Superintendent's Message for June 2023

Summer has arrived in T-Wolves territory.  Another class has graduated and they are now considered Southwest Valley alumni!  Congratulations to the class of 2022-2023!  The administration team is planning to build on the successes from the 2022-2023 school year as we prepare for transition to another exciting year!

Since my arrival here in 2018, I have mentioned creating a “Destination District.”  What does that mean and what progress have we made?  We strive to be the district where families settle down and raise their children in our educational environment and communities.  This means everyone needs to be involved in some capacity to work together to make our children’s educational experiences the best in the area.

This coming school year we will work to create opportunities for more involvement for families and community members.  A Timberwolf Advisory Group will be established and will meet quarterly to discuss and brainstorm ideas to help our children be more successful.  Our School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC) will continue to meet to establish goals to improve our academics and facilities at all locations. 

We had several community members help us with the interview process for our new High School Principal position.  We had great discussions about areas we need to focus on at the high school and school-wide to become the destination district.

Again, one of my big goals for the future of our school is to increase involvement from our parents and community members.  We cannot have successful athletic and fine arts programs without the support from our booster clubs.  Both of these clubs have three to four volunteers attending meetings, staffing concession stands, and organizing fundraising events.  These folks continue to put in the time because they care about the success of the program and want their children to have the best, but they need your help.  Please consider volunteering for our booster clubs and PTO!  Contact Allen Naugle for the boosters, Chris Fenster for the SIAC, and building principals for the PTO. 

The Governor has passed major changes to education.  During the months of July and August, I will break this legislation down for stakeholders to help you understand your rights as parents and community members and to maintain transparency as a district.

The district has made a commitment to improve all of our facilities so our students have the best facilities to learn, perform and succeed.  During the past few years we renovated Enarson Elementary and SWV Middle School.  This summer we will be completing the renovation of the high school activity center with the installation of new HVAC; new lighting, fencing, and scoreboard installation at the football/track complex; and beginning the renovation project at Corning Elementary and the baseball and softball fields.  Our students and staff deserve the best!  These improvements also help us maintain and attract families to our district.

The future is bright at Southwest Valley!  Successful schools are staffed with strong, well-prepared, and well-supported staff.  Our administration team will work hard this summer to continue to maintain and provide those supports for our staff as we prepare for the 2023-2024 school year.  We continue to strive to become the Destination District in southwest Iowa!  It is a great day to be a T-Wolf!