From the President Inspired by the Challenges and Opportunities of the School Year By Sue C. Carnell MASA 2015–16 President It’s that time of year when you may ask yourself: Is it the end of the school year already? The answer, of course, is yes. The signs are everywhere, most notably in the arrival of spring sports. It’s wonderful when our baseball and track teams win, of course. But it’s just as gratifying to see the kids play their hearts out, keep their chins up, and persevere even when the odds are against them. That’s how you know they’re true champions. As leaders we know that our teachers, principals, and staff take the same purposeful approach to their vital, day-to-day work— and for that we are so thankful. It’s been quite a year. We have experienced new challenges and opportunities, such as third-grade reading, a 60-day gag order, a school zone speed limit, concealed carry, and teacher/ administrator professional development. We also made it through 8 MASA LEADER • Spring 2016 a new state assessment (SAT), new scorecards, and a new federal law (ESSA). In spite of these challenges and opportunities, we continued to make progress and do our best when the odds were against us—taking the high road, keeping our chins up, and persevering when the focus became about adults and not students. There is no doubt that we have worked hard this school year to dramatically improve an environment where learning can occur for students and staff. And through our setbacks and successes we grew just enough to do it all over again next year. That’s how you know that superintendents are true champions. So as this 2015-2016 school year draws to a close, I hope that you can look back to an eventful and successful nine months. Looking forward, I wish you a great summer of planning for the 2016-17 school year. Sue C. Carnell is Superintendent at the Westwood Community School District. She can be reached at 313.565.3864 or carnells@wwschools.net.
MASA Leader - Sprin 2016
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