Regular Board Meeting Recap for Mar. 11^th, 2014

“…everybody loves a pirate!”

This month it was my responsibility to arrange for the opening exercise. Because I have been feeling very “Piratey” lately, we had the great honor of having many pirates visiting this day and we were graced by the musical singing of the Crystal River High School Gasparilla Singers under the direction of Mr. Mark Garlock. Before having them sing, with the assistance of CRHS principal Dr. Connors’s, in pirate tradition we raised the Jolly Roger in the Board Chambers and I read from Dave Burgess, author of the book ‘Teach Like a PIRATE‘.

“So why a pirate? After all, we don’t want teachers who attack and rob ships at sea. Teaching like a pirate has nothing to do with the dictionary definition and everything to do with the spirit. Pirates are daring, adventurous, and willing to set forth into uncharted territories with no guarantee of success. They reject the status quo and refuse to conform to any society that stifles creativity and independence. They are entrepreneurs who take risks and are willing to travel to the ends of the earth for that which they value. Although fiercely impendent, they travel with the embrace of a diverse crew. If you’re willing to live by the code, commit to the voyage, and pull your share of the load, then you’re free to sail. Pirates don’t much care about public perception; they proudly fly their flags in defiance. And besides, everybody loves a pirate.”

This section of the book I feel sums up the spirit of education in Citrus County and I am blessed to be a small part of it. We had several wonderful presentations during the meeting. Superintendent Himmel presents the Superintendent’s “Making a Difference” Award to the volunteers at the elementary level who work with our students at our school run clubs. These clubs participated in the recent, “5 Points of Life’s Marathon” which included over 800 elementary and middle school students.

Next, Superintendent Himmel & the Citrus County School Board issued a Proclamation urging all to contact their Congressional Representatives to “Bring Bowe Home”. The mission of the “Bring Bowe Home” Project is to spread and create awareness for Prisoner of War, US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was captured in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009. The “Bring Bowe Home Project” promotes awareness campaigns about the status of Bowe Bergdahl as well as to advocate for his safe and timely return home. If you are interested in seeing the video of this presentation follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4ncAncro9Y

During the meeting the school board received presentations on the Academy of Environmental Science Annual report, the Citrus County Education Foundation, and Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee – Coffee Survey Results. For those interested, after the coffee survey results presentation, board member offered their thoughts on the subject, and the consensus at this time was to not move forward.

Also, during the meeting, Executive Director of Educational Services, Mark Klauder, and Director of Instructional Technology, Dr Mike Geddes, presented and the board approved, the recommended English Language Arts (ELA), Reading and Mathematics Instructional Materials for adoption in 2014-2015. This will be the first time in over 12 years that ELA subject area will receive new and updated textbooks. If you would like to see more of the board meeting or listen to the CRHS singers follow this link to the video stream: http://new.livestream.com/citrusschools/events/2831218

Our next board meeting is April 8^th, 2014.

Comments Off on Regular Board Meeting Recap for Mar. 11th, 2014
Filed under: News & Updates