Message from the Superintendent: May 2012
May 1, 2012
“Now is the month of Maying, and merry lads are playing…” As the English Madrigal states, May is a ‘merry’ time of year as spring turns to summer and everyone begins to enjoy the warm sun after a long, cold winter.
It is also a merry time in District 308 as we wind down the school year and students, faculty and family begin to think about their summer plans. It is also a ‘merry’ month as we anticipate end of the year musicals and concerts, games and meets, field days, finals and, especially for the seniors, graduation!
Our graduations are scheduled for Saturday, May 26. They will be held on the football fields at Oswego East in the morning and Oswego High School in the early afternoon. Both schools will have backup weather plans to hold the events in their gyms in case of inclement weather. This is becoming more of a challenge each year as our high schools continue to grow. The district will be studying different options for graduation venues in the coming years since we have outgrown our local facilities and will have to find more seating and parking as our senior classes get larger and larger.
It has been another exceptional year in the District thanks to our faculty, staff, administration, students and families. We have seen excellent academic growth in spite of extremely stressful economic times. We have seen great success in our athletic and activity programs with Oswego East High School girls basketball players winning their first Suburban Prairie Conference Championship and Oswego High School football players advancing to the state playoffs. We have seen tremendous plays and musicals performed by our talented student body and directed by their outstanding faculty leaders. We have seen students excel in academic competitions including culinary arts, Mathletes, fine arts and the literary festival.
My Monday morning visits to our schools are what make me ‘merry.’ Each week I have had the pleasure of walking through the classrooms of one of our schools to see the great work that is going on every day. We have highly dedicated and talented teachers working with our kids in every area. I seldom walk into a classroom where the students aren’t engaged in high quality work that stretches their intellect and prepares them for the competitive future they face upon graduation. Teaching is hard work. Teaching well is extremely hard work! I see excellent teaching all over our district and I am proud to be part of such a dedicated team of educators.