I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to be back in the Dowagiac Union School system. The seventeen previous years I spent, nine as a teacher and eight as the high school principal, were some of my favorite times in my professional life. I am ready and eager to get to work serving the students and families of the Dowagiac community in a new capacity. There are a lot of great things going on in Dowagiac Schools as well as in the community as a whole and I am looking forward to helping them continue.
One thing I am particularly excited about is the summer lunch program. Over the summer many lunches were served at over 8 different locations. Any child 18 or under was eligible for a free lunch no matter their economic status. Many children were given a lunch that they would have had to get from somewhere else, or unfortunately, not have received at all. We are already looking to expand this highly successful program next summer. This is important to me because I believe schools have a role in looking after their students year round.
Sister Lakes Elementary and Patrick Hamilton Elementary were both identified by the state as being REWARD schools; Sister Lakes for the second year in a row. The State defines a Reward School as a school with outstanding student achievement or growth over a three year window. Only 112 reward schools were identified out of 900 public schools. This is important to me because I believe that student achievement is the reason schools exist.
This is the twenty-fourth year since the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and Dowagiac Union Schools signed an agreement to promote and honor the members of the Pokagon Band . I am proud to be a member of a school system and community who value the diversity of all of its members. This is important to me because I believe school pride and community pride should be synonymous.
I believe that as Dowagiac Union Schools go, so goes the Dowagiac community and vise versa. Looking out for our children when school is not in session, working with our children to help them achieve at their highest levels and developing a sense of community for all, are just a few examples of the positive direction we are heading. This started well before I arrived and it continues today.
There is much more work to do and many more accomplishments to achieve. Together there will be no obstacle that we cannot overcome. Schools just don’t develop students; they help to create communities.
On Dowagiac!
Home of the Chieftains 