Superintendent’s Corner

February 2008

Mark of Excellence

By Dr. Richard A. DiPatri, Superintendent

In Brevard Public Schools, the People Make the Difference

One of the core values of our school district is that “we work as a team to accomplish our mission.” The people who work so hard on that team—from teachers and administrators to bus drivers and cafeteria workers—come to work every day ready to foster a positive environment for student achievement. While each member of the team has a different position to play, the goal of the game remains the same for all.

This month’s Mark of Excellence highlights just a few of the outstanding individuals who serve our district with distinction. Every year, BPS recognizes several categories of individuals for their accomplishments. First, we recognize employees through our Employee of the Year program. Each school and every department throughout the district selects one non-instructional employee who they believe contributes most significantly to improvements at his/her school site or within the district. A selection committee reviews the written nominations and narrows the list to six finalists. At the Employee of the Year annual awards breakfast one of these six is named Employee of the Year. We shared details on the finalists in the December edition of the Mark of Excellence. Our 2008 Employee of the Year is the School Resource Officer at West Shore Junior/Senior High School, Jesus Martinez.

Similarly, each year the district recognizes teachers through its Teacher of the Year program. Each school nominates one teacher who exemplifies excellence in all aspects of his or her vocation. A selection committee reviews the list of nominees, and narrows the list to two finalists from each of the four areas. You can read about the eight Teacher of the Year finalists in this issue. At the Teacher of the Year dinner, which will be held on Feb. 28 this year, one of these eight finalists will be named Teacher of the Year.

This is just a sampling of our many hardworking employees who will not settle for good, but strive always for us to be great. As we proved by winning the Governor’s Sterling Award last year, our School Board and our employees are united in forging new frontiers of excellence for our students.

Why do these hardworking people do what they do? I believe that our thousands of caring and committed employees have a variety of reasons for answering the call of public education. Some do it because they love teaching, and others work with us because they want to help shape future generations. Some work for the district because they get invigorated by interacting with young people, and others feel it is simply what they are meant to do. Regardless, the best among us are focused on improving a shared future that begins today, one student at a time.

Each opportunity I have to visit one of our schools and spend time with students and employees alike, I am re-energized by their commitment and their dedication. Education is not an easy field—but then, the things in this life that are worth doing are rarely easy. What means the most is oftentimes what requires the most.

I encourage you to take a moment in the near future and thank a school-related employee who you feel does an outstanding job. Our community is privileged to have such a large group of dedicated individuals leading and supporting our public schools. Together, we are serving every student with excellence as the standard.