The end of this school year also marks the end of a great era for us at NCS. We are losing a dynamic administrator and one of our finest teachers. Both of them have decided, after many years of dedicated service, to close the door on this chapter for something new and, well, less demanding. I realize change is good, but that will definitely be a matter of hindsight.
Let me give you a picture of what I mean by dynamic administrator. Our principal literally took a little, fledging K-6 private school of some 40 odd students to 135 in just 2 years. And while many similar schools in our area have been declining over the past several years, ours has remained fairly constant. His formula for success was pretty obvious: relationship.
Mr. S. cares deeply about the students, and he supports and encourages his own staff daily. One thing he likes to ask is “Are you having fun?” or “Are the students having fun?” This is the thing, though - he really means it! He has a way of always making an event out of the ordinary. For example, what was once looked at as an annual obligation to raise funds through a magazine drive, he turned into an annual Pig Race! Yep, every class that reached their goal of sales received one of those battery operated stuffed pigs to name, dress and enter into the race. Over 300 family members and friends attended this year’s to cheer on their favorite. Of course, prizes are awarded and there is always ice cream for everyone!
This is another one of Mr. S. traditions: ice cream. He surprises the students several times a year with ice cream for one reason or another. In fact the last time he did it was just about a month ago. It was the day after the school’s spring program and there were several dozen helium balloons and party horns left over. In the middle of the next day he made an announcement over the PA for all the students to come out to the parking lot. As we filed out the door there he was handing each student and ice cream sandwich and a party horn. He had us form a circle around the dozens of balloons that he had tied to a weighted tool box, and after we finished our ice cream he suggested we blow the horn while he released all the balloons in to the air. It was so wild and FUN; the students just thought it was the greatest! Today, we found out that next Tuesday, our second to last day of school, he has an outdoor field day and hot dog lunch planned for us all. Seriously, that is just the first thing that came to my mind, the list really is endless.
As a teacher, I am afraid we will never have it as good again. These are the kinds of things he has done for us: randomly bring in Starbucks coffee or specialty drinks for the entire staff, extend our faculty lunch period and order in food, cover our class in order to collaborate on projects with others, start each morning with 15 min. of staff time to discuss the day’s events, needs we may have, or students that we can help. He is always listening and supporting our ideas. Here are two of his own that stand out. Because the teachers at our school are not part of a teacher’s union, Mr. S. underscored the importance of preparing for retirement and due to his leg work and effort a 6% matching program was started about 13 years ago. And, of course, my favorite is called Barbara Day. I will not go into the meaning of its name but just say that this is a personal day he allows each teacher to take, one around Christmas time to do your Christmas shopping and another one in the early spring to prepare your garden! In short they are really “mental health” days to do whatever it is that you never have the time for. I know, I know, it’s the end of an era! (sniff, sniff)
