Who We Are By Anthony Aikens, Superintendent
I am a member of this community and have been a little over a year now. I love my role. It keeps me gratified and humbled at the same time. Most of my experiences have been good. A few, while not so good, have taught me more about leadership than all of the good experiences combined. Fortunately, all of these experiences have brought clarity and priority about who we are as a community and as a school district.
When I accepted the role as Superintendent of Schools, I told you that my non-negotiables were: Professionalism, Accountability, Respect and Civility, and Responsiveness. I told you that this would be a place where people want to be—a place where people want to work and students want to go to school. I told you that who we are and the experiences we offer will help us all to authentically tell our story and be ambassadors for our school district, and ultimately, our community.
My story today is about a mistake that uncovered a great example of character that embodies all that I had ever hoped “we” could be. It begins when a “Star Student” was mistakenly named who did not meet all criteria to be Star Student. Before the mistake was identified, the student was ceremoniously recognized as Star Student at her school and in a School Board meeting. I don’t have to elaborate on how embarrassing and unacceptable this situation was. Over a holiday weekend, phone calls were made, meetings were arranged, records were reviewed and hearts were heavy and burdened.
The non-negotiables were reiterated and accountability began. The thought that this would look better in the morning never prevailed with the light of day. It was bad. I knew things were as bad as they appeared. Our error had humiliated a student, her family, and almost prevented the actual Star Student from receiving the accolades for her hard work and perseverance. What possible good could become of this situation?
In the aftermath of this debacle, I had the opportunity to meet with the student who was mistakenly named Star Student. In a room of long faces and dread, I met a young lady whose maturity and grace struck me as both uncommon and commendable. I thought to myself that her maturity had nothing to do with age. It was much deeper than that; rather, it came from her obvious strength of character. She knew the situation put her in the spotlight. The same spotlight that had brought her joy and her family pride a few days earlier, now brought her and her family public humiliation. And yet, as I apologized to her as best I could—and I felt everything I said was just inadequate—I realized that some people are just meant to shine.
Needless to say, it may happen that one could easily deal with disappointment by lashing out and pointing fingers. Life often falls short of our expectations. There I sat across from a young lady who had every reason to be devastatingly disappointed. Even still, her grace and selflessness demonstrated a positive attitude and genuine concern for her classmates. In short, she didn’t want to take what rightly belonged to someone else.
Even though her reality was tough, she had the capacity to endure, empathize, and accept her situation as unfortunate but not the end of her story. The truth was not what she expected, and yet she had the poise and courage to hold herself higher than her circumstances. My confidence is with the resilient young lady I met that day. While I witnessed her let go of her desire to be Star Student, I saw a determination in her that left me with little concern that she would ever let disappointment diminish her good character or her goals for the future.
As this tumultuous week has passed, I am also confident that we are all better for this young lady’s strong example. The truth is, disappointment is not exclusive, illusive, or a respecter of persons, and her example reminds us to conduct ourselves respectfully, honorably, and with resilience, as we face our own set-backs.
For this, I say, “Shine on Jacie.” In your moment of adversity, you paint a beautiful picture of who we are and who we want to be. You are truly the best of us.
When I accepted the role as Superintendent of Schools, I told you that my non-negotiables were: Professionalism, Accountability, Respect and Civility, and Responsiveness. I told you that this would be a place where people want to be—a place where people want to work and students want to go to school. I told you that who we are and the experiences we offer will help us all to authentically tell our story and be ambassadors for our school district, and ultimately, our community.
My story today is about a mistake that uncovered a great example of character that embodies all that I had ever hoped “we” could be. It begins when a “Star Student” was mistakenly named who did not meet all criteria to be Star Student. Before the mistake was identified, the student was ceremoniously recognized as Star Student at her school and in a School Board meeting. I don’t have to elaborate on how embarrassing and unacceptable this situation was. Over a holiday weekend, phone calls were made, meetings were arranged, records were reviewed and hearts were heavy and burdened.
The non-negotiables were reiterated and accountability began. The thought that this would look better in the morning never prevailed with the light of day. It was bad. I knew things were as bad as they appeared. Our error had humiliated a student, her family, and almost prevented the actual Star Student from receiving the accolades for her hard work and perseverance. What possible good could become of this situation?
In the aftermath of this debacle, I had the opportunity to meet with the student who was mistakenly named Star Student. In a room of long faces and dread, I met a young lady whose maturity and grace struck me as both uncommon and commendable. I thought to myself that her maturity had nothing to do with age. It was much deeper than that; rather, it came from her obvious strength of character. She knew the situation put her in the spotlight. The same spotlight that had brought her joy and her family pride a few days earlier, now brought her and her family public humiliation. And yet, as I apologized to her as best I could—and I felt everything I said was just inadequate—I realized that some people are just meant to shine.
Needless to say, it may happen that one could easily deal with disappointment by lashing out and pointing fingers. Life often falls short of our expectations. There I sat across from a young lady who had every reason to be devastatingly disappointed. Even still, her grace and selflessness demonstrated a positive attitude and genuine concern for her classmates. In short, she didn’t want to take what rightly belonged to someone else.
Even though her reality was tough, she had the capacity to endure, empathize, and accept her situation as unfortunate but not the end of her story. The truth was not what she expected, and yet she had the poise and courage to hold herself higher than her circumstances. My confidence is with the resilient young lady I met that day. While I witnessed her let go of her desire to be Star Student, I saw a determination in her that left me with little concern that she would ever let disappointment diminish her good character or her goals for the future.
As this tumultuous week has passed, I am also confident that we are all better for this young lady’s strong example. The truth is, disappointment is not exclusive, illusive, or a respecter of persons, and her example reminds us to conduct ourselves respectfully, honorably, and with resilience, as we face our own set-backs.
For this, I say, “Shine on Jacie.” In your moment of adversity, you paint a beautiful picture of who we are and who we want to be. You are truly the best of us.