August 10, 2009
Dear Snowden Family:
I hope that you have had a restful summer. Each new school
year provides the opportunity to experience new beginnings.
Although the calendar New Year officially begins on January
1st, for educators the real start of the New Year is the first
or second week of August, when we return to our classrooms.
With the delectable months of summer waning, the autumn inspires
us to resume the most important work in town. Even the weather
encourages learning: sharp, crisp days with evenings dark enough
to study by lamplight. Students are eager to begin a new schedule
and ready to take on any academic challenge in this energetic
season.
Garrison Keillor describes the feeling in his collection of
Lake Wobegon stories, “Leaving Home.” “In
the fall when I was young, I thought, ‘This year I’ll
do better in physics. Study hard, listen, take good notes, and
when he calls on me, I’ll give the answer in a loud clear
voice, and not just a good answer but a brilliant one, possibly
an answer that illuminates some dark corner of physics. I’ll
be not only a good student, I’ll be a genius.’”
We thank you for sharing your “geniuses” with us
and I trust that you see endless possibilities for each student
to be successful.
Success doesn’t happen by chance, I know that our successes
are part of a collective effort. While much preparation on our
part has gone into making this school year one of the best yet,
your time and effort is evident in the enthusiastic students
who enter Snowden each day.
I feel very blessed and excited once again to work with such
a dedicated, focused group of students, parents, community members
and a committed staff of educators. I consider myself the luckiest
of all principals. Working with you individually and collectively
provides a synergy which “energizes” me. The return
to school each fall is the start of yet another new and exciting
adventure. It is a period of anticipation and hope as we all
trek into a new world to discover what is essential to know.
Looking forward to a remarkable year,
Randy Thompson
