IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Fall 2016

A MESSAGE FROM Dr. Randal A. Lutz Superintendent of Schools, Baldwin-Whitehall School District Dear Reader, As the Superintendent of BaldwinWhitehall School District, when I sat down to write my first letter for IN Community magazine, I could not help but think about one very important word. BAL DWI N -WH ITE H AL L SC H OO L D IS TRIC T NE WS aldwin-Whitehall Community. We use this word a lot these days, but what does it really mean? It’s been part of the English language since the 14th century, but its roots can be traced back even farther, to the Latin “communitas” (meaning “common”) and “communis” (meaning “shared” or “public”). In other words, a community is a group of people with shared interests. But if that were all a community was, it would not have the extremely positive connotations that it does today. It turns out that a “community” was also seen as being distinct from a “society.” While society (and especially “high society”) was viewed as being formal and abstract, a community was thought of as being warm, direct, and tangible. The members of a community were expected to have a direct impact on each other’s daily lives, which made membership in a community both a personally defining characteristic and brought with it a mutual responsibility to one another. These days, when I refer to our District community, I am including many different people in that word. Our students, our teachers, our staff, and our administrators are obviously members of that community. So are their famil ies, who help us create a safe environment of healthy learning and continuous improvement. But our District community also includes the wisdom and leadership of our school 88 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall board members, our librarians, our elected officials, and our senior citizens. It includes the bravery and dedication of our police, fire, and EMS personnel. It includes the businesses and organizations who provide our students with career exploration, job shadowing, classroom visits, and many more real-world learning opportunities. And it includes the homeowners and taxpayers whose financial contributions provide us with a stable base from which our students can grow and thrive. If you remove any one aspect of that community, it ceases to function. We all need each other in order to achieve our common goals. So, what is the shared interest that brings our Baldwin-Whitehall School District community together? I believe it is our shared desire that today’s students receive the training they need, both academically and individually, to become the cultivators, innovators, and leaders of tomorrow. We believe that our world can be made better by the actions of inspired individuals, and each of us wants to contribute to that better future in any way we can. It begins in the classroom, with the lessons and experiences our students receive, and it is only made possible thanks to the contributions of every single member of our community. This brings me to another word that I would like you to think about for a moment: Connections. We each have a lot of connections in our lives—at home, at work, in class, on the field, and especially in our phones. Some connections are more powerful than others. Some are fleeting, while others last a lifetime. But every connection we have has the potential to change the way we see each other, and the way we see our community—and our society—as a result. A community is only as strong as the bonds its members form. What is it that sparks those connections and strengthens those bonds? Attention. What we spend our time on, and what dominates our focus throughout the day, is what defines our path in life. When we educate our students, we present them with the information that we believe is worth their attention. But holding their attention is an uphill battle, especially with so many distractions on so many devices, and so much global news and interpersonal activity competing for their eyes, ears, and minds every day. Each time we near the beginning of a new school year, I like to step back, refocus, and ask myself a few questions, and I invite you to do the same. Am I doing everything I can to make our community the best it can be? Am I forming the connections we need to create a robust network of students and supporters that will ensure our educational efforts create positive change? Am I paying attention to the right things? I find my answers both in the data that reveals how our District is performing and in the conversations I have with our students, our faculty, and the rest of our community on the topics and interests that fuel their passions. Because I believe in the power of connections, I also believe that they work in both directions. This means that as we work together to build Baldwin-Whitehall School District into a national beacon of forward-thinking education, the success of our community will rely on our ability to speak up and to listen to one another. A free exchange of information and opinion makes us all smarter, wiser, and more compassionate, and it helps us remain focused on the actions and outcomes that will best benefit our students, our community, and our society. I thank you for the opportunity to serve our District. I hope you feel welcome in our shared community. And I invite you to form new bonds while strengthening your existing connections within our BaldwinWhitehall School District. The stronger and more resilient we are, the less likely we are to be slowed by any challenges, and the more our community will be able to accomplish together. Sincerely, Dr. Randal A. Lutz Superintendent of Schools Baldwin-Whitehall School District

IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Fall 2016 | Page 90