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Friday, 01 February 2019 14:00

February 2019 Superintendency Message

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A message from Superintendent Jeff Stephens:

"For Good"

While visiting Bonneville High School this past December, I happened to walk by the choir room. The sound coming from Mishy Kirby's Tapestry class was simply too inviting to pass up. I listened to remarkable young people rehearsing several songs for their upcoming holiday performances. The students even let me select a number and they performed it for me. Following that song, I stood beside this extraordinary teacher who has impacted so many students through the years and asked the class, "Do you know how lucky you are to be able to have this incredible woman as your teacher?" Their response was one of heart-felt warmth and gratitude. Then I said, "I am going to ask you to get together as a class for just a minute and select one song that you would like to sing that expresses just how you feel about her."

They quickly gathered into what looked like a friendly rugby scrum and within a matter of moments quickly dispersed to retrieve the sheet music in the back of the room. The song they selected—"For Good" from the hit Broadway musical Wicked. What followed is a moment I will forever cherish as these students, who deeply loved and admired their teacher, sang from the bottom of their hearts:

I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason;

Bringing something we must learn…. who help us most to grow if we let them,

And we help them in return.

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true,

But I know I'm who I am today because I knew you!

It was a memorable experience I shall never forget! And, for me it represented everything that's good about the relationship between a teacher and students. Students develop a trust, a respect and an appreciation for what a caring teacher does for them. Lives are changed for the better because kids know you!

I recognize that every adult who works in Weber School District has that same potential impact "for good" on students. While we may not have the opportunity to have our students sing to us expressing how they feel, I know that their gratitude is every bit as real. I appreciate each one of you for changing lives "for the better."

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