Five Days--Diamond Scholars

I was able to bring another program that was started by Wally Delecki to Douglas in my second year.  I remember many years ago, Wally said that we always honor the athletes, but forget the students who do well in school.  So he started Gilbert Golden Scholars--Academic Night.  It has been a great tradition in Gilbert.

My second year we started a very similar program and named it Douglas Diamond Scholars.  It is for fourth through twelfth graders who do well academically, have good behavior and good attendance.  The attendance piece was important here.  

One of our academic coaches coordinated this event and it has evolved into an incredibly important part of our District.  We honor the fourth through eight graders at 5:30 in the James Brendan Auditorium at DHS.  Then the high school Diamond Scholars are honored at 7:00.  The auditorium is decorated with a "diamond" theme.  The students are presented medals by members of the Governing Board.   

We always have two student speakers and then one keynote speaker.  The first year our keynote speaker was Dr. J.D. Rottweiler, president of Cochise College.   He is a very charismatic speaker and did an excellent job.

The second year, I asked Daniel Hernandez if he would speak.  I had become friends with Daniel over the first few years I was in Douglas.  Daniel was the young man who was at Gabby Gifford's side when she was shot in Tucson.   He was instrumental in saving her life.  And Daniel is an incredible human being.  His speech was also great.

The third year we had Dr. Jim Shockey, Dean of the U of A South.  Dr. Shockey is an amazing administrator who understands the importance of building relationships, even at this level.

And this year our speaker was Mike Rochin.  Mike graduated from DHS and has written a book about his journey in overcoming health issues because of his diabetes.   He talked to the students about how they treat each other being so important.

Because of the change in the way grades are done, we didn't have as many students at the elementary level qualify as in the past.  But we had standing room only for the high school students!!  I believe this shows that great instruction is going on at the elementary level that might not show up immediately in test scores.  However by the time the students get to high school, it does.  Next year they might have to have two separate sessions for the high school.  What a great problem to have!!!

Our local newspaper wrote a wonderful editorial on Diamond Scholar Night and encouraged the District to continue it after I am gone.   I think that they will and I am proud to have been a part of this!!!

Six--Letter to DUSD Staff

I want to share something today that I wrote to all of our staff after the horrible tragedy that happened in Connecticut:

DUSD Administrators, Teachers, and Staff,

I just wanted to share a few thoughts with you today as we come back after the horrible events that happened in Connecticut on Friday and all of the news coverage over the weekend.  Every shooting that we have had in this country has been a tragedy.   However, what happened on Friday is nothing that can even be processed.   Losing 20 six and seven years olds is beyond belief.   It seems that this has touched the core of everything that is right and wrong in our society today. 

I don't believe that we will ever be able to fully understand or know why  Friday's massacre happened.    There will be all kinds of theories and all kind of reasons that politicians and the media will suggest caused this horrific event to happen. 

I would like to share with you something that I feel strongly about and maybe one thing good can come out of this horrible day.   Public education has been neglected and put down by politicians and the media for quite sometime.    We have had to listen to people saying our schools are failing, teachers need to work harder, we have too many administrators, etc.  But I believe public education is the backbone of our society and has made this country what it is today.  Anyone here can get an education at any time, at any age.   This weekend, we heard about the heroic actions of many of the educators.  Some of them lost their lives trying to protect their children.   This did not surprise me at all.  I have been in education for many years and I don't know of an educator who wouldn't have done exactly the same thing faced with these circumstances!

As you work with the children in your schools today, please know that you are truly heroes in our society!  You come to school every day, walk into your classrooms or offices, and give our children the best that you can.  You do this under difficult circumstances, without adequate funding, and low salaries.  Public education must take every child who comes to us.  We can't be selective.  

We hear how first responders are heroes and they are.  However, teachers and educators are the quiet heroes!    The DUSD administrators, teachers and support staff do an incredible job every day and I am proud to be a part of such a wonderful group of people!!!

You are all HEROES!!

And I mean this for all of the wonderful educators who I have worked alongside these past 43 years!  

Seven Days--Potato Bar

As I stated before, the last several years have been extremely difficult for education in Arizona because of the lack of funding.  It is so sad to think that we are now 50th in the United States.  Our children deserve so much better than this.   Teachers also deserve to be compensated appropriately, as well as support staff.    I believe that this was the most difficult part of my job in that we haven't been able to give raises for such a long time.  I know most districts are in similar positions.  

Although it doesn't take the place of financial compensation, it has always been important to me to try to create as positive an environment to work in as possible.   And I have tried to do this here.   Being a superintendent is so different than being at a site, but I still wanted to have a good working environment.

A tradition that I started was to have a "potato bar" in March around St. Patrick's Day here at the District Office.   The first year, I got all of the ingredients.  Each year after that, we added local ingredients like salsa, jalapenos, etc.   And of course, I had them listen to my Irish music!   That is one of the "perks" of being the superintendent, I had a captive audience so to speak!!

My last Monday of work, all of the District Office staff surprised me with a lunch.  Guess what it was---baked potatoes.   They had carne asada on them and they were delicious.  And Sonya made a beautiful and delicious cake with my picture on it.  And they even played Irish music!!

I am going to miss these wonderful, hardworking and dedicated people!    They are awesome and I feel blessed to have worked with them these last five years!!!

Eight Days--Who Says You Can't Go Home?

When I was teaching, I never thought I wanted to be a principal.  After several years in the classroom, I decided that I would like to get my administrative certification and that is when I went back to school.    I absolutely loved the 20 years that I spent at Gilbert El!   I have liked every position I have held in education, but being an elementary principal is the best job in the world!!!

I never had any aspirations to be a superintendent, but I did get my superintendent's certification when I was working on my principal one.   My wonderful aunt Teresa was living in Douglas alone in the house she was born in and where I was raised.     

Our family was a bit worried about her being alone as she was 88.   In June of 2010, I found out that the superintendent position in Douglas had been reopened when the District did not find anyone in the first search.   So after talking to my family, I decided to apply for it so that I could live with her.   My thought at the time was if I get it great, but if I don't, I have a job that I love.  Well I got it!  I remember packing up my office in one week in July and moving down here.   It was very quick and I didn't have time to even process it all.

I started here July 26, 2010.    School started very quickly after that I so I was thrown in the proverbial "frying pan" very quickly.    

Douglas was a great place to grow up in and I wanted to be able to give back to this community that played a major role in who I am today.   And being able to be with Teresa has been a blessing in so many ways.   

These past five years are probably the worst that someone could be a superintendent because of the funding cuts that have hit Arizona.   There is not a level playing field in this state and I continue to be amazed at the work that the educators here in Douglas do on a daily basis under sometimes difficult circumstances.   

What a five years it has been!!!   Retiring and leaving Douglas is very bittersweet.   I have made some incredible friends here.     Last week I met with all of the District Office employees individually to say good-bye.  There were many tears.   I am going to miss so many of these wonderful people.  

It has been a blessing on many levels and I know that the District is in a better place than when I came five years ago.   It has been quite an experience at so many levels and I will always be so glad that I have been able to be here for these past five years and give back to this community that I love very much!!!!

 

Day Nine--NAU

Wally Delecki has been an incredible mentor and friend to me through the years.  He has given me many opportunities for professional and personal growth.  I will always be grateful for all that he has done for me.

After Wally retired as our superintendent, he began teaching at NAU in the graduate program in Educational Leadership.   He had me co-teach a class with him and did I learn a lot!  This experience provided me with an opportunity to teach for NAU.

From 2002 until just before I left Gilbert, I taught for NAU.  My  first teaching experience was in the summer of 2002 when I taught a leadership class with a co-hort of east valley police officers.  The Ed Leadership Master's was a degree that was recognized by several of the police departments.   What a first class to have--12 police officers and three teachers who were taking the class as an elective!!!

I truly had to be on my toes with this group!   I gained a new understanding of what police officers do each day.   When they leave their homes, there is a chance that they may not come home.   They also deal with all that is wrong in society and I am sure at times it is difficult not to get jaded.   But what a wonderful group of people!  I had three or four other cohorts of public safety officers, but that class was special.   I got to be good friends with a couple of the Gilbert Police officers and kept in contact with them after the class was over.  One in particular will always hold a special place in my heart--Rob Targosz.   Rob was an incredible human being and he was the first Gilbert Police officer to be killed in the line of duty.   I will never forget the day I received that phone call.  I was in Chicago at a conference, and my wonderful secretary, Barb O'Fallon, called me.   She knew how I felt about Rob.  It was devastating news.

Over the next eight years, I taught a couple of special education classes.  I also taught a parental involvement class that was great.  My favorite class was Professional Problems of Teachers.   That class evolved over the eight years as problems changed.   It was great teaching teachers.  It truly helped me grow professionally and personally and I will always value that experience!!!

Ten Days--Quality EDUATION!

I have always tried to make sure that I don't have typos or misspellings when I write.  However, sometimes it happens.  Most of the time it isn't any big deal, but other times it can become  quite the news story!

The year before I became principal at Gilbert El, there was a fairly big spelling error on the marquee.  It said, "Quality EDUATION Week" and had the dates.  Of course, it was picked up by the local media and was in the newspaper.   Like most stories, it was soon forgotten.

However during my first year, Jay Leno got a copy of the picture and it was on the Tonight Show---"Meanwhile, in Gilbert, Arizona, they have "Quality EDUATION Week."  You can only imagine how embarrassing this was!!  I remember Dr. Delecki being a bit upset by us being made fun of on national television!  (I wonder why???)  I remember him telling all of the administrators at many a meeting to please check our marquees!!

Although this did not happen under my watch, the Tonight Show story was when I was principal!  Needless to say, when I gave our building manager (who was not the one who had misspelled education) what was to go on the marquee, I was always very careful and I always checked after the message was put up on the marquee!!!  It is not so great to be made fun of by the likes of Jay Leno, especially on national television!

Eleven Days--Tiger Town Post Office

For many years, Gilbert El had an actual post office as part of the US Postal Service, Tiger Town Post Office (Tiger Town, AZ).   It was a program that they did for schools.  Patty Montgomery and her primary multi-age class ran the post office.  Every classroom had a mailbox and mail was delivered daily.  Students in her class served as postmaster, mail carrier, etc.

She started it because one of her parents works for USPS, Nancy Hamlett.  They worked very hard to get this set up.  We had a contest for the students to name the different sidewalks and walkways throughout the school.   An Eagle Scout's project was to paint the names on the sidewalks.  Some of the names were Tiger Pride Pkwy, Tiger Champs Camp, Black and Gold Gtwy, El Gato Lane, Tigertail Crk, and Whisker's Way.   The students learned to address envelopes correctly.   Parents and grandparents would send cards and letters to Tiger Town and they were delivered to the classroom.   Letters came from all over.

A couple of years Patty actually had the Pony Express come to Gilbert El.  They would take letters from Gilbert to northern Arizona just before Gilbert Days in November and so they came with their horses and picked up our mail.   I remember all of the students being on the playground to see the horses and riders!

Every Wednesday they had a penny drive to raise money for different projects.  One year they raised over $1000 for the Child Crisis Nursery.  Each classroom and the office had jars for people to put a penny in and then the post office students would pick up the money on Wednesdays.   

For several years we had a live news cast every morning.  Tom Waechter, one of our teachers, was in charge of this.  He had an actual "studio" and two students were the anchors.   They made announcements about what was happening on the campus and students could go on to tell about a project or get recognition for something.  It was great!!

As you can tell from all the posts, I was very fortunate to work with such an incredible group of adults who ALWAYS went above and beyond for the students!!