High School Superintendent Pens Welcome-Back Message

Press release from Oak Park and River Forest High School:

Dear Students, Staff, and Families,

Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year! While the start of this semester may look different from any we’ve ever experienced before, the sense of anticipation and excitement hasn’t changed. I felt it this morning during the virtual version of our annual welcome for new teachers. Their eagerness to meet their classes and get to work was palpable, and I know the rest of our faculty and staff is feeling much the same.

As we get ready to embark on this journey into our new-and-improved remote learning environment, feeling some trepidation is understandable. As a district, though, we are committed to walking this path in partnership with you. We have amazing tour guides in our teachers and staff, and we are all focused on reaching a common destination: the very best possible education for every single one of our students.

To our faculty members, who officially return to work tomorrow, THANK YOU for your commitment to your professional growth this summer. So many of you have spent the past weeks voluntarily participating in webinars, reading educational blogs, researching best practices in remote instruction, swapping ideas with other teachers, and so much more. You are devoted to giving our students your best, and I am confident that they are in good hands.

Students, please know that our first days of school will be focused first and foremost on helping you establish a sense of community and connection with your teachers and classes. Not just our teachers but also our counselors, social workers, and psychologists know how challenging and isolating the spring was. You are the reason we do what we do, and we are committed to providing not just stellar academic experiences but also making sure you have the social, emotional, and mental health support you need to succeed.

And finally, to our families: I am so grateful for you as we launch this new school year. Our community is fortunate to have parents and guardians who are as involved and deeply committed to their children’s education as our Huskie family is. Thank you for your patience and support, and for entrusting your children to us.

This is an exciting time to be in education, full of new opportunities and learning for all of us. I am looking forward to a year when we all rise to this most unusual occasion to provide those things that are best for our students.

Sincerely,

Dr. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams

Superintendent

This press release was produced by Oak Park and River Forest High School. The views expressed here are the author’s own.