Starting 2013 with promise, energy

By Nannette Johnston

Traditionally, January is the time we review the events and progress of the past year and plan and set goals for the year ahead. 

Perhaps this tradition is fitting considering the origin of the month’s name. The word January originated from the Roman god Janus whose image is depicted by two faces; one looking backward and one looking forward.

In our busy lives we tend to rush to the next task but seldom make time to enjoy the peace and power of reflection. If we look at the definition of “reflect,” we will learn and grow both personally and professionally from our experiences. We know that goal setting is a necessary ingredient in the mixture of success. But, it takes reflection plus goal setting to equal sustained results. 

As we reflect on 2012 we find that Hardin County Schools had several notable accomplishments. Here are just a few:

• Five of our preschool classrooms were recognized by the Kentucky Department of Education as Classrooms of Excellence.
• Employees earned multiple “Teacher of the Year” and “Director of the Year” awards in their respective fields.
• Our district received a $1 million grant to help with dropout prevention.
• We received data from Kentucky Department of Education indicating our graduation rates continue to climb.
• ACT data shows continued growth in our high schools.
  Students continue to shine in the field of competition — leadership, academics and athletics.
• We expanded our engineering programs to the middle school level through a generous donation from Science Applications International Corporation.
• Our board of education approved an option to purchase land for a new elementary school to replace G.C. Burkhead Elementary.
• Our community business and industry partnerships continue to expand. They are surrounding us with their support as we look to bring a career center to life for our students. We toured a model center with them and they brought their career perspectives to our middle and high school students in our district’s first ever career exploration fairs. 

We engaged with our community partners in 2012 more than ever. This is only the beginning. I have stated countless times in this column that it certainly does take a village to raise a child. Our collective villages continue to respond as we look to brighten the future for the children in our district.

We plan to nurture and grow our community relationships stronger in 2013. Our business and industry friends have told us they need our dependable graduates to enter the workforce quickly and ready to meet high standards. They are telling us they need graduates with specialized skill sets and a strong work ethic. Our graduates need dependable, high-paying jobs that lead to a promising career and a bright future.  Together, these partnerships are a win-win for everybody.

We plan to break ground on a new elementary school in the spring. That certainly will be an exciting time. 

We also will send approximately 1,000 graduates into the “real world” in the spring. That is even more exciting. 

As the prospect of a career center develops, we are reflecting on the successes of 2012 and are looking forward to the promise of success in 2013.  The opportunities and the future for the students of Hardin County Schools are bright. I can’t wait for what 2013 has in store for us.

Let’s keep the fresh energy of the new beginnings each day of the year.

Nannette Johnston is superintendent of Hardin County Schools.