“Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself less.”
– C.S. Lewis
In our school district we take pride in the words and actions ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER. We aim to do this each and every day with and for each and every student, staff member, and the community! Since July 2013 our Big 5 have been driving our actions and initiatives:
We often write about innovation and we often share examples of the teacher’s innovative practices in blogs, Twitter, Facebook, principal newsletters, emails from the district, in person events, etc. Today I’m writing to celebrate an innovative project experience from 7th grade English Language Arts. In the 7th grade ELA class this year the students had to complete a project entitled: Change the World. One of our students sent a letter to the Illinois Department of Homeland Security. The boy’s letter was so impressive to the staff that the Deputy Director, James Joseph, called principal, Dr. John Filippi, and he shared his delight at the letter. In addition he offered to come visit the student and his classmates!
In addition he made a brief presentation and answered questions from the students. In the pictures shown to the left we also show another special guest, retired Major General Robert G.F. “Bob” Lee. Gen. Lee was visiting the Governor’s office and it fit into his schedule to join Director Joseph. Gen. Lee shared information about his fascinating service to our country as well as to his home state of Hawaii. Security is a national concern and it’s nice to know we have such able, knowledgeable, talented and able leaders helping defend our nation and our state.
The power of a letter, the power of a communication, the power of an inquisitive student can lead to the highest levels of government, society, agencies, companies, etc. Our amazing teachers are taking learning to new levels with engagement, inspiring lessons and empowerment of students to reach out to “real people” in the world who do the work about which we are learning!
Check the podcast for a 5 minute excerpt of today’s visit:
In Deerfield we truly believe, and we teach our students, that, in the words of Margaret Mead:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
Our students, through agency and voice, are learning that they matter not only in school and at home, but as part of the larger world. It’s wonderful, especially as a public school leader, to show the power of education and the value of our innovative public education in terms of meaning and relevance.
We are grateful to General Lee, Director Joseph, as well as other dignitaries who have visited our schools like Governor Bruce Rauner, U.S. Congressman Hon. Robert Dold, Illinois Senator Hon. Julie Morrison, Illinois Representative Hon. Scott Drury, Lake County Regional Superintendent of Schools Hon. Roycealee Wood, Deerfield Mayor Hon. Harriet Rosenthal, and many others who visit to engage with students, learn from our teachers, interact with our world class facilities, and in one way or another, show support for meaningful, effective public education!
“Some people give time, some money, some their skills and connections, some literally give their life’s blood. But everyone has something to give.”
– Barbara Bush
The beautiful children of Rio Grande, Constanza, Republica Dominicana hung out with us, watched us work, worked with us and played with us at “recess” and engaged with us on home visits. This is me, Eduardo, Alex, and my friend Nick, another supt. and rep. of AASA in the background.
We are all humans – it makes no difference to a child what your job title is, what your status economically is, where you live, etc. What matters to a child is that you care, love, respect, and take the time to understand. The children of Rio Grande, Constanza, Dominican Republic are beautiful and full of love, energy, spirit, and now, thanks in part to our mission, they are also full of hope! Our mission of hope and construction is for the entire community and especially for the children. During our time we played games, sports, etc. with the children. Often their parents were working the fields, tending their stores (colmados), and they could not play. The importance of play and socialization has impacted me and our new friends in many, many ways.
From Eduardo (pictured with me at the left) on my shoulders yelling “caballito” or little horse, to Alex (pictured in the red shirt) playing baseball every day and really connecting with us, the play was as meaningful as the physcial labor.
Their current educational options for the children in Rio Grande are quite limited. They can attend the one-room school that serves grades 1-4 or they can walk 5 miles round trip each day to an area called the Japanese Colony for grades 1 through 8.
For most educationally speaking, that’s it – 4th grade then work – or “other”! The Cecaini School in Constanza (shown below), is the one that previous LifeTouch memory mission trip workers helped construct under the guidance of their Dominican supervisors. This incredible school starts to fulfill Pastor Angel Moreta’s vision of transformation. The school serves children in
another part of Constanza in grades 1-8. In addition, in Cecaini a vocational school has just been created too, as part of the LifeTouch memory mission and commitment to the Dominican Republic. The vocational school at Cecaini is post 8th grade and it has coursework in computers (both science, engineering and repair), cosmetology (specifically as a way to help prevent teen pregnancy by providing other income earning opportunities for the girls and young women), culinary arts, artisan work (crafts, jewelry, etc) with other options in the works. The children in Rio Grande will have the opportunity to also attend the Cecaini vocational school after they complete the 8th grade in their neighborhood.This vocational school serves children after they complete 8th grade. With this new vocational school they will learn vocations and trades that will earn them an income and additional opportunities for life that currently do not exist in this part of the world.
School construction in process in Rio Grande
For many it is simply not practical to walk 5 mile round trip daily on an unpaved, rocky, potentially unsafe route. As stated, for many than it is no education post 4th grade. This mission trip is helping change this and bring hope for change to these forgotten people! Our school in Rio Grande- the one on which we made AMAZING progress in one week – is scheduled to open in August 2016 – this fall. There are two more groups of mission trips coming to continue and help complete the construction in April and June 2016.
Rio Grande (current project) and Cecaini (project just dedicated by the government) represent two of the six schools that local leader (and hero) Pastor Angel Moreta has in his vision to change the lives of his people.
Getting to Rio Grande
Prior to reaching the worksite and our new neighborhood we travelled for more than 12 hours. From our arrival at the airport in Atlanta at 7:30am, we flew to Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic, this 3.5 hour flight, with a one hour time zone reflects the first 4.5 hours of our travel day … Then at the airport we put all of our luggage – more than 100 suitcases – into a pickup truck as we
View from Altocerros Hotel where we stayed in Constanza outside of Rio Grande
boarded two small buses for a 4.5 hour journey north into the mountains. We left Santo Domingo’s international airport at 3:15pm. We went from sea level to nearly 4000 feet above sea level in our journey. We arrived at our new home, the hotel Altocerros in Constanza, around 7:30pm.
In the DR there are around 10 million people, 4 million of whom reside in or around the capital city. The capital city resembles any typical large city. There is a subway system, tons of businesses, a lot of traffic, well built and maintained bridges and roads and the appearance of multi-national investment. In the country the infrastructure is somewhat spotty.
There is the juxtaposition of highly developed engineering and irrigation through the mountains into the farms with the tin roofed small (300 sq. ft.) domiciles that dot the roads and the landscape. In terms of economy, Constanza is also a well stocked city – but a short distance away in the mountain area where we lived and worked, the economy is RURAL and remote. Specifically the economy is in the form of farms and storefronts (Colmados) as part of the homes. An interesting phenomenon is the presence of many unfinished structures, we were told that the people build what they can afford and as they accumulate more money they continue building until they ultimately complete the project (homes, stores, etc.).
We traveled on solid infrastructure and we traveled on treacherous (by USA standards) mountain passes on dirt and stone (boulder) roads with little to no passing space. The area of Constanza contains a mix of city and country, farm, and mountain, wealth and poverty. The 90 thousand residents reflect a variety of the faces of society. The folks with whom we spent the majority of our time were somewhat forgotten by
Video experts Donnie and Adam with some children at Cecaini School
the authorities, they did not live with highly advanced housing or infrastructure. But though their world has differences from ours, the similarities between us that we discovered on our journey far outweigh any differences. These folks love their families – just like us, these folks want a better life for their children – just like us, these folks work hard for their living – just like us, and these folks have pride, integrity, and now they have hope!
We came here to build a school and in doing so we accomplished a whole lot more. We did hard labor and manual construction and we’re quite proud of this! We also did life’s work and human work. What does this school represent? Among other things, it represents hope, possibility, change, diplomacy, love, compassion, opportunity, etc. The LifeTouch officials have done an incredible job of logistics, planning, training, execution of mission, safety, facilitating team building and reflection. Each day we worked, played and learned and each night we reflected, shared, and grew as humans.
El Jefe de translators! Translator-In-Chief Don Pedro
Our team of more than 50 had representatives from Brazil, Canada, the United States, and of course our amazing Dominican translators (some of whom are shown in the photos) and workers with whom we are now friends for life. The translators with whom we worked are forever bonded to us as friends. The love, care, humor, learning, explaining, laughing, and working side by side have impressed upon us for life. We hugged, shook hands, exchanged numbers and emails and connected on FaceBook. The workers first looked at us like a bunch of crazy North Americans (at least that is my thinking) and we left, after working really hard on many construction tasks, as friends sharing pictures, stories, laughs, and relationships. We earned their respect on the job and we earned their admiration and appreciation for really doing the work and trying so hard to do the work right.
We completed construction tasks like moving rocks (boulders), placing cinder blocks (more than 1000), making mortar and making concrete, placing mortar on the blocks, leveling the blocks, pouring cement in the blocks, using rebar (cutting, tying), stuccoing walls, framing stairs, framing a chasm for rain
Mixing concrete with water, cement, rocks and sand. Digging the trenches, building walls – making a difference.
water, digging trenches, sifting sand, shoveling dirt, rocks, sand, using pick axes, trawls, hammers, nails, a rebar cutter, we literally helped to build a school by hand! Our group bonded in a close, strong, and reflective manner.
We did not organize as superintendents, or principals, or teachers, or photographers, we organized as people. We did not distinguish tasks based on gender, age or station in life. Our group ranged in age from 29- late 60’s. We were a united team who developed a care and concern for one another that seems unusual in today’s “dog eat dog” world.
Day by day the people with whom we interacted became warmer, friendlier, more interested in us and our presence, caring, loving, and engaged. Daily we took at least two half hour “recess” breaks to walk up the road, across the river to a field. This field, on privately owned pasture land, was used as our play field. We were allowed to play with the children, teens, and young adults during our time. Each day more and more townspeople joined us as we played catch, soccer, baseball, cards, or just hung out learning about one another as people.
On the recess play field – the Force is strong with Junior!
Day by day they saw our sweat equity and our truly hard work on their behalf. Day by day the power of hope and diplomacy and mission and work became more evident. We came here to support the visionary dream of Pastor Angel and other community leaders to change the lives and future of the people who live in the forgotten outskirts of Constanza. We changed and grew as people each day and we reflected as people, team members and also we reflected on how this work and these experiences can and will be applied to our “day jobs”.
“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.” – Mother Teresa
On Monday our students have a “day off” – and we encourage service and reflection about the heroism and great work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His messages are especially relevant in today’s reality of conflict in our cities and around the world.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day(officiallyBirthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.)[1]is anAmerican federal holidaymarking the birthday ofMartin Luther King, Jr.It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King’s birthday, January 15. The holiday is similar to holidays set under theUniform Monday Holiday Act.
King was the chief spokesman fornonviolentactivism in theCivil Rights Movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon afterhis assassinationin 1968. PresidentRonald Reagansigned the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.
Give Where You Live –
Deerfield: Participate in Day of Service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
TheVillageof Deerfield invites everyone to participate in a Day of Service onMonday, January 18, 2016, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The event kicks off the second year of Give Where You Live – Deerfield, a year-round giving campaign spearheaded by Deerfield Mayor Harriet Rosenthal to help link volunteers to local community service opportunities.
OnMonday, January 18, from1 p.m. to 3 p.m., atVillageHall volunteers will makeno-sew blankets to be distributed to local organizations that serve those that are ill, homeless, or in crisis. These no-sew blankets provide protection and comfort, are easy to make, and, most importantly, are a reminder that someone cares. The blankets are easy to learn how to make and are appropriate for almost any age. A limited number of scissors will be provided, so volunteers are encouraged to bring their own.
A recommendation I have is for everyone to share the messages, teachings, precepts and principles espoused by King with their children and with their communities.
While we in the USA have come a long way since 1963 – we still have a long way to go until Dr. King’s dreams are fully realized. An educated youth and an educated populace with morals and values centered in respect, honor, and dignity can set the world free from racism and prejudice!
The transcript of the “I Have a Dream Speech”:
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men — yes, black men as well as white men — would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked “insufficient funds.”
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. 1963 is not an end but a beginning. Those who hoped that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “for whites only.” We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today my friends — so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning “My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father’s died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!”
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi — from every mountainside.
Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring — when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children — black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics — will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
This January I will be a part of a team that will build an elementary school in Rio Grande, a small community in Constanza in the Dominican Republic. The team of volunteers will consist of superintendents, principals, educators, PTA members and others who all share a passion for serving children and families. This memory mission trip is sponsored by LifeTouch and supported by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the National School Boards Association (NSBA), and the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA). I am proud to be one of the superintendents representing the AASA on this mission!
As part of the process of participating in the mission, there are some volunteer questions which I was asked and answered and I want to share via the blog as an amplification as to the purpose of this upcoming leadership and life experience for me.
Question: Why did you volunteer for the Lifetouch Memory Mission?
Response: I view education as a calling and as a call to service. I have been blessed with guidance, mentorship, coaching, and opportunities from others, and I want to pay it forward and serve globally. Over the course of my career (23 years in public education so far) I have worked with students from various nationalities, economic stations, religions, and perspectives. I believe, and I know from experiences, that spending meaningful time in another country serving a local community will improve my life and my service. My aim is to also show via modeling for my own children and family and for the folks in the community where I serve that I am willing to “walk the walk” in multiple venues and situations.
Question: What do you hope to learn from the experience of building this school, interacting with the residents of Constanza and working as a team with your fellow Memory Mission volunteers?
Response: I expect a truly life changing experience in terms of culture, language, building, caring, and doing. I am hoping to see the world through the lens of the people of Constanza and through that lens better clarify my own lens. I hope to spread “public diplomacy” as well by showing the good side and caring side of our American people and of our school personnel. I look forward to making life long friendships and connections with my fellow volunteers. I want to make my wife and children proud of me by modeling a life of service.
Question: How do you think the Memory Mission will change you? Do you have personal goals for what you take away from this experience?
Response: I think this trip will change me in terms of the building experiences, the family/citizen interactions, the overall cultural exchange in the Dominican Republic. My goal is to listen, learn, embrace the culture and the people and aim to give as much as I can to these projects.
Question: Please tell us about any past experiences with international travel. Where have you visited? What experiences abroad have left the greatest impression on you?
Response: I have traveled to Germany, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Dominica, Barbados, St. Croix, and Puerto Rico. I lived with a family in Cuernavaca, Mexico in 1992 while attending coursework at a school. The homestay in Mexico gave me an appreciation and respect for the Mexican people, culture, and ways of life as well as the life long skills of biculturalism and bilingualism. My travels to Spain included recruiting Spanish teachers to work in the USA in a dual-language Spanish/English immersion education program. I learned about Germany in 1995 during the opening of the Berlin Wall and the wrapping of the Reichstag. In addition I visited schools, professional learning institutes and government facilities. The greatest impressions I have include the “sameness” that we all share regardless of language, heritage, country, etc. We are all citizens of the world with contributions and benefits to share and to serve. My Caribbean experiences broadened my appreciation for global history, economic interdependence and natural and cultural beauty.
My efforts to help support this project stretch beyond manual labor. There is still a great need to raise funds for the construction and furnishing of the school. Your donation of any size to the Lifetouch Memory Mission can help us continue to raise a village out of poverty. Let’s create a positive change for hundreds of children and their families in this community!
Each day Kids Risk Lives to Reach School
For most parents and kids, crossing the street to catch the school bus may be the riskiest part about getting to school. Could you imagine sending your child on a 2 ½ mile hike up a mountain in order to receive an education? Or what if you didn’t have the ability to send them in the first place?
Children in Constanza, Dominican Republic face these unfavorable conditions daily. Many choose not to take the long journey to school and stay home instead. With the lack of educational resources in this part of the world, children are being deprived of reaching their full potential.
“When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.”
– C. Reade John Ruskin
As we prepare to watch and learn with one another in our community next week (Nov. 9 Screening at Deerfield High School) with the screening of Most Likely To Succeed, I am reviewing and sharing other similar “calls to action” with respect to society and change. The origins and structures of the public school system in the USA comes from a time long since past, it’s time- and we have the ability and drive- to change the system.
In our school district we believe in community engagement. Many of the major structural and organizational changes we have made in the past 24 months are due to collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking among and between citizens. We (educators, Board members, parents, students, teachers, community members) have reviewed plans and reshaped curriculum, instruction and assessment. We have embraced fiscal conservatism and leveraged those successes into investments in the future education of our children. We are enlightened enough to seek out improvements and excellence in all that we do.
I share the embedded video from 2012 as an adjunct to our overall messages about change, growth, progress and the future. I share the video in anticipation of next week’s community engagement with the screening of Most Likely to Succeed. Together we accomplish so much! We have changed so much in DPS109 in a relatively short period of time. Imagine what we can do! Reimagine what education and public school will be!
From the video description:
Published on May 30, 2012
Students are the future, but what’s the future for students? To arm them with the relevant, timeless skills for our rapidly changing world, we need to revolutionize what it means to learn. Education innovators like Dr. Sugata Mitra, visiting professor at MIT; Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy; and Dr. Catherine Lucey, Vice Dean of Education at UCSF, are redefining how we engage young minds for a creatively and technologically-advanced future. Which of these eduvators holds the key for unlocking the learning potential inside every student?
While he is a man who deserves GREAT credit for much of Public Schooling – it’s time to move beyond rigid 19th Century structures!
In our school district we take pride in the words and actions ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER. We aim to do this each and every day with and for each and every student, staff member, and the community! Since July 2013 our Big 5 have been driving our actions and initiatives:
education and the value of our innovative public education in terms of meaning and relevance.
