Superintendent Update for November 29,2020:
I hope each of you had a great Thanksgiving! As I thought about writing something this week, I was reminded that even though Thanksgiving has come and gone, we are still in the season of giving thanks and remembering all the many things we are thankful and blessed to experience.
I am thankful for so many things and people in my life. Topping the list are three: The Good Lord, my family, and my work. Faith and family should always be first even though I have struggled with putting work first throughout my career in education. Retiring in 2021 certainly helped me to get that “life balance” back in perspective, but I hope you are better about that than I have been. I also know that being blessed with five grandkids changes your perspective. They are more fun than I could have ever imagined!
I am certainly thankful for the Vega ISD School Board for allowing me to have the opportunity to serve the students and staff at VISD for the past 4 months. The men and women that you have selected to represent you on the school board are passionate and dedicated to improving your school district in every aspect. They have spent many hours advancing their education through professional development and have exceeded their required trainings to be school board members. They have spent an enormous amount of time in interviews and debate to identify a Lone-Finalist for the Superintendent position as they complete one of the most important responsibilities defined in policy. They are truly a great group to work with and they are instrumental in the work to come.
I am also for thankful for the staff at VISD. They have made sacrifices this year as they keep the budget and the push to save money in their decisions. They have navigated many changes and kept their focus on the students and learning. In my 40 years in education, I have worked with many educators in the 61 districts in the Texas Panhandle. I can assure you that the staff at Vega ISD is the finest group of people in any district.
I am also thankful for the students at VISD. They are the most respectful and educationally focused students I have seen in a while. They are truly a special group! A great example of their attitude and the culture of “you can be anything you want to be at Vega ISD” is Lynlee Spinhirne. As many of you are aware, she signed with the University of Arkansas this past week. It is amazing that she will be attending a Division 1 university in the fall on scholarship. What is even more amazing is that her sport is swimming. I have told that story across the state this last week and I follow it with “and, we don’t even have a pool at Vega ISD”. Her hard work in the classroom and her overcoming any and all obstacles in her dream to swim at the post-secondary level are a testament to her family and to those at the district that have supported her dreams. She is truly a great example of what I see in the students at VISD.
I am truly thankful for the community in Vega. I could not ask for a better reception during my time as Interim Superintendent. I think my job is to prepare the community for a new leader and I hope I have done that in some small way. This week, the Board will take action on Dr. Jerry Adam’s contract to lead the district and we will have a “meet and greet” time for the staff to meet Dr. Adams and his wife Sarah. They plan to attend the basketball games on the Tuesday evening before the board meeting. I hope you will come by and meet them. I hope you will pause to remember what you are thankful for this holiday season. As one of my favorite country and western groups say in the song “I am a RICH man”!