“In the words of Hieronymus Bosch, we strive to live by, ‘Everybody counts or nobody counts.’”

“At Creekside Elementary School, our motto this year is, ‘GRIT & GRACE!’”

“I always try to prioritize ‘People Over Programs’ and ‘Students Over Systems’ — we can get so buried under the ‘what’ that we are doing that we lose sight of the ‘who’ that we are doing it for. This is a people business. Better to spend time getting good at ‘people’ rather than obsessing over the minutia of your ‘programs.’”

“‘Make it a Great Day, the Charger Way!’ Even with all of ongoing chaos swirling around us, we can still strive to have some control over ourselves, our actions, and our perspective. At MGHS, we do not simply say, ‘Have a great day,’ we empower others to MAKE it a great day . . How? . . The CHARGER (C - Community, H-Honesty, A-Ambition, R-Resilience, G-Growth, E - Equity, and R - Respect) Way. It is more than just our motto, it is what we strive for each and every day. It might get a bit corny, but it always brings a smile and reminds us that we are the agents of change! (PS: Our school mascot is the Charger.)”

“‘Celebrate what’s right with the world.’ This year, we are bombarded by the negative. Although it is often difficult to find the good, it does exist. We must be willing to search for the good, the celebratory. It takes all of us reminding each other that this is a temporary state of events and that it is the good things going on right now that will endure. The work of thinking outside the box to meet student needs. The ideology that it does take a family (school and home) working together to educate our students. The sense of pride, that even in the most difficult circumstances, we can endure. Lastly, the discovery that none of us is an island; we need our fellow administrators to survive.”

“I don’t typically adopt a catchphrase to get me through difficult times. However, there is a poetic segment from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that resonated with me in undergrad and has stayed with me throughout the years: ‘The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.’ Results don’t come overnight and, in all things, I must persevere. The goals we set and the outcomes we envision do not materialize without collective, sustained work.”