Again! – A Message from Our Superintendent Dr. McGown
Well, my friends, here we are again. A few weeks into a new year, into new resolutions, into new “one word challenges,” into new promises to ourselves and one another.
There is something so hopeful about retiring an old calendar for a new one. Growing up as the daughter of an Australian father and English mother, I still remember my parents carrying on an old tradition (or perhaps superstition!) where at midnight on New Year’s Eve, amidst much cheer, my dad would physically carry the old calendar out the backdoor and bring in the new calendar through the front door, a symbol that, as Scripture says, the old was gone and the new has come. Now that my dad is in his eternal home, I still smile, thinking of him coming jubilantly in through the front door holding up the new year’s calendar, all of us greeting him with hugs and laughter.
It was—and is—such fun to greet the new calendar, the one with nothing written in it yet. Full of possibility, plans, and dreams. It inspires the best of us—even if perhaps we end the year a bit worn out—to believe in the possible again. To begin again. To give our best again, no matter what may have happened, or not, in the twelve months prior.
We know lots of us start the new year with resolutions and hopes for what’s possible as we, like my dad, symbolically bring that fresh calendar through the front door. This tells me that lots of us think it’s a worthy endeavor to keep hoping and pressing for something better in ourselves and in one another and in our world with every new year.
And on the note of “better,” last Friday, I went unannounced to congratulate a few schools on improved student performance and stumbled upon the “Better” ceremony taking place weekly at Nitsch Elementary. Unbeknownst to me, every week, dressed in “Nitsch Knight” attire, Principal Frank Ward quietly gathers the students who have achieved their academic and character goals and “knights” them, calling each child by name and declaring, “You are BETTER!” I watched in absolute wonder as kindergarteners and soon-to-be teenagers alike received this blessing from their principal, smiling unabashedly throughout the simple ceremony and for the photo soon to be posted on the wall of their school.
Driving away, I thought, What if this year every one of us in our Klein Family stood united behind one another’s potential and possibility? What if, like the blank calendar before us, we believed and behaved like every day was a fresh page, a new beginning, a chance to start again? And although our experiences year after year certainly shape us, change us, and test us in many ways, we can greet this new year with hope and optimism that tomorrow will bring even better days. As we continue working together to keep our promise to our students, let’s embrace the mindset that we are better for yesterday’s lessons wrapped up today with grace and know that it’s possible, once more, to begin again!
Best Public Schools in Texas
Klein ISD has an established 84-year history of excellence and innovation in education with unique pathways for EVERY student in our care to ensure learners are college, career, military, and life ready. With recognition for STEM, athletics, fine arts, and academics from highly-esteemed organizations, it is clear that Our Shared Vision of every student entering with a promise and exiting with a purpose is a reality for EVERY student who walks through our doors.
About Klein ISD
Klein ISD is a school district in Klein, Texas, located in northwestern Harris County. The district spans approximately 88 square miles and serves more than 53,000 students in 33 elementary schools, 10 intermediate campuses, one high school program of choice, and 5 high schools.
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There are so many incredible individuals in the Klein Family making a lasting impact on our community. We want to recognize and celebrate our leaders and learners that are cultivating talent, building relationships, reimagining learning and making Promise2Purpose a reality daily. Share your story here: https://kleinfamily.net
