Superintendent’s Blog – 2019-2020 Energy and Excitement
Which evokes a stronger emotion? Saying goodbye to an old friend, or welcoming a new guest into your home? Both create significant emotions that are similar to the mix of emotions I feel at this time of year. In my last blog I said goodbye to the old friend of the 2018-2019 school year. In this blog I hope to convey the excitement I feel in welcoming a new school year and some significant changes to PBS.
As I wrote my year-end blog, construction was already underway on refurbishing and replacement of our football field. I am happy to share with you that the field is complete and ready for use. The old field was the site of many memorable games and events that will forever be etched in our hearts and history. There is an opportunity to purchase a piece of Eagle history. Information on our turf fundraiser can be found at the bottom of this post. The new field will provide a fresh look to our sports complex and provide a safer surface for our students. As a compliment to our improved facilities, we will also have a whole new look to our football program. Coach LeFors and Athletic Director Mitchell have assembled an incredible group of coaches and I look forward to the next chapter of our program. I wonder what stories will be told when we are ready to replace the new field in 10 years? Stay tuned and we will find out together!
The other significant change coming to our campus this summer is our new courtyard, the “heart of our campus” and phase 1 of our cafeteria project. Yesterday, our old benches were removed and concrete demolition began. I look forward to future homecomings and school events where our current families and alums gather in this wonderful crossroad of our campus. The place where I sat as a student and ate lunch with my future wife will get a new look, but the power to create lasting friendships and happy memories will remain.
I am also excited about the new families, staff, and students that God is bringing to our campus. It is always humbling and a bit daunting to see that God chooses us to care for so many of his children. It is a weighty responsibility to shepherd these young lives and to live up to the standards of our Lord and Savior. I value each person here and we are eager to make next year the best year possible. I appreciate our committed staff who have been “pushing the flywheel of academics” (as Jim Collins in ‘Good to Great’ defines it) and are building such a strong and comprehensive program. Our passionate, dedicated staff, coupled with the energy and perspective of new professionals will only take us to greater heights.
Our Flex program is also gaining more attention and continues to develop as an alternative to the traditional classroom in our community. We will expand that program to Elementary for 2019-2020 and continue to look at adding other micro campuses in our community. We are starting small and growing as we determine best practice for this unique program. I am excited about the huge strides we are taking for next year as we hire dedicated staff assigned solely to this program.
The Flex program is a new model of learning and administration that provides a highly customizable, college preparatory program of study. It is centered around Mastery Based Learning, personal responsibility for the student, and increased control for the teacher. Its focus is on the student and the learning process so the limited structure can be passed on in a cost savings to the parent. This program is around 30% less than our traditional program. It meets the number one concern of parents referencing the cost of education and is on the leading edge of education reform. I can’t wait to see how this further strengthens and evolves in the coming year. Seats in this program are limited as we monitor quality as we grow.
Please join me in praying for the students, families, faculty, and staff that God is preparing to bring to Parkview for the coming school year. Pray also that we will be found worthy stewards of the gifts entrusted to us.
We truly have a lot of excitement and anticipation as our new year approaches. I don’t want to rush it, so we will wish every family a restful summer as we ready our campus for a great year.
Dr. Don Mayes, Superintendent