Superintendent's Message for December 2020

We have flipped the calendar for the final time in 2020!

This year has been one for the books and it will definitely go down as one of the most stressful years in my career.  While it has been a stressful year for all of the family at Southwest Valley, we have also accomplished some remarkable achievements.

The staff has been flexible and has adapted to the ongoing changes we have asked them to do. They have done so with a smile and determination to not be stopped by this virus.  The administration team worked throughout the summer on a plan to return to school with in-person learning in the fall.  I told them we would return in-person and that if we had to do remote learning, it would be for small amounts of time and with small groups.  Students learn better when they are in person than if they are on a computer at home. 

The pandemic made its grand appearance on March 15th when Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds recommended all Iowa schools close until April 14th.  I immediately gathered a team together to make sure we developed a plan to serve our kids meals and to provide learning from home.  The team knew this was essential, to feed our wolf-pack family and, if possible, continue the educational process at home.  We also discussed that we did not want to overburden our families with lots of busywork.  I truly believed that we would resume school on April 14th and things would get back on track.  The 14th came and went, and by the end of April, the school was shut down for the rest of the year.  We had important decisions to make and a lot of them in a short amount of time.  My focus for the team was to go day by day.  We did not make decisions without having data and a good plan to execute the decision.

Mr. Donahoo and I knew that graduation was quickly approaching and we were not going to cancel this important event.  We received guidelines from public health and the sheriff’s office.  We knew that an indoor event was not going to happen.  Hence, we gathered many volunteers, from the custodians who helped set up the football field, to the nurses who took temperatures, and all the others who just volunteered where we needed them.  We held graduation on May 17th and it was a success.  We also faced an uncertain summer athletic season, but Mr. Naugle had his plan in place as soon as the governor announced we could play.  He took temperatures and recorded every practice.  We knew information on every student-athlete all summer. 

Throughout the summer, guidance would change daily.  I attended a million zoom meetings to continue to gather information.  I made it clear to the administration and the board that I wanted to return in the fall with in-person learning, if possible.  August 24th rolled around and we had kids return to school and get back in the groove.  We had homecoming and all of our fall sports activities. 

Southwest Valley went fourteen weeks without a facemask mandate.  We finally put one in place on November 16th, a full eight months after the virus affected us all by closing the school!

Has it been perfect and no complaints?  I would be lying to tell you yes, but it has been worth it in the growing process as humans.  Life is about changes and how you deal with it.  Life changed on March 16th, but it also gave us a chance to see what we are made of as humans.

The government and media have made Covid-19 a front-page story since day one.  We have been fire-hosed with Covid-19 and how devastating the virus has been to our lives and how much life has been lost.  At these times, we need to dig deep as humans and band together, not split apart.  Our generation of youth is going through a time in history that has never been matched before.  The Spanish flu of the early twentieth century did not have CNN or social media.  It did not compete with a turbulent presidential election or human rights activism.   People wore masks and the flu eventually subsided.  This was a simpler time and should not be compared to our current circumstances.

We all have a choice now for future generations to follow.  We can band together as a family and get rid of this nasty virus or continue to battle this virus for a long time.  We are giving the masks a chance.  I hate wearing the mask, but I think that every time I put on the mask, it is taking days off of when I will not have to wear them again.  Wishful thinking?  Maybe, but I will keep serving this great district as best as I can!  Have a restful and joyous holiday season!