So Far, So Good

It's nice to report a very successful beginning to the school year so far. As mentioned before, the building looks great. Even more importantly, the upbeat attitude and enthusiasm of both staff and students has been palpable.

Our first day, half of it spent with Freshman Seminar, was a great opening. We have heard many good things about the class of '14 from our middle school colleagues, and we have been more than impressed so far. They were quiet and polite when asked, yet excited and eager at the same time.

We can only hope this early success bodes well for the future for everyone.

Looking Good!

Well, here we are just a long weekend away before the students arrive. There is always a measure of excitement just prior to the beginning of a new school year, and that's a pretty good description of where we are right now.

For the past five days since the freshmen received their schedules, we have had many visitors daily as the new students mark a trail through the halls as sort of a dry run of their schedule. They have been observed practicing and re-practicing their locker combinations and getting the interior of their lockers ready for the crush of the new year. All of it is designed to avoid any pitfalls on the first day of high school (or embarrassment).

From our standpoint, we are very close to being ready. The custodians are buffing up the hallways, teachers are finalizing classroom decorations, and the contractors are putting the wraps on their projects. The building itself has never looked better in the my ten years at South. I can't tell you how much the lighting on the first floor of the main building improves the appearance.

Contractors are in the S-lot as I write installing the new fence that surrounds the lot on the boulevard side. They will work nearly the entire Labor Day weekend getting it ready for students and staff. Although the new gate is not likely to be installed by then, the rest of the lot looks 100% better than before.

A smaller project over the Labor Day weekend calls for refinishing the exterior doors to the main building. As many of you have noticed, they are weathered to the point they look unsightly. Most of the exterior doors should be finished by the time students arrive.

All in all, I think we're ready. There are still just over 120 students to register on Tuesday morning, but we have already processed 1530 students into the system for this school year.

In closing, I hope it has been a nice summer for everyone because at this point we are just about ready to plunge headlong into the school year.

Those Taillights Look Even Better

My oldest sister, Janice, had six kids of her own but as she grew older, there were even more grandkids to follow. And after an unusually hectic weekend with a houseful of kids, she often made this remark, "Those headlights looked good, but those taillights look even better". I felt the same way this week.

Just over a week ago there was a lot of excitement surrounding the arrival of the film crew and cast for LOL. Nearly everyone was excited to see the prop people make changes to the building, and to see all the trucks converge on the site late in the evening. Of course, the excitement only increased when onlookers actually idenified the trailer that Miley Cyrus would use while on site.

All in all, it was an enlightening experience. I never realized it would take 100-125 crew people daily to make what is considered a low-budget film (about $14-15 million). I also learned what the "grip" people actually do, and how different and clearly separate their tasks are from lighting, sound, location, and videography staff.

It was also gratifying to see current or former South students in the role of "extras", but I observed how boring and tedious the job of an extra can really be. They had to dress warm (fall clothes despite hot, humid weather) and walk the same route over and over again until the 'take' was just right. Believe me, it didn't look very glamorous.

However, after more than a week of having virtually the entire school operation disrupted for the movie crew, it was nice for it to come to an end. Today, there is some normalcy coming back in the building and we can prepare in earnest for student registration next week.

In summary, I found the movie crew to be easy to work with and very forthcoming with information, however, by the time they left on Wednesday evening, "the tailights looked even better".

In The Midst of Dust And Debris...

...there is a lot going on. If you ventured into our building right now, you would have to wonder if we could be ready for students in just a few weeks. The first floor hallway of the main building looks like a war zone because of demolition required for the ceiling and light project. There is plywood on the floor, plastic covering lockers and doorways, and dust and debris throughout. That's the bad news.

The good news is that most of the first floor is finished, and I'm sure you will be pleased with the final product. The ceiling has new white tile and the new lights are a major improvement, both with the level of brightness and the aesthetic appearance.

If you pulled up outside, it is readily apparent the S-lot and courtyard are still in need of major work. Contractors are here today working in the courtyard, attempting to have it ready for the movie shoot next week. Paving in the S-lot will also begin next week as we try to meet the deadline of registration week (August 23-27) to have it accommodate student parking.

I had a meeting with a teacher this morning who couldn't believe we'll "make it" in time for the start of school. However, that's how it has often looked during my tenure at South. We typically have experienced some sort of major construction project, but still manage to be ready for students and staff. And it looks like this year will be no different.

The summary is that much is going on and significant progress is being made. We are truly fortunate to live and work in a district that can support facility improvements, as it definitely has a positive impact on the learning environment.

We'll see a major difference in just a few weeks.

Busy, But Gratifying

Much has happened since my last blog. Specifically, the past two weeks has been a whirlwind of activity comprised primarily of teacher interviews. Over the past nine days, I participated in 63 formal interviews and countless reference checks. The good news is that we have identified a very strong list of teachers that we intend to hire.

Going into the summer, I knew we had many big shoes to fill because of the 17 South teachers that opted for retirement. My greatest fear was that we might not find the high quality candidates I was seeking. Those fears have been put to rest.

In some ways, we have been the beneficiaries of a troubled economy. Whereas many school districts have been forced to make deep cuts and reduce staff, we have vacancies available where those young, but experienced teachers can land.

This influx of new staff makes me excited for the school year to start. I'm anxious to see them intermingle with our returning teachers and to watch the synergy that will no doubt evolve as the tradition of excellence merges with new and fresh ideas.

I feel very confident our new staff will enrich the atmosphere at South. They bring great energy, enthusiasm, and a strong set of teaching strategies that will engage students with the curriculum. We truly have been blessed!

Just As Expected

Here we are headed into the Fourth of July weekend, and things look just about as expected. The S-lot has already undergone a major renovation. The old surface has been removed, the fencing taken down, and the entrance widened. The construction crew is heavily invested in the process of laying down the base, first sand and now stone. We anticipate they will start to pour the cement curbs in about another week.

The courtyard between the main building and S-building has also been dismantled. By that I mean that the old cement has been removed and the contractors are preparing the surface for new walkways. There is no timeline yet for installation of the new cement or replacement of some of the damaged landscaping, but we should be finished before the school year begins.

In the main building, the first floor hallway is primarily a construction zone. More than half of the ceiling tiles and old lights have been removed, plywood covers the floor, and plastic covers the lockers and entrance ways. As I write this, the electricians are updating the electrical boxes and installing new conduit as needed. We anticipate that around the first of August we will begin to see new ceiling tiles and lights.

The multi-purpose room is also busy right now, getting a pipe grid installed to hang curtains. This addition will increase the flexibility for that space, allowing the dance mirrors to be covered when necessary, and areas to be sectioned off. The curtains were part of the original design, but we had trouble getting specifications for the correct piping.

And beginning the week of July 12, we will be conducting interviews to fill the various vacancies in our building. We anticipate about 6-7 full days of interviews as we begin to pare down our list of candidates.

The vacancies were just formally announced on the website yesterday, and already I've received numerous qualified applicants. Hiring strong teachers is one of the most important aspects of our job, and we take it very seriously.

Wish us luck, and enjoy the Holiday weekend.

Year-End Odds And Ends

It's about 2:00 on Graduation Day, June 17. As I look onto the front lawn at the stage and chairs, I am put at ease by what is most apparent...big blue skies and a great temperature. It looks like we are most blessed with a terrific day and evening for our Commencement ceremonies.

Even though classes were dismissed for the summer earlier today, there is still a beehive of activity in preparation for this evening. Chairs are still being arranged, sound systems are checked, and flowers are staged. There is a lot of positive energy. It's an exciting time for more than just the graduates, as the families and our staff put a lot of emphasis on this day.

On another note, we have 17 teachers that will be taking advantage of the retirement proposal that recently passed through the state legislature. When that change was combined with the "early retirement incentive" from the district, it became an offer too good to pass up.

This is unfortunate for those that remain because by my conservative estimates, we will have more than 400 years of successful teaching experience walk out our doors for the last time tomorrow. So we have big shoes to fill. There will be many interviews conducted over the summer with the intent of finding replacements that can quickly get up to speed with our curriculum and course expectations.

Wish us luck with both the events of this evening and in finding replacements for such a terrific group of veteran teachers.

And many thanks to everyone for another successful year at South!