Superintendent's Update - August 26, 2024

Dear North Marion School Community,

We are a week away from the return to school. Our teachers and staff have returned and are getting ready to do amazing things with your students. This in-service week is a mixture of time for teachers to prepare their classrooms, staff meetings to outline building goals, and opportunities for teacher teams to work together. It’s a busy week, but it helps build the excitement for students returning to school.

One thing I am excited to share with you is our new partnership with the Hubbard-Donald Police Department. Through the leadership of our Director of Safety & Security, Wes Owens, the North Marion School District has entered into an agreement with the City of Hubbard to have the Hubbard-Donald Police Department be our primary law enforcement partner. Director Owens and I were able to attend a City Council meeting in Hubbard to share our enthusiasm for the agreement, and were thrilled to see the council vote unanimously to approve the agreement.

Something I know from my years of experience working with students is that they need to feel physically and mentally safe if they are going to learn. I also firmly believe that having positive experiences with law enforcement will serve them well as adults. In creating this partnership, we improve safety by having a law enforcement agency that is close by and with whom we can build a relationship. This relationship will allow us to create more opportunities for our students to interact with police officers in a positive and productive manner. 

On Wednesday, during our annual Back-to-School Night, members of the Hubbard-Donald Police Department will be here, along with the Aurora Fire Department, and other community resources. We are thankful for these first responders and their willingness to have a presence and interact with our families on Wednesday. Please be sure to say, “Hi,” and give them a “Thank you!” 

Below are some recent pictures taken. The first one is (from left to right): Wes Owens, me, Shawn Waite (City of Hubbard, City Administrator), and Don Parise (Hubbard-Donald Police Chief). The other pictures were taken last week with Chief Parise handing out stickers to some of our high school students, which is proof that kids are never too old to get a sticker from a police officer.

I hope to meet some families this Wednesday. Depending on where I might be, please feel free to say hello and introduce yourself.