Dennis J. Reidy (1945-2013)

Saying   good-bye to someone who has   been such a big part of my life has never been easy.  I think it is one of the hardest things as I get "older" and it has happened more often.    However,  this past weekend   was especially difficult.  Our family had to say good-bye to someone who has meant so much to so many of us--Dennis Reidy.   Although we are not blood relatives, Dennis was my "cousin."   I valued his advice, respected his work ethic, am thankful for the many times were were able to stay at their house  when my mom was in the hospital in Tucson, and more than anything, the opportunity to hear stories and laugh.   

Last summer at the family reunion, Dennis did not look very good.  He was on oxygen, which I know was very difficult for him to have to accept.   But in the true Dennis fashion, he just made a joke of it and went on.  I know he didn't feel that well, but you would have never known it.

When we got the call a week ago Saturday   that Dennis had passed the night before, it was very difficult news.  Although I can say I wasn't    terribly surprised,  it still was unexpected.   Dennis lived every moment of his life to the fullest and not many people can say that.  It was a difficult week, and Teresa had such a hard time.

Janet asked me to speak at the funeral about Dennis' roots and Douglas.   I was so honored to be able to do this.  She told me to keep it short.  For those of you who know me professionally, you know I am not one for long speeches, etc.  However, trying to  condense so much about Dennis into something short, was hard.  I asked various people if they had any stories from growing up in Douglas.  I got quite a bit of information and was able to put it into a tribute to this wonderful human being.

I would like to share it on this blog with those of you who didn't get to hear it last Saturday.  Dennis meant so much to so many people, and that was evident in the   huge number of people who attended the viewing, the funeral, the burial and the reception.

Here is what I said:

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I am Sheila Rogers, member of the Scott Family of Douglas, Arizona.    When Janet asked me to speak about Dennis’ early years in Douglas, to say I was honored would be an understatement.   The Reidy and Scott Families go way back.  I asked our Aunt Teresa, who is 90,  when the families met.  She wasn’t sure, but  she  told me that she doesn’t ever remember a time when our families weren’t friends.  My grandparents moved to Douglas in 1912 and to the current house we live  in on 14^th Street in 1918.   The Reidy family, and their cousins, the Joyces , all lived in the 800  block on 14^th for many years.   The Reidys, Joyces, and Scotts were godparents to each other, in each others weddings, and were truly an extended family.    Our families share strong Irish Catholic roots.

And as I look back on my childhood, I don’t ever remember not having the Reidys as part of our family.    Although there are no  blood ties, that never stopped us from being family.

Dennis was born in Douglas on August 29, 1945 to Edna and Corny Reidy.    He was the second child of the family with Cornella being the oldest and Jerry following two years later.  

Corny Reidy died suddenly of a heart attack on June 13, 1951 at the age of 43, leaving behind Edna and three young children.   Edna devoted her life to her three children.   She could have gone to work as she was a registered nurse, but she felt that her children needed a mother at home.   By this time,  all of the extended Reidy family had moved to California.  But the Scott family was still in Douglas.   Throughout the years of our childhood, we were together often.  Edna died unexpectedly in 1971.   That was devastating to Dennis.   Had both of his parents lived to see the adult that he became would have made them very proud.   However, I am sure that they did know.

Dennis attended Loretto Catholic School from first through eighth grades.   We have been blessed because  our principal at Loretto, Sister Ann Patrice,  is still in our lives.   We have kept in touch through the years and I emailed her over the weekend to tell her about Dennis.   She responded to me that she found out about his death on Saturday.   She told me that Dennis and Janet had sent her a floral arrangement this past Christmas and that she had talked to Dennis on the 26^th.   I had asked her if she could share anything about Dennis with me.   She told me that  she remembered talking to Dennis at Loretto’s 75^th anniversary celebration several years back.   He told her that his education at Loretto had the biggest impact on his life.  He prefaced it with telling her “this is the only serious thing  I am going to say to you today.”  Those of us who knew Dennis, can hear him saying this.  She also said that she felt that what he told her illustrated both his faithfulness and his sense of humor.  She further said that he was always a conscientious student and entered into school activities with energy and enthusiasm.    She said his smile often held a twinkle of possible  mischief in it, but evidently he didn’t act on that mischief that she could remember.  I know for a fact  that Dennis saved acting on the mischief until a few years after he left Loretto.

Loretto often had fundraisers.  At Christmas time, we always sold Christmas cards.   Dennis would go out to sell the cards to various people that he knew.    Dennis had a gift of gab at even a young age.  Every year he would go to see Mr. Levy, who owned a local department store.  Mr. Levy reminded Dennis each year that he didn’t buy Christmas cards because he was Jewish.  However, every year Dennis convinced him to support Loretto and so Mr. Levy bought Christmas cards.

Dennis attended Douglas High School after Loretto where he was involved in  many school activities—most notably the yearbook. 

Because of their financial situation, Dennis had many jobs while growing up in Douglas.  Jerry told me  about the first jobs that they had.  They would do odd jobs for people in the neighborhood. One of those jobs was mowing lawns.   Neither Dennis or Jerry were big enough to push the lawn mower, so each of them took a side of the mower handle and pushed together.  I can just picture this!

About the same time, Dennis and Jerry started working for Mr. Stevenson, who had the local franchise for a TV guide type magazine.  In order to sell more magazines, Edna decided to take the boys over to Agua Prieta in Mexico.  They would find the homes that had a television antenna on the roof and then knock on the door.  When the   homeowner opened the door, Dennis would ask “quieres comprar TV guide?”  They sold the magazines for 15 cents and got to keep 4 cents.   Jerry told me that what they were most excited about this job was that actually had a REAL boss.  When he and Dennis were reminiscing many years later, Dennis couldn’t believe that they were excited about having a boss!

Dennis also worked as a paperboy, as a carry  out boy at the Phelps Dodge Grocery store, worked at the Arizona Drug Store, and at the City of Douglas Water Department.   Dennis knew the value of hard work from a very   young age.  And he always appreciated the friendships that he made with the men he worked with doing manual labor.  Dennis had a real heart for the common, working person that he never forgot as he became so successful in the business world.

Edna expected all of her children to go to college. Dennis received the Logie Scholarship at Douglas High School  which was only for the University of Arizona.   He always leaned towards the U of A, but that scholarship confirmed it.   And that is how Dennis became a “wildcat.”    As a graduate of ASU and a Sun Devil, I can honestly say that is probably the only thing that I ever disagreed with Dennis on!!  We had a lot of fun over the years with the rivalry.    And I am very glad that Dennis did become a wildcat, because if he hadn’t, he would have never met and married his wonderful wife, Janet.  She is our family, too,  and we love her dearly.  She was the best thing that ever happened to Dennis.  Thank you, Janet, for making Dennis so happy !!  And thank you for sharing him with us these many years!  I am sure there were many times that you were ready to go, but Dennis had one more story to share!

Dennis loved Douglas.  When I moved back to Douglas 2 ½ years ago, he was one of my biggest supporters.   Dennis believed in giving back to the community that helped make him the person he was.  Each year, Dennis would send a letter to his clients suggesting that they give their Arizona Tax Credit donation to one of two schools.  The one in Douglas is Faras Elementary in Pirtleville, which is a very poor area of Douglas.   Many people with no  connection to Douglas contributed. Those of us who graduated from Douglas High School have a saying—“once a bulldog, always a bulldog!”  Dennis  did more than say it, he lived it through his support of our schools and his love for his roots in Douglas.

I have spoken of Dennis’ formative years in Douglas.    I have talked about what a conscientious student he was.  And I know you will hear about Dennis as an adult in the next little bit.  Dennis’ sense of humor was second to none.  I loved to get together and talk and listen to his very funny stories of growing up in Douglas.   Our cousin, Ted,  wrote that Dennis was our family’s “Seanachie” (Shawn a key).  A Seanachie  is an Irish storyteller.  They were the oral historians during the great suppression.  Dennis’ stories weren’t bound by dates or events like most histories.  They were about people and characters.  And although they made us laugh, we weren’t laughing at them as much as with them.  They were vignettes of the human condition---the divine comedy.

What I believe I am most grateful for is the many years of friendship that we had.  Dennis was an incredible influence on my life and on the lives of so many others.    In our family, our children considered Dennis an uncle.   I remember him inviting my daughter and some of the other cousins to “Camp Dennis.”   At Camp Dennis, they listened to stories about having fun and of Dennis’ escapades through the years. They learned to not take themselves too seriously and to enjoy each moment in life, and to live life to the fullest.  But they also learned the value of hard work and  the importance of family.   

I will always feel blessed to have had Dennis and all of the Reidys in my life.   I love Irish Proverbs and Blessings and I am going to conclude this with one that I feel is most fitting for his great sense of humor that we will dearly miss.   It simply says,  “May you get to heaven a half hour before the devil knows you’re dead.”  I have no doubt that Dennis made it to heaven in record time!

To quote my favorite author, “those we love are never really gone as long as their stories are told.”  Dennis stories will live on with the many people whose lives he touched.

Thank you, Dennis, for enriching our lives with your presence, your stories, and most importantly,  your friendship!  You will be sorely missed!

Quiet Heroes

This is a copy of an email I sent to everyone who works in our District today:

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!!

Sheila

The Gift of Life and The Gift Friendship

I have a group of (retired)  friends who were all administrators with me through the years.  There are five of us who get together whenever we can to talk, laugh, commiserate, etc.  This has been going on for several years now.  When I was in Gilbert, we tried to get away for a weekend three to four times a year just to have fun.

Since I have been in Douglas, these wonderful friends have come down twice and I have been able to see them for dinner whenever it has worked out when I was up in the valley.

One of these friends came to Gilbert as a Junior High Principal the year that I moved from teaching third grade to the Interim Director of Personnel in 1988.  We became friends immediately and I have so valued having her in my life.  

About 15 years ago, Jill became very ill.  She ended up having to receive a kidney transplant.  The fortunate part was that her husband, George, was a perfect match for her (in more ways than just the kidney).  She had the transplant and has been relatively healthy ever since.  However, the amount of medication that she has had to take for rejection, etc., has caused her health to not always be perfect.  

Jill is always upbeat and positive and finds the good things about life.  She has taken care of herself over the years since the transplant, despite some setbacks.  I truly admire what she has done.

Last summer (2011) I was able to go on a really fun cruise with Jill, George, and several other friends.  Jill and George were doing all the things that I would never do on the day excursions. 

Last January, my friends were planning a trip down here and it was cancelled just before they were to come.  I didn't think much about it, but then I started to get worried.   I was up in the spring and I could see that she wasn't doing as well as she had before.  I was worried about her, but she was always positive.  I saw her again in late April and I knew then that things weren't going well.  That is when I found out that Jill was going to need another transplant.  Although she had taken care of herself so well, transplants only last a certain number of years and Jill had made it 15 years.  The scary part for Jill is that she was having to do dialysis during this period of time.

She was on the donor list which is incredibly long unless you have someone willing to donate.  We found out that she had an anonymous donor and everything was a great match.   Jill then found out who the donor was.  She is the daughter of a former teacher who worked for Jill when she was a junior high principal.  This young lady is also a teacher.

Her surgery was scheduled for July 4th, but had to be rescheduled because of an infection that Jill had.  But after much frustration, the transplant was done.  Everything turned out very well and both Jill and the wonderful young lady who gave her the gift of life did very well.

In the middle of all of this, Jill took the time to send a birthday card to my Aunt Teresa on her 90th birthday, which was July 30.  For her to think of Teresa's birthday when she was dealing with her health issue speaks volumes as to who Jill is as a person!

I hadn't seen my friends since the surgery, but had kept in touch with them through email, etc.  

During this time our friend, Susie, lost her father fairly suddenly.  I felt so bad that I was unable to make it to his funeral as I love Susie, too.

Monday night I was in the valley for meetings and a conference.  We were able to get together and it was so good for me to see these dear friends!!  And Jill looked absolutely wonderful!!!!!!!!  You would never know what she had been through.  And her positive attitude is still amazing.

As I told her, what a tribute to the kind of educator she was to have the daughter of one of her teachers be willing to give her a kidney!!    

I would like to say thank you to this young lady for giving my dear friend, Jill, the gift of life and for giving those of us who call Jill our friend, the gift of having Jill in our lives.

We had a wonderful evening talking and laughing.  For me it was a rejuvenation in so many ways.  This is one thing I do miss about being in Douglas--not getting to see my friends as often.  But they have a trip down here planned sometime in the next few months.

So Jill, Susie, Sharon, and Bev, thank you for your gift of friendship to me.  I value you more than you know and that I can ever express.   You are the best!!

One of my all time favorite books is The Prophet by Kahil Gibran.  I love quotes and found one from him that I think is very fitting for this post.  "In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.  For in the dew of little things, the heart finds its morning and is refreshed."   My heart has been refreshed once again because of these wonderful friends.

What I Did on Summer Vacation.............

This summer I took vacation days to plan for and have the family reunion and celebration for Teresa's 90th birthday.  I took about two weeks in July.  I have found that the only way to truly get a vacation in my job is to leave town and get out of cell phone range!!!  Of the days that I took off in July, I went into the office at least two times each of the days except for the last day.  The last day of my vacation was also the last day of our reunion.  So I spent the day cleaning up and putting things away.  

This past week I received a call from a family friend and another cabin owner up in Cave Creek where our cabin is.  He told me that our cabin had been broken into.  So later that day, I had to drive up and give the keys to  a lady who offered to help get the window fixed.  I also wanted to see if there had been any damage done.   Fortunately, the only damage was the window being broken.  We don't leave anything of much value up there.   Once the person got in through the back window, they weren't able to open either of the doors to take anything because we have so many locks on the doors.  Our cabin is very remote and we have had some problems over the years--thank goodness, nothing major.

As we were looking at the window, one of the people there to help noticed that the pole holding the back porch up had been clawed by a bear!!  Since the fire last summer, bears have been coming down further than in the past.  I have never seen one at the cabin and the only time I remember hearing about one was when Teresa saw a bear several years ago.  

Then on Friday I took a vacation day to go back up to the cabin so that the outhouse could be cleaned out.   We have had the cabin since 1960 and I believe the outhouse has only been cleaned out twice.  I remember many years ago our Uncle Johnny cleaned it out with a shovel. I remember that very well because I spent the day climbing up a mountain so I wouldn't have to "deal" with this particular job!

When I got up to the cabin, I had to wait for about 45 minutes for the guys to arrive.  My poor puggies were not happy with this huge and very loud truck on our property.  Notice what a brave pug Diego is..............

They put 300 gallons of water down the hole and then used some kind of tool to break things up.   I certainly don't wish to go into detail on this blog...  They got as much as they could but there are so many tree roots that have gotten into the hole that they weren't able to get everything.  As the guy told me, the outhouse is a "smorgasbord" of nutrients for all of the trees--never thought of it that way.

By the time I got back into cell phone range, I had a text from Kerri saying she was sick and they wouldn't   be able to make it down for the long weekend.  Needless to say, I was disappointed as we were going to celebrate Cameron's 14th birthday.  When I talked to her, she sounded awful.

Since I had already purchased everything for the weekend and was really looking to get away from my cell phone, etc., I decided to go up anyway.  I had also invited one of our administrators and his family for Sunday.   So the pugs and I packed up and headed backup for the third time this week.  Fortunately it is only about an hour away.

Although it was a bit warm during the middle of the day, it was still beautiful.  There isn't much water in the creek which is very unusual for this time of year. There has been a lot of rain, but obviously not in the right places to cause the creek to flow.  The desert between Douglas and Portal is absolutely gorgeous--so green.

It was a peaceful, restful weekend.  Didn't see any bears or burglars!!     Listened to music, read two books, enjoyed my friends yesterday and totally relaxed.

I love the cabin and the area around it.  It is so peaceful and so beautiful!!  It is so great to be only an hour away!!

Validation

It sometimes amazes me when something happens out of the blue and comes when you least expect it to happen.  I had something happen this weekend that I believe might be a sort of sign--a sign to keep "on blogging" no matter what..........

Last January, I did a post called "Touching Moments" with a picture of President Obama hugging Gabby Giffords.  I wrote about some touching moments that had unexpectedly happened to me on that Saturday.   

Here is part of what I wrote:

Teresa and I usually go to 5:00 o'clock mass on Saturday evening.  Tonight, neither of the deacons or the altar server were there.  Father Gilbert was all by himself.  Everything went fine, but when it came time for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, there was no one to help Father with the preparation.

As he started preparing, an elderly (and very distinguished) gentleman came forth and went up to the altar to assist.  This wonderful man is almost 90 years old and suffers from the early stages of Alzheimers.  He is always at 5:00 o'clock mass and is often one of the Eucharistic Ministers. It is always touching for me to see him participate, despite the fact that he has oxygen with him and has a bit of trouble getting around. I have known him all of my life.  Our families' friendship goes way back and I went all through school with his children.

However, what happened last night was amazing!  I am sure at one point in his life he had been an altar boy.  He helped Father with the water and the wine and all of the preparation.  He then went down to where the altar server sits and knelt down right on the carpet (and I can tell you I wouldn't be able to do this.)  He then became the bell ringer during the consecration.  After that, he went about his way and did his Eucharistic Minister duties.  Just watching this tonight was so powerful.  I have given him a ride home a couple of times after church.  My admiration for him is immense!!   I believe there was a message in what I saw tonight!

Friday I had to go to Tucson for a meeting.  I got back just in time to change and go to the first DHS football game of the season.  I left the game about half time as I was tired and when I got home, there was a message on the answering machine.  It was from the wife of the gentleman that I wrote about.  They had been gone all summer to stay with one of their daughters.   First she wished Teresa a late happy birthday and told her she wished she could have been here for her birthday celebration.  She then started to thank me for writing about her husband on the computer.  As she was talking, she started to get choked up and couldn't continue talking.  I could hear her quietly crying and trying to continue talking.  She was able to say how much she appreciated the beautiful words that I had written about him, but it was very hard to understand her through her tears.  This evening, I called her and talked to her.  She was so appreciative and so supportive.  She told me she was glad I am here and will call if they ever need anything.

Needless to say, this message meant so much to me.  And it came at a time where I was considering not allowing just anyone to have access to my blog.  I had made the decision earlier this week that I would not allow a bully to keep me from writing my blog and keeping it so that it is accessible  for anyone.   I truly believe that this was a sign and was not just a  coincidence.

For the past two years that I have been in Douglas, a few things have happened that have truly helped me in making some of the very tough decisions that I have had to make in my job down here.  They were unexpected and I believe that maybe my mom is up there helping me out just a little bit!!!  And I think that is what happened on Friday night...........

My job in Douglas is not done.  I have had so many positive comments made to me over the last several weeks from so many different people.  Although I came down to Douglas primarily to be with Teresa, I believe that there might be a few more reasons.  Although this sign was about my writing, I actually believe it was far more than just about my blog.   I absolutely believe it was much more than that!!

Abraham Lincoln said, "I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep on doing so until the end."  

I have three more years and I can guarantee that I will CONTINUE to do my very best until my   time is finished here!

Sentimental Journey

Last week I had to be up in Phoenix for an important meeting concerning school improvement.  Our District has been in school improvement, but we are slowly turning things around.  We had way more gains than losses this year.  I am proud of the work that the administrators and teachers have done.  We are turning things around and starting to see some positive gains. That is one of the reasons why I want to stay around a few more years to see the results of all of our hard work.

When I was an elementary principal and things would get rough, I could always walk out my door and get so many hugs.  I knew that I would miss that when I got to the District office.  And these past few months, I have missed it tremendously.   There have been some difficult times with some very difficult people who want to take things down, not make them better.  And I have missed the fact that I could walk out and get those hugs.  Although I try to get to the schools when I can, the kids don't know me so it isn't quite the same.

Last week when I was up in Phoenix, I had a little time in the morning before I had to be at a meeting.  I decided that I would go to Gilbert El and just say hi.  I have only been back once since I left and it was for a reception in the evening.  I had not been there during the day.    When I came to Douglas, I was ready to be here.  However, Gilbert El was a part of my life for 20 years and it truly took me over two years to be able to go visit. 

Well, it couldn't have gone any better.  I was able to go around to many of the classrooms and see the kids. It was overwhelming when I went into the classrooms and how excited the kids (and teachers/staff) were to see me.  In particular, the sixth graders were awesome.  I got so many hugs and so many smiles.   What was particularly touching were some of the kids who I spent a lot of time with in discipline situations being so glad to see me.

Although I was very nervous about  going (and I am not sure why), I am so glad that I didn't "chicken out" at the last minute.   I felt so comfortable going around.

In one class, I was asked to read a book that I had given to their teacher.  It is one of my favorite books called The Language of Doves.  It is a beautiful story.   The second grade students were so attentive as I read it.  It made me remember why I am an educator.  

I posted on Facebook about being there last week.  I got so many positive comments.  It was overwhelming!

Today my friend, Carol, sent me a video from a former student.  She didn't know him, but ran into him at a restaurant.  He is married with a little girl and twins on the way.  I have to say that I needed both of these events right now.  I have tried to post it, but I can't figure out how to make it work on my blog.

I have dedicated my career to try to do the best I can always for children and the adults who work with them.  It has been discouraging to  have to encounter a few negative people who are always trying to find fault with everything that is done.  So this visit was so important to me.  It it all about the children and we can never lose sight of that.

Taking a Stand

President Theodore Roosevelt said many years ago, "....the man (woman) who really counts in the world is the doer, not the mere critic--the man (woman) who does the work, even if roughly and imperfectly, not the man who talks and writes about how it ought to be done."

This quote caused me to truly reflect as to what is most important.   And it has caused me to change my mind on something that is very important to me. 

On Friday, I   blocked my blog so that only certain people could read it.  I sent an email to all of my   family and friends explaining to them that I had felt violated because of a certain person who   took something I wrote and only used part of a sentence.  I also posted something on Facebook that I was going to block it without going into much detail.   

The response I have gotten has been unbelievable with the number of people who would like to have access it.    

After much thought, I have decided that I will not be bullied into doing this.  I have written from my heart since I started this blog.  I tell stories of family and of things that happen.  I write about people who mean much to me and their stories.  I write about the humorous things that happen.  I do not write about the many difficult challenges that I have in my job and I am very careful about what I write because I know that anyone has access to it.  Because of that, I was astounded that someone could take a part of a sentence and use it against me.  If that person had written the entire sentence, it would have changed the context.  And if anyone took the time to go back and read all of my postings, I would hope that they would see who I am as a person.

I started this blog when Patrick and I went to Ireland in March of 2008.  I had truly forgotten how much I love to write.  So much of what I have dealt with as a principal and as a superintendent are not things I can write about.  For much of my administrative career, the writing I have had to do is technical of nature.  This blog has given me an outlet to write about things that I feel are important in my life.   

As educators, we teach children about bullying.  We do everything to put a stop to it and to also teach children about not being a bully, not being bullied, and not being a bystander who watches the bully in action and does nothing.  I need to practice what I preach!!  So those of you who knew my mom, know that I have much of her in me.  So I am going to take a stand and no longer be bullied.   And having this blog back where it is available for anyone to read, is the first step. 

I feel as though the first two years here in Douglas were years of getting things in order so that we could move forward.   I am truly proud of the accomplishments that have been made.  And I intend to see  and be a part of what has been started  for the next three years.  I came to Douglas two years ago hoping that I could make a difference.  I feels as though I have brought a lot and we are heading in the right direction in so many ways. I have a wonderful administrative team both at the District level and our school principals.  Our teachers and staff are wonderful.  And I could not have picked a better Assistant Superintendent who was here when I came. Together, we make a terrific team and collectively, our principals, teachers and staff have shown that children come first in Douglas.  The only way that could change is if the Governing Board decides that they don't like what I am doing.  And that has not been the case so far.

I will conclude with another quote that I have always liked.  It is from Edmund Burke.  He  said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

My intention is to "continue to do SOMETHING!"