Retirement

So, yes, I announced a few weeks ago that I would retire from Lake Forest School District as of June 30, 2014.  This has been a great place to work and as a team there have been a lot of accomplishments.

Over the next six months this space may be used to comment on how things used to be as well as how they will be in the future.  I might speak a little about some of the things of which we are most proud.  I may speak a little about the search for the new superintendent.

One of the things I am most proud of is the logo.  When I came here in 2003 we really didn’t have a district logo.  Business cards carried the coat of arms and some of them had these words to go with LFSD – Learning Focused on Student Diversity.  I would ask people what it meant and nobody could translate it for me.

Early on, I was struck by the freedom of choice in Delaware.  There are many private and charter schools.  The state encourages districts to support parent requests to send their children to public schools other than the ones where they reside.  It was clear that our parents had choices where to send their children.   I want them to look no further.  We needed to say something about that.  So, in the summer of 2003, when asked to order some trinkets to pass out at a parent education fair, I ordered a bunch of magnetic, six inch rulers with the phrase “Lake Forest – your best choice”.

With the help of some volunteer graphic artists that was eventually translated into our logo which has become the Lake Forest brand.  Once we ordered a few shirts with the logo, everyone wanted them.  We are all Spartans from our Spartan Sprouts and Little Spartan day care program to our high school scholars and teams.

I know one thing.  When I decided to accept the position as superintendent of Lake Forest School District in the summer of 2003, it was the best choice for me.