Ray-Pec Parent Community,
There are several items to celebrate in this message today.
February is Black History Month. Recognizing and honoring the contributions of Black Americans is an important part of who we are as a community and nation. It is also indicative of an education system that is designed to meet the needs of all of our students. I have been pleased to see the many activities and resources our building leadership teams are using to engage our students in their learning about this important part of the history and culture of our country.
Over the course of the first semester, I met with over 150 minority students in our secondary schools to hear about their lived experiences in Ray-Pec. After listening to our students, I am encouraged about some issues and learned we have work to do in some others. In my first email to you back in July, I explained that my personal “why” statement is that I believe Everyone Is Created to Flourish. Everyone truly means everyone. I believe that we are a stronger community as we seek to understand all of our students and staff members, regardless of background, disability, race, color, or personal belief, and work to build an environment where true human flourishing is possible. This is part of our on-going work toward building a flourishing environment here in the Ray-Pec School District, and our leadership team from the Board of Education on down is committed to this.
Speaking of the Board of Education, February 14-20 is School Board Appreciation Week in Missouri. Boards of Education are a volunteer role, and during a time with so many hard decisions, let’s remember to thank members of our Board of Education for their service to our community. Board members are president Ruth Johnson, vice-president Paul Coffman, and members Kim York, Ashley Jones, Billy King, Bill Lowe, and Aaron Howlett.
This week is National School Counseling Week. Please join me in thanking our school counselors, school-based mental health professionals, and all of those in related positions, for their work with your children. They are critical to our students’ success.
We are blessed to have such an incredible team of teachers and support staff across the district working with our students.
Thank you for entrusting your children to the Ray-Pec School District,
Mike Slagle
I am passionately driven by the belief that Everyone Is Created To Flourish
