New Philadelphia City Schools’ community pulls together with Quakers for Excellence
There is great strength when a community pulls together, with a wide cross section of volunteers for the good of its schools and the children they serve. With this thought, Quakers for Excellence met on Tuesday, April 5, in the New Philadelphia City Schools’ administration building.
Attending were approximately 100 concerned mothers and fathers, grandparents, small business owners, community professionals, current and retired teachers, principals, school board members, and dozens of others who work together, each and every day, to make New Philadelphia a good place in which to live and work.
School board president Chris Weaver extended the board’s appreciation for all of those gathered. “We appreciate the time and commitment and interest to come out and hear what we are doing. It has been a goal of the board, it has been a goal of the district, to improve our communications and our connection with the community. This is something that we have really strived for during the past few years. I don’t know that you ever ‘arrive’ when it comes to communication. We say, let’s talk on a regular basis, to give people an opportunity to hear how we’re doing, not just in a time of need, but when times are good, too.
“There is obviously uncertainty with what is going on in Columbus, and uncertainty that affects particularly our schools, but also our local community,” continued Weaver. “One thing I would like to share with you tonight, is that from a board standpoint, and from a district standpoint, that what we are grateful for is that no matter if the times are uncertain or not, one thing we can speak of with certainty is that we are going to strive for excellence in everything we do.”
Superintendent Bob Alsept spoke about overall district progress and future improvements. Assistant Superintendent Deb Kennedy shared information on curriculum updates and the opportunities available for accelerated and/or gifted students, including enrichment activities for eligible fourth through seventh graders, and new guidelines allowing eighth grade students to take upper level classes at the high school. Treasurer Steve Sherer touched on the uncertain financial outlook and projections for the district over the next few years.
The superintendent then invited those in attendance, as well as others in the community to take part in focused task force groups over the next several months in order to be a vital part of the development of the district’s new five-year strategic plan. “The value of their job is the reward of service,” Alsept stated, in commending the work of those willing to volunteer.
Commented parent Sherilyn Heslop, “I’m here to see what is going on in the district, and what is going to happen. The district has a different climate now. It has evolved into something that is bigger and better, and involves the parents and community more.”
“There are some really important issues affecting the special needs community that I am looking forward to addressing,” added fellow parent Shonda Davis.
New Philadelphia mayor Mike Taylor is also a task force volunteer. “It is very important to solicit input from all these sources, and to implement that into the programming, the vision, the strategic plan to move the schools forward,” he noted.
“We are here because we want to support the school system,” said parent and small business owner Rick Pipes. “We want to be involved and help in any way we can.”
“When you picture the name of this group, Quakers for Excellence, excellence is something we do every day that has a certain outcome,” stated Weaver. “So when we are looking for an excellent rating on our district report card, that is just one checkpoint to say that, yes, we are excellent. But there are 101 different things that are done with excellence every day that yields that outcome. I like the direction we are headed. We are blessed with an administrative team, staff, employees, parents, and community members that also are committed to that excellence.”
Attending were approximately 100 concerned mothers and fathers, grandparents, small business owners, community professionals, current and retired teachers, principals, school board members, and dozens of others who work together, each and every day, to make New Philadelphia a good place in which to live and work.
School board president Chris Weaver extended the board’s appreciation for all of those gathered. “We appreciate the time and commitment and interest to come out and hear what we are doing. It has been a goal of the board, it has been a goal of the district, to improve our communications and our connection with the community. This is something that we have really strived for during the past few years. I don’t know that you ever ‘arrive’ when it comes to communication. We say, let’s talk on a regular basis, to give people an opportunity to hear how we’re doing, not just in a time of need, but when times are good, too.
“There is obviously uncertainty with what is going on in Columbus, and uncertainty that affects particularly our schools, but also our local community,” continued Weaver. “One thing I would like to share with you tonight, is that from a board standpoint, and from a district standpoint, that what we are grateful for is that no matter if the times are uncertain or not, one thing we can speak of with certainty is that we are going to strive for excellence in everything we do.”
Superintendent Bob Alsept spoke about overall district progress and future improvements. Assistant Superintendent Deb Kennedy shared information on curriculum updates and the opportunities available for accelerated and/or gifted students, including enrichment activities for eligible fourth through seventh graders, and new guidelines allowing eighth grade students to take upper level classes at the high school. Treasurer Steve Sherer touched on the uncertain financial outlook and projections for the district over the next few years.
The superintendent then invited those in attendance, as well as others in the community to take part in focused task force groups over the next several months in order to be a vital part of the development of the district’s new five-year strategic plan. “The value of their job is the reward of service,” Alsept stated, in commending the work of those willing to volunteer.
Commented parent Sherilyn Heslop, “I’m here to see what is going on in the district, and what is going to happen. The district has a different climate now. It has evolved into something that is bigger and better, and involves the parents and community more.”
“There are some really important issues affecting the special needs community that I am looking forward to addressing,” added fellow parent Shonda Davis.
New Philadelphia mayor Mike Taylor is also a task force volunteer. “It is very important to solicit input from all these sources, and to implement that into the programming, the vision, the strategic plan to move the schools forward,” he noted.
“We are here because we want to support the school system,” said parent and small business owner Rick Pipes. “We want to be involved and help in any way we can.”
“When you picture the name of this group, Quakers for Excellence, excellence is something we do every day that has a certain outcome,” stated Weaver. “So when we are looking for an excellent rating on our district report card, that is just one checkpoint to say that, yes, we are excellent. But there are 101 different things that are done with excellence every day that yields that outcome. I like the direction we are headed. We are blessed with an administrative team, staff, employees, parents, and community members that also are committed to that excellence.”
Published: April 10, 2011
