Change Is The Only Constant

I have written about change and hope for the last two articles. I suppose that is because change is the only constant and hope is immeasurable. In my first article I wrote about leading in the midst of change and last month about how hard change is. This month, I continue that theme with a recognition that change happens and I will end it with a celebration of hope. Recently, we have seen changes happen almost daily with school reopening. We have also seen changes with school athletics, with the covid-19 vaccine, with expectations for school funding in the state budget and so much more. As the Hart District Board of Trustees, we have made difficult decisions and have engaged in tough conversations that have and continue to push us to examine where we were yesterday, where we are today and where we want to be tomorrow. These conversations have ranged from governance practices, to school reopening, to conversations about the Hart High School mascot, to addressing learning loss and to mental health and wellness to name just a few. In all of these conversations, I want to thank our engaged community of staff, students and parents for holding the Hart District Board of Trustees accountable for our actions.
Now to switch to a focus on immeasurable hope. To tell that story, I am choosing to focus on our students. The Hart District students are superstars! They are the ones most directly impacted by school’s being closed. It is hard, it’s challenging and frustrating for many. Throughout this nearly a year of school’s being closed, I have heard from students on multiple occasions sharing with me how they were feeling about distance learning and trusting me to represent their needs by making the best decisions possible on their behalf with the information available at the time. As a parent watching my own child through the last year, I want our students to know that I see you and I hear you. I also want to thank them for their resilience, determination, spirit and creativity. I have gotten to see some students in class and have continuously been impressed by their engagement and enthusiasm. I know our amazing teachers have a lot to do with that too. And it never ceases to surprise me when I hear about the phenomenal things our students are doing, even in the midst of a pandemic. One such student is Kalia Love Jones, a freshman at Golden Valley High School. You might have read about her in the paper recently or seen her at the first February Board meeting, where we had the honor of viewing her nominated and award-winning animated short film, “The Power of Hope”. It is a powerful film with a goal of empowering others to succeed with the power of hope. So impressive and so true. I want to congratulate Kalia and all of the brilliant and phenomenal scholars in the William S. Hart Union High School District. It is because of you that no matter how difficult things may seem, that I choose to “Be the change I (you) want to see in the world” (Mahatma Ghandi). Change will happen, it is the only constant. You can try to stay still and push back against change—or you can see hope in moving forward. Please know that you can always reach me by email at cmoore@hartdistrict.org.