Sunday, September 22, 2013

Changing Seasons Of Childhood

Recently I was driving down a road in a rural area.  As I drove down the road, I noticed that while the leaves on the trees were still a vibrant green,  the sumac bushes had turned various colors.  Some were bright yellow, with a bit of green.  Other bushes were more a orange-red color than yellow.  Over the past several days I have see a dramatic change as the leaves on the bushes have turned to a deep red, almost burgundy color.

Thinking about the changes in the leaves and looking forward to the peak color change that will be revealed over the next month, I began to draw a corollary between the change we see in our children as they grow, mature, learn about the world around them and reach their peak.  

Early in the school year our new Columbia Elementary School girls' singing group "Magic" began gearing up to perform at various school events.  It was amazing to see the young ladies in this group who are all in their early years of schooling begin to grow and mature.  By listening to their director, Mrs. Wright, they have learned to project their voices, smile when they sing and to perform their choreographed moves with confidence.  It was as if they were sumac bushes and they were donning their bright fall colors.

This past summer I was able to watch our middle and high school cheerleaders as they worked on learning back handsprings, incredible jumps and intricate routines.  Much in the same way as the young ladies in the choir "Magic" have grown and matured, gaining confidence each day, I noticed that over the weeks of practice the cheerleaders grew stronger, performed more confidently and learned how to shine under the tutelage of their dedicated coaches.

Each day I have the amazing privilege of seeing young children growing up before my eyes as they are guided in learning situations by their dedicated teachers and coachers.  In the Columbia School District we have over 100 dedicated staff members who work diligently to encourage our students to take small steps towards a successful tomorrow.  Our many professionals give the children of our community the ability to move forward toward their peak color as they experience life's lessons and learning activities.  

This year a group of dedicated parents, community members and school staffers have worked to support our students as they grow and mature as learners.  This group has worked to determine, "What is the best learning environment for our children?"  Certainly it has been easy for these dedicated individuals to figure out that new roofs, temperature controlled classrooms, safe schools with insulated doors and windows and renovated restrooms would be advantageous  for our children as their teachers present them with learning strategies and activities, which will support them as they don their bright fall colors of success.

More difficult for the members of the Facilities Improvement Team was to determine what should be included in our upcoming Bond Issue and what would be left out.  As our videographers, Josh and Conner, from our Columbia Central High School video productions class would find, the issues that need to be updated or replaced, not only include boilers and roofs, they include computers and the infrastructure to support the computers.  The Facilities Improvement team has focused their efforts on pursuing enhanced educational avenues through renovations, replacements and remodels.  The group has been careful to consider all options and use a laser focus in order to eliminate wasteful and unnecessary items and elements of the possible project.  They have continued to strive to structure their efforts on providing our children with a learning environment that will support them as they grow and mature and put on their fall colors!

If you are interested in learning more about the Facilities Improvement Team, the planning process and elements of the Bond Issue, please email me at pam.campbell@myeagles.org or call me at 5175926641. 

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