Last week might have been cut short by another snow day, but we sure did manage to make the most of the days we spent here. Monday afternoon found us in the midst of Aroostook County music royalty as we welcomed Star City Syndicate to our gymnasium for an amazing concert. The high school staff and students joined us in the audience as well, and we had a terrific time. Some of our own students (8th graders Sean, Cadie, Jess, and Hannah, and 10th grader Damien) joined the band on stage and showed us their musical chops. It was magnificent to see not only our Music teacher, Mrs. Diette as she played her heart out, but to witness the talent of our very own students who were invited to share the spotlight was truly a wonderful thing. The Star City Syndicate is a pretty big deal out in the community, but they also spend a significant amount of time playing at local schools to engage and inspire students in the world of music. The SCS bandmates come from all sorts of backgrounds and one of the coolest things about their presentation was hearing that music can play a part in the life of anyone, from any background, in any profession. I hope some of our students were intrigued enough to investigate the music programs at either school. It would be super cool to see even more of our students on stage next time.
The Sweetheart Dance, sponsored by the 21st Century After School Program was scheduled for last Friday but, remember that snow day… Miss Halina and her staff went above and beyond to make the dance happen on Saturday instead and many people came and helped raise money for the local homeless shelter while they danced to their hearts’ content. WDES is incredibly fortunate to have the dedicated ASP staff to offer not only enriching after-school programming, homework help, and healthy snacks to students for free but also to broaden their influence and impact on the entire community in ways like the Sweetheart Dance. I hope the next time you see one of the ASP staff members you will take a moment to offer your gratitude.
Our school community can be just like any other, and get caught up in dwelling on the things that seem to be the most important - standardized testing scores, discipline referrals, bridging the achievement gaps, and focusing on the minutiae of curriculum and State standards. But I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that we must also put as much time and effort into finding and celebrating the good things happening as well.
We are only days away from our Winter Vacation, and inevitably a tiny bit closer to the end of the year. I hope you find things to celebrate with your students this week, and that tomorrow when everyone is making themselves crazy buying chocolate and flowers, you will feel appreciated. I offer you a giant candy heart that says, “Thank You” and hopes that you feel the love from WDES.