Welcome Back and Good Kids...

Hmmm, where did the time go. Sorry I haven't been around since July 4th. Looks like life just slipped away from me. There is nothing like school starting (and a gentle note from an editor) to get things rolling again.

September is such an interesting month around my house. The calmness of summer slips away to be greeted by the sometimes deafening noise of books, home work, band, soccer, Phillies baseball and renewed religious obligations. It all happens at once. The first sound of that alarm at 5:50 am is just shocking, by now that same alarm has you praying for June.

Enough about me. I want to talk about kids, and they are not even mine. If you do not know it, I am a School Board member in the much maligned William Penn School District. It's the much maligned part that I just don't get. Are we perfect, no, certainly not. Are we getting better, every single day, yes we are. Our kids and teachers are with great exception amazing. We are on a plan to fix our schools, including some of the most aggressive renovations to our energy infrastructure in the county. I am so proud of what is going on and I see the results in the eyes of our children every day.

Today, I am proud to share an email that our district got last week. I think it summarizes the spirit that makes us Penn Wood Proud.

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Mr. Greene,

I am not sure that you are the right person that I should be writing to, but I thought that I would take a chance anyway. :-)  My daughter attended a volleyball tournament this past weekend at Octorara High
School in Atglen, Pennsylvania and they said that they met a "bunch" of girls from some school called Penn Wood.  My daughter said that Penn Wood came in last place, but they were still the nicest, funniest kids that they had ever met at any tournament in volleyball.  I know that in today's society we often hear only about the bad things that kids do, so I wanted to let you know that the girls from Penn Wood was the first thing that my daughter mentioned when she came home that evening from
the tournament.  They took a group picture together and it is now my daughter's Facebook profile picture. :-)  If you could let the volleyball coach know that I wanted to thank her and the girls for
being such good kids, I would appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Marie
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The first time I read this note I got goose-bumps...even when I read it now, it makes me teary. Yes, it means that much. I love when our students are recognized for who they really are, not what people think they are. I love when we go some place and people get to see us. When what they have read and what they see, conflict in mid-air. Our well kept secret is getting out and our entire community is going to win.

So here is a big "atta boy" to the Lady Patriots Volleyball team. You aren't the best volleyball team, although congratulations on your first win this week(!), but you rocked the house with your spirit. That is the biggest win of all!

Watch out world the community of the William Penn School District is Penn Wood Proud and we aim to show you exactly why.