Let us all lift our children, loved ones, and education community up in prayers and optimism for this new school year!
Today I ask we surround our students and staff with prayers of love, protection, and optimism as they return to our schools and classrooms for a new school year! They need and deserve a great school year. As a community and society, we need for them to have a positive and successful year.
Over 15,100 students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade will fill classrooms in our Citrus schools. We are so excited to have each student back! Over 2,200 teachers, administrators, bus drivers, mechanics, custodians, maintenance, food service, paraprofessional-educators, and workers from every aspect, are there for our students. They are there teaching them, supporting them, and meeting their complex needs. Pray for each and every person’s academic, emotional, and physical needs will be met. God bless them all!
Comments Off on Welcome back students!
Filed under: News & Updates
God bless our Purple Heart recipients. Your sacrifice is never forgotten! August 7th is the Nation’s Anniversary of the Purple Heart. Please take a moment to read this history of our Country’s great honor.
The History of the Purple Heart, first known as “Badge of Military Merit”
At his headquarters in Newburgh, New York, on August 7, 1782, General George Washington devised two new badges of distinction for enlisted men and noncommissioned officers. To signify loyal military service, he ordered a chevron to be worn on the left sleeve of the uniform coat for the rank and file who had completed three years of duty “with bravery, fidelity, and good conduct”; two chevrons signified six years of service. The second badge, for “any singularly meritorious Action,” was the “Figure of a Heart in Purple Cloth or Silk edged with narrow Lace or Binding.” This device, the Badge of Military Merit, was affixed to the uniform coat above the left breast and permitted its wearer to pass guards and sentinels without challenge and to have his name and regiment inscribed in a Book of Merit. The Badge specifically honored the lower ranks, where decorations were unknown in contemporary European Armies. As Washington intended, the road to glory in a patriot army is thus open to all.”
Pre-WW2 Awards: The Purple Heart as we know it today was reestablished in 1932 to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the birth of George Washington. The original criteria for award of the Purple Heart as published in the War Department Circular No. 6 of February 22, 1932 states that the medal be awarded to anyone serving in the Army who had received combat-related injuries or had received the AEF’s Meritorious Service Citation Certificate during WWI, the latter criteria harkening back to the intent of George Washington’s “Badge of Military Merit”.
WWII Awards: In April 1942 the War Department amended its policy regarding the issuance of the Purple Heart. The new regulations authorized the posthumous award of the Purple Heart retroactive to December 7, 1941, and eliminated the use of the medal as a merit award.
As a new board member and as an experienced board member these professional development trainings are essential to help us be not just highly effective in our roles, but also meet the current and future needs of our students, parents, staff, and schools. The high quality and in-depth training and information offered at these events are why Florida local education policymakers are recognized around the country as some of the most knowledgeable and well trained. I am so honored to be a part of this organization and grateful for the training and support they provide.
Comments Off on In Tallahassee for the Planning Committee
Filed under: News & Updates
This morning Harold Walker and I planned to have coffee at Fresh Start Donuts in Beverly Hills. As I drove up to Fresh Start’s parking lot I got a big smile on my face as parked in the lot was a school bus. As I got out of my car I said to Harold, “you brought it!” See earlier in the morning I was watching Facebook Videos and unexpectedly came across a video of Mr. Walker teaching a shop class to a group of young people on building a cell phone holder and speaker for Mother’s Day. Watching the video, it was so evident what a natural teacher Mr. Walker is with the young people. The teaching was being done on the very bus that was in front of me in the parking lot. It is a specialty converted former school bus now turned mobile construction shop class. It is equipped with power saws, jigs, tools, workbenches, and more, all laid out like a small workshop. It has a generator but has also been wired to just plug into an outlet at any location. I wanted to share with you some of the photos (see below) I took of the bus and the work done by Mr. Harold and the Citrus Construction Academy. (Follow this link to watch the video on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/stellar.fellar.9/videos/752111822117818) Thank you to Josh “Handy” Hicks for his support and sponsoring of this video and the other great teaching he is doing.
Mr. Walker is President of the Citrus Construction Academy a 501c3 foundation that raises awareness, support, and funds for any and all construction-related training for secondary and post-secondary students in Citrus County. They plan to bring the bus to events, schools, and other places teaching and exposing young people to the construction and engineering trades.
Mr. Walker and I were together this morning talking about the many projects he has been working on in Citrus County including a special project that we are working on at one of our high schools that we look forward to sharing more about it in the near future.
Comments Off on Harold Walker and the Construction Bus
Filed under: News & Updates
Honored to receive the Phil Royal Legacy 2021 Heart of Gold Award
“The Phil Royal EMT Program is one of the greatest programs I have had the privilege to be a part of!”
This evening I was so honored to be awarded, along with Lindsay Tozer, the Phil Royal Legacy 2021 Heart of Gold Award.
Two weeks ago I received a message from April Royal asking me to be interviewed about the Phil Royal EMT Program at the Crystal River High School Academy of Health Careers, in partnership with the College of Central Florida. I love sharing about this amazing program and those that are a part of it so I jumped at the chance. Royal had me meet her at Cornerstone Church in Inverness to shoot the video. Where I arrived I saw Becky Beattie and Lindsay Tozer were there which wasn’t out of the ordinary for anything connected with the Phil Royal Legacy organization. As I walked in April came up and hugged me and I was so excited to share with her a personal photo that I knew she’d appreciate. I was so involved in talking about the photo that I didn’t realize until April started the interview that she was wearing an evening gown. As April started to talk it started to become clear I was there for more than an interview. I heard April say something about my work on the school board and with the Phil Royal EMT program and I began to tear up and then April started to tear up. About then Becky put her hand on my shoulder and at that moment I began to understand what was happening but I still did not fully accept that I could be there to receive this great honor. As April asked me to come up, I must admit that my tears became stronger. You see, the Phil Royal EMT Program is one of the greatest programs I have had the privilege to be a part of! (Follow this link to read more about naming the program for Phil Royal: https://thomastalks.org/phil-royal-emt-program/)
I am so truly honored to receive this special award and I thank April Royal and the Phil Royal Legacy Board of Directors. Let us continue Phil’s work! Visit www.PhilRoyalLegacy.com and learn how you can help! “ONE TEAM, ONE MISSION, ONE COMMUNITY”
This week was graduation week for our three largest high schools, Citrus High School, Lecanto High School, and Crystal River High School. Over and over in speeches this year by school leaders and students the theme was “thanks” and “gratefulness” for having in-person graduations, and for all that their teachers and school staff did this school year to provide face-to-face instruction during a global pandemic.
For the past four months, district and school staff have been preparing for these special traditional graduations. The enormous and monumental tasks of these graduations are more complex than most people know. They are challenging enough during a typical year but add COVID and the extra planning and efforts have more than double the work preparing for this year’s graduations.
I have always been impressed by the planning and execution of setting up these graduation events, from the chairs, main stage, sound systems, and much more, take strategic planning by our leaders and school maintenance teams. And if you think the preparation is a lot the breakdown is equally impressive. The very moment graduation ends the school and district maintenance and custodian teams swoop in and break it all down, moving it to the next school for the next day’s graduation. They then repeat this over and over until all three schools have had their graduation. (I still think “magic” or elves must be involved.)
I want to thank our Superintendent Himmel, school administrators, graduation coordinators, guidance counselors, school facility staff, district maintenance staff, and student setup volunteers (JROTC, athletics teams, and others). I want to also specially thank one person who always keeps a low profile, but this year especially lead the efforts behind the scenes to ensure our graduates had a safe and traditional in-person graduation, Assistant Superintendent Jonny Bishop.
We are so grateful for all these dedicated persons. Just look at some of these photos of their work for our graduates. (click on photos to enlarge)
Thank you to each and every one of them!
Comments Off on Congrats to the Class of 2021
Filed under: News & Updates
Today I ask we surround our students and staff with prayers of love, protection, and optimism as they return to our schools and classrooms for a new school year! They need and deserve a great school year. As a community and society, we need for them to have a positive and successful year.
