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March 7, 2025
GLPS Families,
As the calendar rolls over to March, it is nice to see the sunshine and a little warmer weather. March is also Reading Month, when we celebrate all things literacy, Women’s History Month, when we acknowledge and celebrate the voices and contributions of women in our community, and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, when we celebrate the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all aspects of our community and acknowledge the work that still needs to be done to live up that ideal. There are a number of other acknowledgements and celebrations that occur during this month as well, and as a reminder, those are included in our newsletters and on our website.
For my update this week, I thought it would be a good time to remind folks about the work we do as a district to help prepare students for success after they graduate. Remember, our mission is “Growing Learners and Preparing Students,” and one of our belief statements is “We believe in a safe, inclusive environment where students can explore their interests and learn the skills they need to thrive in their communities;” so helping students explore careers and career readiness is a large part of our process. Plus, this idea of career readiness is fresh on my mind, because I spent a great deal of time this week engaged in programming and activities that are specifically designed to help kids think about their futures.
I spent my morning at Hayes Intermediate, along with many other community members, providing information to 6th graders as a part of their career day activities. Students rotated through multiple presentations from professionals about their careers, including day-to-day responsibilities, educational requirements, and other details of the work. We know students often gravitate toward careers that they see and know, so learning about various options early on allows them to see the world of careers that are available to them.
Similarly, yesterday I spent time, along with other local professionals, engaging in mock interviews with juniors and seniors as part of our Financial and Life Skills course at the high school. Students in the class have an opportunity to go through an interview process, produce a resume, and receive feedback on both, which helps prepare them for life after high school.
Earlier this week, too, I spent time working through some next steps to expand career-based programming. As you know, one of our next bond projects is the completion of a school building on the Morris Property. On Monday, a team from our district toured facilities in the southeast part of the state that are similar to the one we are looking to build, in order to continue the planning for that project, which will hopefully be geared toward career-focused educational opportunities.
All of these activities are in addition to the myriad of other career-based educational experiences that are available for our kids. From visits from Eaton RESA mobile career labs at our elementary school, to career-based classes ranging from welding to auto mechanics to heavy equipment operations through LCC and our career center, to our own career and technical education courses at GLHS, to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) options at Hayes, Beagle, and the high school, to our apprenticeship wall at the high school, and many other displays and activities, we work hard to provide kids with an understanding that success while they are here can translate to success in life beyond high school.
As we head into the weekend, I want to again thank you for the opportunity to work with you and your students every day. We are proud of all of the programming we have to offer, and we take our responsibility to prepare students to be successful while they are here with us, and after they graduate, very seriously. I appreciate your ongoing support, and as always, I am #proudtobeacomet!
Dr. Bill Barnes
Superintendent of Schools
