I spent over 30 years as a teacher, coach, social studies department chair, athletic director, and custodial supervisor at Jeff's high school. I have repeatedly been pleased to witness the contributions of so many alumni who share the connections Jeff has expressed. I think the key factor in the past was the human interaction that a community committed to building a school that would offer the opportunity for all students to aspire to be engaged and constructive members of society and to acquire the skills necessary to do so. As Jeff points out, it was a community of parents, teachers, and (back then, only a few) alumni who were determined to make it work.
A lot of people put skin in the game through sweat equity projects of building athletic fields from pasture land, and plays and concerts where there was no permanent stage, teacher storage cabinets from scratch, classroom furniture from military surpluses, irrigation systems from farm equipment, bleachers from donated telephone poles, concession stands with donated working drawings, and weekend do-it-yourselfers laying concrete blocks. Parents and teachers working side by side for the kids.
Leadership came from a sense of shared responsibility between administrators and faculty for curriculum that reached out as new opportunities and methodologies became available in all facets of learning. English composition and writing classes, dynamic science courses, student involvement in social studies, technological expansion and application among regional leaders, gold standard athletic training and rehabilitation programs, and among the first to expand athletic opportunity to women. Jeff clearly points out this working community that put the tiny district among the best. I believe the school's original motto, "Reach Ever Higher," is still applicable today. It takes a whole community to make a school. I am glad to see Jeff and his fellow alumni reaching out to the youth of today, offering a hand up. If we fail to provide quality public education, we are leading ourselves back to the Dark Ages.
Thank you so much for this, Jeff. I’m Finneytown Class of 1983, and I regularly point to the excellent education I received there. From moving into the district in sixth grade at Cottonwood, to spending countless hours in the Performing Arts Center on stage crew and in choir — the friends and classmates who are still part of my life half a continent away and the teachers who still keep in touch via social media — all of these and more formed me as a successful, ethical, critical thinker and devoted friend, spouse, and community member. I’m so glad to read that you and others with the passion and abilities are stepping up for the next generation of F-townies.
I spent over 30 years as a teacher, coach, social studies department chair, athletic director, and custodial supervisor at Jeff's high school. I have repeatedly been pleased to witness the contributions of so many alumni who share the connections Jeff has expressed. I think the key factor in the past was the human interaction that a community committed to building a school that would offer the opportunity for all students to aspire to be engaged and constructive members of society and to acquire the skills necessary to do so. As Jeff points out, it was a community of parents, teachers, and (back then, only a few) alumni who were determined to make it work.
A lot of people put skin in the game through sweat equity projects of building athletic fields from pasture land, and plays and concerts where there was no permanent stage, teacher storage cabinets from scratch, classroom furniture from military surpluses, irrigation systems from farm equipment, bleachers from donated telephone poles, concession stands with donated working drawings, and weekend do-it-yourselfers laying concrete blocks. Parents and teachers working side by side for the kids.
Leadership came from a sense of shared responsibility between administrators and faculty for curriculum that reached out as new opportunities and methodologies became available in all facets of learning. English composition and writing classes, dynamic science courses, student involvement in social studies, technological expansion and application among regional leaders, gold standard athletic training and rehabilitation programs, and among the first to expand athletic opportunity to women. Jeff clearly points out this working community that put the tiny district among the best. I believe the school's original motto, "Reach Ever Higher," is still applicable today. It takes a whole community to make a school. I am glad to see Jeff and his fellow alumni reaching out to the youth of today, offering a hand up. If we fail to provide quality public education, we are leading ourselves back to the Dark Ages.
Hello, Mr. Bean!
Thanks for the valuable blueprint, Jeff.
Thank you so much for this, Jeff. I’m Finneytown Class of 1983, and I regularly point to the excellent education I received there. From moving into the district in sixth grade at Cottonwood, to spending countless hours in the Performing Arts Center on stage crew and in choir — the friends and classmates who are still part of my life half a continent away and the teachers who still keep in touch via social media — all of these and more formed me as a successful, ethical, critical thinker and devoted friend, spouse, and community member. I’m so glad to read that you and others with the passion and abilities are stepping up for the next generation of F-townies.