Thanks to One and All

I understand that the uncertainties of the last couple of weeks have added degrees of stress to students, teachers, parents, administrators, and community members and all I can say is I appreciate the contributions of so many to bring resolution to what could have been an even more stressful situation. Due to the dedication and commitment of our staff to our students and our community, we were able to re-open our schools on Monday and have made slight modifications to our school calendar to adjust for the missed school days last Thursday and Friday. Opinions related to both the closing and re-opening of our schools were divided and that's normal and not unexpected. It's OK to disagree but to do it respectfully, and I believe as an organization, we've done that.

As a re-cap, the last day of school for both teachers and students will be Friday, May 25th, with students attending for a 1/2 day.  There are no more early release Wednesdays through the rest of the year and Thursday, May 24th will be a full day instead of a 1/2 day for all students.  High school graduation will take place as scheduled on Friday, May 25th, and the eighth grade promotion ceremony will be on Thursday, May 24th as planned. High school summer school will begin as scheduled on Tuesday, May  29th.

Congratulations Dr. Jagodzinski!

Yesterday afternoon, FHHS principal Cain Jagodzinski successfully defended his dissertation and in doing so, completed all of the requirements to earn the degree of doctor of education in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University. Having had a first hand view of his journey over the last three years, I know the time, energy, and effort he has put into this accomplishment, all while successfully performing the duties of high school principal and being a husband and a father. That's not an easy thing to do.

His dissertation focuses on a very timely and important topic: School safety upgrades and perceptions of safety protocols in prevention of  school shootings. During his two years in FHUSD, he has taken the lead in updating and revising our emergency response plans and providing recommendations based on best practices for security upgrades on our campuses.  He will continue to take that lead and we will all benefit from the research he has done for his dissertation.

Please join me in congratulating Cain for this achievement.  "Dr. J." has a nice ring to it.

Patrick Sweeney, Ed.D.

Superintendent