I'm dating myself with this one......
The start of every school year gets me thinking back to my youth and getting ready for that first day of school. Buying the school supplies. The new lunch box and thermos. And those new gym shoes! I remember when I was in elementary we were required to have shoes just for Physical Education. Our "gym" shoes. And there was nothing like having a pair of Red Ball Jets!
Every kid wanted a pair of Red Ball Jets because of the advertisement. It showed kids leaping over wagons, hurtling tall bushes and outrunning big dogs. I still remember the tagline: “Red Ball Jets. They make you run faster and jump higher.” The shoes had supernatural powers. I had to have a pair! The anticipation of school starting grew exponentially at thought of getting wear these shoes in gym class. I was going to be so cool!
Now I get to prepare for the start of school from a whole different vantage point, but no less exciting. This school year marks our first as Alta-Aurelia Community Schools. Ever since the start of the whole grade sharing, we have called ourselves Alta-Aurelia but in reality, there was no legal entity or school district named "Alta-Aurelia." There was the Alta Community School District and the Aurelia Community School District. The two separate districts had simply agreed to share students and activities.
Now, as of July 1st, we are Alta-Aurelia Community School District. A new, legal entity. Pretty exciting! Not as flashy as a new pair of gym shoes, or a new backpack, or the latest trapper-keeper, but exciting none the less. A big pat on the back goes to all involved in making this a smooth transition. Students, staff, parents, and school board members.
From the very beginning of the sharing, the positives have far outweighed the few nay-sayers. And even though, unlike the Red Ball Jet ad, we can't proclaim that this new school district will make us more successful, or provide a better education. But we can confidently state that the new opportunities this new reorganization allows for are only limited by ourselves and our imaginations.
I am looking forward to a great start of a new school year and the great start of a new, outstanding school district. It's a great day to be an Alta-Aurelia Warrior!
