About This Blog

Why write this blog? It sure isn’t because I have loads of time on my hands!

When I first joined the Board, we were going over evaluations of ourselves and the District. One of the areas that we said needed continuous improvement was public relations and engagement. Our county has many people with no familial connections to school students, and we even struggle reaching out to and informing those who have such connections. I thought this blog would be an easy way for people to just check in. I will post updates on upcoming events and summaries of recent meetings. I’ll weigh in on some decisions we’ve made and give some opinions. I will often be informal in my speech, but I assure you I take my position on the Board of Education very seriously. But a blog is a good place to cut through the formality and say it like it is. I hope to do that here.

I HAVE to emphasize that this is a personal effort, that I do NOT check what I am posting with anyone else in the District, and that they can NOT be held accountable for what I choose to post here. This is very important. Please understand this.

**This is a PRIVATE blog, written by and representing only myself, Holly Sweetwood. No information or opinions presented here are official or connected with the District in any way.**

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Changing of the Guard

North Fork schools are getting quite a shake up in leadership this coming year. We have several teachers and administrators leaving us, including Brent Curtice (Paonia Jr/Sr High School Principal), Cindy Swartzendruber (Paonia Jr/Sr High School Assistant Principal and Counselor), and Helen Groome (Crawford Principal).

I have only been on the Board of Education for a little over a year. These wonderful educators have been working hard for our students much longer than that. I am very sad we won't have them with us next year, but I wish them well in their future endeavors and thank them with true sincerity for the good they have done. We will miss you!

Graduations

It's the most wonderful time of the year -- for seniors, at least.

Last week our high school seniors officially graduated. I was fortunate enough to attend the North Fork Vision and Paonia High School graduations. They were very different ceremonies, each perfect for its group. If you have never attended a graduation ceremony for either of these schools, I encourage you to go next year. They are truly celebrations that recognize each individual graduate. How lucky they are!

Congratulations, graduates!

Celebrate the Beat

Last week I attended Celebrate the Beat. It was a dance performance involving students from Hotchkiss K8, Montessori, Vision, Paonia Elementary, and Crawford. It was amazing!

In college I was a ballroom dancer. I danced about 5 hours a day and absolutely loved it, but I didn't discover my love for dancing until my freshman year at BYU. Watching so many kids dancing simultaneously and throwing everything they had into it made me tear up. That, of course, made me feel very silly considering they were dancing to Motown music. The students had so much energy, and many of them were so talented. I wish I had had something like that when I was a kid.

Most of them will not become dancers, or be involved in dance in any way. But they were involved in a healthy, fun activity that brought joy to those lucky enough to see it, and it was very obvious that it was joyful for them too.

I am so proud of our students who participated, and I am so grateful to the adults who made it happen. Thank you for all of your hard work!

Mondays With Mike

Our superintendent, Mike McMillan, writes "Mondays with Mike" every week. It is an update on things happening in the District. Here are links to recent publications:

Mondays with Mike: May 23, 2011

Mondays with Mike: May 27, 2011