As much as possible, I hope to lift up examples of the type of PSC in which I want to live and work. Here are two examples.

Since arriving on campus in July 2019, the man you see below in this selfie with me has greeted me with a smile, a story or a joke, and a send off that leaves you feeling ready for the day. If you don't know him, he's Steve Young, from shipping and receiving. I walk through the dock when I enter in the mornings, and not once has he failed to embrace me as an old friend. Mind you, this was before he even knew me. In fact the first time we met, before my keycard was activated, he tried to get me to slip him a dollar through the door to get in! Does he have bad days? Sure. Is he perfect? I'd say no, though he may disagree:) What I know and what I remember is how he makes me feel. We can all take a page out of his book with how we show up for each other and our students. Thank you Steve for being you.

Much like the "wow factor" of my first Jazz Fest, the annual Communications Day was nothing short of excellent. Events like this take you out of the administrivia and day-to-day work stuff. These types of events raise you high so that you can look down and reflect on the why of our work. We have been missing these types of experiences during the pandemic, and one step in restoring our faith, trust, and joy in our work and each other is by connecting with events like this. There were student presentations, community and family involvement, staff recognition, and connection to the very soul of what we do as educators. Part of Pioneering a New Future includes finding every opportunity we can to support one another and our students in these and other campus events. If you didn't in the past, please consider doing so moving forward. It is worth it!

I look forward to what's to come as we steadily craft our new playbook together. If Steve-level energy and events like Communications Day are on deck, the future is looking quite bright.

Enjoy your weekend!