have contact with many of my former students (who are now adults)  and their families.  

When I became a principal, I knew that building community was a key to success.  I truly believe that we had a wonderful community and I am proud to say I am still in contact with many of the wonderful people that I worked with and still many of the children and families.  This means the world to me.

Last year, I started a tradition that my cousin, Jan, told me about that she did when she was an assistant superintendent in her district.   In March, we had a potato bar.  I brought my Irish music and invited all of the District Office personnel.  It was a big hit.  I wanted to share my heritage.  I have always said that the only two things I wanted out of life would be a Mexican wedding and an Irish wake--so I am half way there!!!

This year, I asked if we could have a monthly potluck with all of the District Office.   So we have done something every month with different departments being in charge of main dish, desserts, etc.  It has been wonderful.  However, I told them that I wanted to do the Potato Bar again.  Last year I had the basics--potatoes, butter, sour cream, bacon bits, cheese, etc.  Well this year it was even better with lots of great things to put on the potatoes.  Many of the people said that they had never done anything like this before.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, so much of what I have been dealing with since I got here can't be put on my blog.  However, this has proven to be a very positive event for everyone. It gives all of us a chance to sit together and get to know each other and forget about the day-to-day dealings that can be burdensome.  

So a new tradition has been born. I hope to be able to keep this going for a few more years.  It seems like such a small thing and it is, but I truly believe that it is extremely important.  There is an old saying that "the family that prays together, stays together."  I am hoping that the "staff who eats together, works even better together."

I work with a great group of people and I appreciate so much what they do.  They work for low wages, but they are committed, hard working and have integrity.  It is a pleasure to be a part of this wonderful group of people!!!

And finally, my favorite Irish saying that I have in my office:

Sports and Character--How Incredible!!

I get so many emails at work.  A lot of them are "advertisements" for different programs that cost a lot of money but offer to solve all the problems in public schools today.  I usually delete those.  I get many others with important information from the Department of Education, etc.  I also get a lot of ones that are asking questions about different issues.  And I get some that are complaining about a situation or an issue.  Very rarely do I get one that is positive.  I understand this because people tend to want to get negative things taken care of, but forget about the positives.  That is human nature.  

Over the course of my career and experiencing this, I have tried to write positive emails and letters when something good happens.  I know that I don't do it often enough, but I have truly tried to make that effort.

About two weeks ago, I opened an email from someone I didn't know and here is what it said:

Good Morning Ms. Rogers,

Not often do I get a chance to compliment a High School sports team and staff that has stayed with us.  We had the pleasure of hosting the Douglass High School Soccer team on Friday night and though I was not here while they were checked in I received a glowing report about these young men.

The manager on duty informed me that they were not only well behaved but very polite and left their rooms very clean.  This may not sound like much but we deal with a lot of teams from 8 year olds to professional baseball players and I don’t remember a time when this manager had such complimentary things to say about a group of athletes.

I would appreciate you passing along my sincere thanks to Principal Schneider and the Douglass High School Soccer Team and Staff.  I was not able to locate an e-mail address for them to copy on.

Sincerely,

Mark Maddix 

I was so thrilled to receive this email.  I immediately sent it to our athletic director and the coach.  We were having a Board Meeting that week and I was able to read this email at the meeting.  In addition, our local newspaper asked for it and they put it in the newspaper.

Last night, I attended the banquet for the DHS Soccer teams.  Our coach invited me and I was able to say a few words to these wonderful boys.  There was a full house with parents and families there to honor these student athletes.  

Their coach invited me and I was touched and honored to be asked to attend.  The varsity team played the entire season without any issues with grades.  They made it to the playoffs--the final four in our division.  I told these young men how proud I was of what they had done academically.  But I truly feel that what is equally important is their character.  

I told them that I am proud to be their superintendent, and I am!!  This is what makes going to work every day worthwhile!!!  These young men and their coaches are to be commended for making us proud to be Douglas Bulldogs!!!

 

Celebrating Yaya's 75th Birthday

Last weekend, Teresa and I went to Phoenix to celebrate the 75th birthday of my wonderful cousin, Margaret Ellen, also known as Yaya to the family.

On Friday, the sisters (my five Phoenix Scott cousins) met for dinner at Durant's in Phoenix.  Teresa and Don came from Atlanta and Colorado, Marion and Ron from Turlock, and the rest of us from Arizona, Cecilia, Jay, Pat, Teresa, Judy and me.  It means so much to me that I am considered one of the sisters!

Durant's is an elegant restaurant in downtown Phoenix. It has been there since 1952.  We have had many fun times there over the years.  I hadn't been there in quite some time.  We had a wonderful time.  When we use to go for New Year's, my mom always said we were going to Duranti's.  Loved that!!

On Saturday, most of the Arizona family (which is quite large) and many of Yaya's friends, gathered at Paul's and Beth's house for a surprise party.  I am not sure if she was totally surprised, but it was awesome to see so many people there who love her.

I have written on previous posts about my Phoenix cousins.  They are truly like sisters and I love them all.  

We are blessed to have Yaya in our family!!  I know that I am blessed to have my wonderful Phoenix cousins!!!  Happy birthday to Pat, whose birthday is two days after Yaya's.  Don't know what I would do with out my "sisters" in Phoenix.  Love you all!!!

What a wonderful world we have with all of our extended family.  The Scott Family is the best!!!

And thank you to the next generation (Maggie, Monica, etc.) for all of your hard work to make this possible!!!!!!!!!!