We are rapidly approaching the end of October, and it is hard to believe we have almost three months of school in the books. Time flies when you are having fun, and there sure is a lot of excitement around our school campuses these days. More on that in just a minute.

But first, thank you to all of you who went out and cast your vote during this election cycle. Over the last several months, I have appreciated all of the discussions surrounding our school system. I have learned a great deal from those conversations, and I hope you have learned a bit more about our goals moving forward. We remain dedicated to providing the best education possible for all of our students while continuing to improve upon the opportunities for kids that bring us all together. Our students and employees deserve the best of days, and I know we can all agree upon that.

I also want to say that I know true community support cannot be measured simply by a vote on a tax proposition, any more than a school’s true success can be measured simply by a test, or a school performance score. There are many ways that our community shows support for our students, our employees, and our school system, and I am grateful for the support that you give us. It is why our school system is in such good shape and positioned for greatness. So, thank you again for your support of our schools; we are all the better for it.

We celebrated Homecoming on both sides of the parish over the last few weeks. It was so much fun to be a part of it all, and the community turnout was impressive as usual. Our students are so talented, and they work so hard at what they do. I am proud of how they represent their school and our school system, and all of you. As I watched the pep rallies, Homecoming court presentations, parades, and football games, I was left feeling thankful for and appreciative of our students. It takes a lot of work to be a student these days, but ours put the work in with impressive results.

And of course, behind every one of those students is a faculty member who is putting in the time and effort to help those students be the best they can be. We talked before about being a district of doers, good people who go out and work hard and get the job done the best way possible. I like where we are headed.

I will wrap up this month’s column with an invitation. The discussion about the future of our school system does not have to end with the election results. I have enjoyed hearing your thoughts and opinions, as well as being able to share with you my own. My door is always open to you, and I hope yours is open as well.

I will see you out there!