Principal’s Corner by Steve Kovach

This past week we hosted our district fifth-graders at Southwest Middle School. Each year around this time, our soon-to-be sixth-graders come to hear about what the middle school will be like, get a chance to ask questions and tour the building. The first message they receive is that the middle school is not a big, scary place. There is an audible sigh from these upcoming middle school students with each piece of information they receive and smiles as they are touring the building with our seventh-grade leaders.

Watching our seventh-grade leaders in action gave me the idea to write this particular column. As I listened to them describe different parts of our building, my chest puffed out. The group of students who volunteered to do the tours for these fifth-graders is a perfect representation of all of the work our community has put in over the years for the children. What can be better than our students speaking about a school (district) that they are proud of?

This pride can be seen everyday in the faces of our students and staff.  The communication and collaboration from elementary to middle to high school has been on the rise. This communication has solidified effective practices and connections between all levels. A great example of this is middle school and elementary teachers connecting and visiting each other’s classrooms so that they understand how each are reaching their students. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Not only are they observing, they are also having meaningful discussions around how they are teaching and how our students are learning. The desire is for this to continue to happen more and more each year. What an awesome way to bring our learning community to new levels!

Each year I have seen students come to us working and learning at higher levels. They are better thinkers, they care more about their classmates and community, and are a joy to be around. This does not happen by chance. It happens through adults who care and meet the needs of children in all aspects of their lives.

So, when I see our students being excellent at our middle school, I see students well prepared in our elementary buildings, who are reaching for new heights at Southwest and ready to meet the challenges at the high school. We are doing great things — it’s all about the kids!

Steve Kovach is the principal of Southwest Middle School.