A Note from School: Keeping children and families first
Tracy Grit
What does it mean to keep children and families first? I encourage you to think about that statement for a moment.
As the leader of McDowell County Schools, I have built my career around the idea of “Keeping Children and Families First.” This mantra has been passed down among educators for generations. When Stephen Covey talks about putting first things first in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” educators know exactly what that means. It means putting children and families first.
Whether we are in the spotlight of the boardroom or caught up in the day-to-day details of work outside the school building, it is easy to get caught up in the business side of education. But even when we deal with budgets, policies, facilities, and operations, we never lose sight of who we work for.
Let me be clear about this. My responsibility is to serve the children of McDowell County Schools, and I serve at the pleasure of nine dedicated members of our Board of Education. The Board is also responsible for keeping children and families first. Our board members spend many hours working behind the scenes to improve our school district and, ultimately, make things better for children and families.
Under the leadership of Chairman Terry Frank and Vice Chairman Chuck Abernathy, our board works together with a common purpose. We organize much of this work through committees that mirror the responsibilities of our administrative team.
The Finance Committee, chaired by Mr. Eddie Shuford, works alongside Mrs. Suzanne Rampey, our chief financial officer.
The Building and Grounds Committee, chaired by Mr. Greg Barksdale, works with Mr. Chad Marsh, assistant superintendent for operations, auxiliary Services, and athletics.
The Policy Committee, chaired by Mrs. Angela Allen-Helms, works with Mrs. Amy Dowdle, assistant superintendent for human resources and public information.
The Curriculum Committee, chaired by Mr. Donnie Suttles, works alongside Mrs. Crystal Hamby, assistant superintendent for learning and federal programs.
In addition to their committee responsibilities, our board members also serve in leadership roles beyond McDowell County. Mr. Paul Baker serves as the western representative on the Executive Board of the North Carolina School Boards Association. Chuck Abernathy, Jimmy Allison, Greg Barksdale, Donnie Suttles, and Derrick McGinnis serve as delegates to the association.
That commitment to learning and leadership was recently recognized when the McDowell County Board of Education received the Gold Bell Award from the North Carolina School Boards Association under Chairman Frank's leadership.
The Gold Bell Award recognizes local boards of education when every board member completes at least 12 hours of training between July 1 and June 30. McDowell County was one of only 24 school districts in North Carolina to meet this standard out of the state's 115 districts.
From our Board of Education to our administrative team, we take pride in putting our students and families first. As you can see, this is a busy group of people who give their time, energy, and attention to making McDowell County Schools better.
A great deal of work happens behind the scenes in public education. Much of it may never make the headlines, and much of it may not be visible to the public. But it matters. Every decision, every meeting, every policy, and every plan should bring us back to the reason we do this work in the first place.
Children and families first. It is more than a saying. It is our shared responsibility, the purpose that guides our work, and the commitment we make to the people of McDowell County.
Tracy Grit is superintendent of McDowell County Schools.
