By Justin Coup
USD 393 Superintendent
Bill Murray waking up every morning to the alarm clock to start the day over again and again in the movie Groundhog Day is a classic for this time of the year. As the weather hints at Spring, yet turns right back to a gusty, frigid North wind all hope turns back the alarm clock of Groundhog Day. As we finished up February and turn the calendar to March, I know we are all ready for Spring. But let’s not forget about those days in February. February, in education, is an opportunity for students to really get into the grind of education. September, late January, and February are months where are teachers see so many gains. There are joys inside the classroom, although the weather outside is not so pleasant.
At Solomon, this past month our fifth-grade classes have enjoyed their experiences at Starbase in Salina. This program provides hands-on learning through the National Guard with experienced teachers leading engaged lessons on coding, robotics, programming, rocket science, and many other activities.
In January and February, local school districts select middle school students to represent their schools at the county spelling bee. This is a great event where eventually the state champion will have an opportunity to represent Kansas on ESPN during the national Spelling Bee.
Here at Solomon, we were proud of those who represented their classes and school. The winner of the county spelling bee for the second year in a row be represented by Solomon Middle School.
How about our elementary students all participating in 2-22-22 day on a TWOsday! The first-grade classes at Solomon Elementary put together time capsules in which they will ironically open as Seniors at Solomon High on 3-3-33. Capturing the moment and looking back on the history, they created a special event for our students as seniors.
The discussion and reflection upon the time since 2-22-22 will be something the class will remember for the rest of their lives. All the experiences from above are reasons why we focus on public education and the impact locally it has on our communities.
Unfortunately, I am going to end on a Groundhog Day moment. It seems every year at this time public education is attacked.
I am proud to be a product of public education, proud to be a product of a Dickinson County school district, proud to come home and help produce the next generation of Dickinson County leaders.
From my time as a student at Hope High to my time as Superintendent of Solomon Schools, I am proud of where I am from and where I am. I hope many of you will join me in supporting our county schools, their teachers, students, boards of education, and administration.
Noise can come from many different directions, but here in Dickinson County, we should all be proud of the schools we have and the positive impact they are making on our students. As we hear the noise from other areas, take a moment and look at what is happening here locally. That noise is just that, noise.
Perhaps next year we will skip February 2nd so we can not go through the negatives that come out this time of the year and reflect on the good our students and staff are doing in the classroom. Until next time, #GorillaProud