We are fortunate in Randolph to celebrate a wide variety of student success, from our Lego Robotics team to our All-State Chorus students to our State Champion football team to our Quiz Bowl winners and many others. One of the most important things that we can do is offer our students a wide variety of experiences and activities so that each kid can find something he’s good at or loves. We inducted a stellar group of students into our National Honor Society last evening, one of the most significant accomplishments our students can achieve.
I’ve been thinking about our NHS Inductees and the happiness I felt for them last night for their well earned success. This morning I watched the video link of Saturday night’s Homecoming Parade after our State Championship win on our RCS Facebook Page and also checked out Channel 7’s news coverage.
The thing that strikes me most is the way our student successes affect us as a community.While working in Gowanda, I was asked by a BOE member why schools like Randolph and Pine Valley do so well on the NYS achievement tests. I remember reflecting on that question and I’m more convinced now than ever that I gave the right response.
Student success on the playing field or in other more academic competitions like Lego Robotics or Quiz Bowl translates into an overall positive and optimistic feeling in a district. Especially a huge success like we experienced this weekend with our State Championship football team. It’s something I wish my own son could experience and it’s hard to explain if you haven’t been there.
While I was teaching at Pine Valley, our boys’ football and baseball teams did really well and our girls’ basketball team won States. That translated into huge pride in our school and who we were as Pine Valley Panthers. I couldn’t imagine teaching anywhere else, I knew my kids were the best there were and besides, they needed me. It was a wonderful ten years. The school was the center of the whole community. We loved our school and I wasn’t afraid to say that or to show my students that I loved them and loved being there.
It’s that way at Randolph too. We are all so proud to be Randolph Cardinals and it permeates everything else that we do. It just gives our kids a winning attitude. They come to believe that they can do anything. And believe it or not, that translates into what they accomplish in the classroom.
It’s a wonderful time to be the superintendent at Randolph Central. I received the best compliment ever from someone at the NHS Ceremony when she said, “this job must agree with you because you look younger than when you started.” You know what? I feel younger too. This is an incredible job in an extremely supportive community and that winning attitude? I’m definitely feeling it too. Think we can do anything together.
The feeling you described working at Pine Valley, where you couldn’t imagine working anywhere else, where the kids there are the best? That is the same feeling many (most) of the teachers have working at Gowanda. I know this because I am one of them. I understand the feeling and attitude among the students (not the teachers, I’d like to be clear about that) is sometimes pessimistic, but I would like to reassure you that your son is in a place where the teachers think kids in G-Town are the best in the world. The comment from Anony-miss does not reflect how teachers view the students in our school here. It might reflect how students view themselves which is something we work hard to change here, but rest assured that the staff in Gowanda believes in our kids, loves our kids, and supports our kids.
On a side note, congratulations to Randolph and all of their success they have been experiencing. It must be an exciting time over there!
I could not agree more. I wish we had that school-wide pride over here. I felt like we did for a couple years 😉 When a single student went to States for bowling last year, and won 1st place with the Section 6 Team, there was no hoopla what-so-ever. In fact, the only fans that made the short trip to Rochester were his mother, grandmother, myself and my sister who I bribed with lunch at Dinosaur BBQ. This was an incredible accomplishment that basically went unrecognized, which is a shame. As it turns out, bowling at that level is exciting to watch! Who knew! Bottom line – the kids do notice when you attend their events and it shows them that you have an interest in them beyond the exam score on your class roster in June.
Congratulation to you and your school district football team for winning the NYS Football title. That’s great!