Apr

8

Letter to Parents

April 8, 2009 | 7 Comments

Dear Parents of Participants Traveling on the GCS Trip to Switzerland, Italy and France:
As the trip draws near, I want you to know something important. If you’re starting to feel a bit panic stricken, if you’re thinking “why did I ever agree to let my child go on this trip?”, if you’re wishing you were going [...]

Mar

20

Possibilities

March 20, 2009 | 1 Comment

How do we help our kids follow their dreams and not teach them to conform to everyone else’s dreams/expectations for them? How do we help them figure out who they are, where they’re headed, and if they really want to get there? How do we take the princesses and super heroes of the kindergarten/first grades [...]

Mar

19

Randolph’s “Jack Wax”

March 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment

So mixed in with budget preparation for last night’s BOE meeting, I got to go to the Inkley’s Sugar Farm yesterday with our kindergarten students. We got the deluxe tour, learning how the trees are tapped and how the sap becomes that delicious maple syrup we all love. Listen to this–they set up picnic tables outside and [...]

Oct

12

Back To Teacher, Briefly

October 12, 2008 | 7 Comments

For the past three weeks I’ve been teaching Spanish to our high school juniors and seniors. This may not seem like much to write home about (or in this case to blog about) until I tell you that it’s been nine years since I taught Spanish. I’ve been an administrator since the 99-00 school year [...]

Jul

14

Growing Up

July 14, 2007 | 2 Comments

My nephew, Devon, is a 2007 GHS graduate and his graduation party is today. At our commencement exercises, I stand beside the superintendent and BOE president as they hand out the diplomas. I get the opportunity to shake hands with the kids, and sometimes if I’m lucky and I know the student well enough, I [...]

Jun

5

Think BLUE

June 5, 2007 | 6 Comments

Do you think it makes sense to pay more for something, just to give it more school spirit? We’re putting in a new track and I’m really thinking it’s worth some extra money initially and in upkeep to get a Gowanda BLUE track.
Why? Because it’s on a prominent corner in our village and when residents, [...]

May

30

Panthers Baseball

May 30, 2007 | 1 Comment

Terrific play-off baseball game at Fredonia yesterday–both teams playing well with Gowanda winning it in the tenth.
It was exciting to watch our kids play with spirit, dedication and determination. Heart. In my opinion, much more important than any skill. Our team yesterday had it. Our coaches have developed a team who wants it and they have [...]

Mar

19

Just Four Minutes Per Period

March 19, 2007 | 5 Comments

If you’ve ever wondered if small schedule changes can add up to a significant impact on student learning, consider the following proposed changes to our 38 minute instructional periods.
Currently our students enter our building at 7:23, yet we don’t start first period until 7:50. Next year, we propose to begin homeroom in first period at 7:35, with [...]

Mar

4

G-Town Show Down

March 4, 2007 | 2 Comments

We started our positive school wide behavior management program last Monday. It’s called the “Panther Power Program” and it culminates in a huge school assembly on the last day of school before Spring Break, April 5, 2007.
I started this program while working as an assistant principal at Frontier Middle, continued it as the high school [...]

Feb

9

An Open Letter to Governor Spitzer

February 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Dear Governor Spitzer:
I’ve read the description of your executive budget recommendations for elementary and secondary education. Thank you. Your financial support of public education is unprecedented in my seventeen years in education. We’ve said “show me the money if you want improvements” and you’ve effectively said, “Here it is, now you better make it happen.” [...]

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