#Arrowpride

It is the night before the first day of school.  As always, I feel a little jittery about the adventures that await. Being in a new position, traveling to three different schools, working with many new students and staff has me a little nervous, but that is not the feeling that is exuding from my pores.  That feeling is pride!

I am so extremely proud to be an educator in Lancaster.  I have had the opportunity to work with some pretty incredible people this summer.  I am so proud of the work we have done to lay the groundwork for an incredible year.

First of all, I am proud of our custodial staff. They have gone above and beyond to help with my endless list of needs for the school libraries.  I am honored to work side by side with them and look forward to continuing this relationship.  Many of my ideas could have been brushed off because it requires change and work, but they have jumped right in and helped me along the way.  The pride they have in Lancaster Schools is evident!

I am proud of the administration team in our district.  The communication and collaboration that has occurred throughout the summer shows their deep commitment to our schools.  They have the unenviable task of making the tough decisions, balancing out the schedules, and trouble-shooting on a daily basis.  How they do this and continue to motivate us is a real gift.  They truly demonstrate #arrowpride in all they say and do!

Our staff demonstrates #arrowpride in so many ways.  The way the new staff was welcomed is admirable.  The way everyone shares the load to make special events come to life is magical.  The kindness displayed even in moments of stress or panic shows our commitment to one another.  I am extremely humbled to be working with new staff in the middle school and high school this year.  I look forward to learning from them and I am thankful for the warm welcome. I am proud to be a part of the entire school community.

What would a school be with out families? The children and their families are truly the heart and soul of our school community. I have seen so many fantastic demonstrations of #arrowpride!  The Friends of Winskill has organized family movie night and is really reaching out to get new families involved.  The Sports Boosters and Music Boosters are gearing up for another year of activities in which they can demonstrate the pride they have in their kids. Students coming in to practice their locker combinations demonstrate their #arrowpride as they prepare for their next step.  The smiles are contagious.

Jimmy Casas challenged us to tell our stories, to show our pride!  I think we are heading in the right direction.  As I prepare to spend the night awake going through all the dreams I have for this school year for myself, for my kids, for Lancaster, I will continue to smile with knowledge that I am part of something big, something great!  I've got #arrowpride and I'm ready to pass it on!