Thursday, August 30, 2018
As the 2018-19 school year begins, educators from our 421 school districts are welcoming new students into their classrooms. Familiar faces of students returning to school will pass them in hallways, some offering high fives or hugs, with others passing quietly by. The worn familiarity of last year’s daily schedule, students’ names, and their personalities will be replaced with strange back-to-school dreams, new school supplies, and memories of students who have moved on.
Educators barely have time to go to the bathroom during the day, let alone time to reminisce or wonder about what their former students are doing now. However, this themed issue of DPI-ConnectEd provides a glimpse into the successes and accomplishments of several students who recently graduated from our public school system as a tribute to those who taught them, and a reminder that the incredibly hard work educators put in each day pays off through the stories of students like those covered in this issue.
You will hear from students like Kelly Wu and Rachel Halberg, who credit specific teachers for helping them find their interests and providing authentic opportunities to engage in academic work. You will hear from students like Remington Mueller and Bradley Jordan, who were provided important work experiences through the Youth Apprenticeship Program or work-based learning. You will hear from students like Jhanae Harris, whose travels and music experience landed her in a college where she can do both. And you will hear from students like Sophia Sun, whose computational skills were fostered alongside her service to the community.
Their faces will not be among those in the hallways of our public schools this year; rather, they will be spread out over the state and the country, fully prepared for their college experiences, chosen careers, and life in general.