“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”
Well, the school year has gotten off to a very good start and I want to thank my staff and the students at Doherty for helping to make that happen. We invited freshman only on the first day of school in the hope that it would help to make their transition to high school easier. The day was fantastic and a big shout out goes to Math Chairperson, Lianne Thiessen, who coordinated the day and is in charge of our Link Crew, the group of upper classmen who assist with the ninth graders transition to Doherty. The day was sanctioned by our Superintendent and had the blessing of our school board so please drop them a line to thank them for allowing this day to occur. We started the day with a "gauntlet" as staff welcomed and applauded the freshman on their first day of high school. This "gauntlet" also occurs at graduation when we say our final goodbye to the seniors. It really is a pretty cool thing and the freshman were very excited! The students spent the morning in team-building, and "ice-breaker" activities and then after lunch went through a shortened version of their classes so they could find and maneuver their way through the building without the older students. All in all it was a very good day!
I was particularly proud to be a Spartan on August 27 as the school turned out to a 5K run in honor of the family of Dr. Alex Constantinides. Dr. Alex is our athletic team doctor and his wife and two daughters died in Wyoming this past summer in a tragic accident. Doherty staff and students turned out in numbers and volunteered their time on their behalf. A special shout out goes to Chris Noll and especially to Coach Rob Duensing, whose vision and energy brought this event to life. Thanks to all who made this event a reality.
The focus of this school year is crystal clear for all staff at Doherty. We have stagnated in CSAP scores and thus are not giviing our stakeholders a true picture of our school. I have challenged the staff at Doherty to raise the bar and really make an academic difference in the lives of ALL of our students. We are a good school and that is not good enough. If we desire greatness then we must shed the idea that good is good enough. I read a poem at our back to school staff meeting and also at our Open House last week. The poem is entitled, "There once was a pretty good student"
I have attached it below and I hope you enjoy it.
EVERY STUDENT, EVERY DAY!
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