February may be the shortest month of the year, but it is always packed with smiles, learning and activities like basketball, wrestling, etc. I love moments that bring the community together to enjoy and celebrate our students.
By now you’ve likely heard the wonderful news that Todd Flinn will take over as elementary principal this fall. An Ellis native, we are delighted to welcome him and his family back to our community. Thanks to his experience as a teacher and principal in Wheatland USD 292 and his knowledge of our community, Mr. Flinn will be a great addition to the elementary school and our district leadership team.
I hope you’ll also join me in wishing Cindy Hertel well in the next chapter of her life. It’s hard to calculate all the good she has done in our community over her decades of service. As a high school English teacher, she certainly prepared students for academic success. Looking back, she was my favorite teacher — ever — because she taught me so much. Her service on the Ellis Board of Education reflected insights as a retired educator, as well as a parent, grandparent and Ellis resident. Thank you, Cindy, for always bringing out the best in the people around you. The board will appoint someone to the open board seat at our February meeting.
Saying farewell to Mrs. Hertel and welcoming Mr. Flinn and his family back to Ellis, I’m reminded why I love this community so much. It also calls us to action because it takes work to create and maintain the opportunities, connections and neighborly care that makes communities like ours so special.
Here are just a few examples of our school district’s commitment to sustaining a bright future for our community in the years and decades to come:
• The school board is wrapping up a strategic plan that will guide our resources and work in the coming four years. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback and input — we could not have done it without you.
• The community daycare center is still a focus project. We are working as quickly as possible to raise the last $60,000 needed to start building and are grateful for the latest $5,000 gift from a generous donor. If you know of any possible gifts or grants, please encourage them to consider a tax-deductible donation to get this important resource off the ground. I’m always happy to share more about the project or how donated dollars will be used. If there is any hope of opening the center within the next year, we’ll need a small miracle or two.
• We are beginning the budget process for our next fiscal year, which begins July 1. We are expecting an increase in the cost of special education services, which are required by law. This will force us to examine our general budget for cuts to make up the difference.
No doubt about it, we’ve got hard work ahead. But let’s never lose sight of our purpose: our students today and the students who will fill our classrooms for generations to come. We’ll need discipline, courage and determination. And it will take all of us to engage, partner, rethink and focus on solutions that help everyone. If there were ever a community that I know can persevere for something good, it’s Ellis.
When hearing high schoolers talk about the new printing shop, see 6th graders create and present social studies projects, or see our teachers get excited about a better way to teach reading or a new idea to engage students — I know that these are the moments that make Ellis special. These are the investments worth making.
Janice Wilson, Superintendent