Superintendent's Office
For the latest updates, please check Parent Square, email and/or social media.
9/9/24
I hope everyone had a great weekend. I am a Syracuse fan and a Bills fan, and both teams won this weekend. I'll take it! For those new to Marcus Whitman, the second week of school is when we really try to get things in place and consistent for the rest of the school year. If you are a "new to school" parent, your children will likely be tired by the end of the week. They will be learning rules, getting into the routine of their schedules, getting really exposed to curriculum and doing a lot of learning, and probably spending some time outside because the weather is going to be great by the end of the week!
I want to share a lot of things with you, but keep this as short as possible. If you want more information on any topic below, please feel free to reach out. Thanks!
1. The NYS Board of Regents pulled an item from its board agenda that would have allowed students who identify as male to participate in female sports.
2. The state gave all schools the directive on Friday to begin the process of looking at regionalization of everything related to school. I will give an update in November once I have had a chance to complete their "survey" that they are going to make available to school districts. This is a ten year process.
3. The governor signed into law a requirement that boards of education have a student member. Student members cannot participate in executive sessions, have access to board communications, or have access to otherwise confidential information. Students members can be selected in a variety of ways. I plan to present this concept to our board of education in October or November and we need to have a student on the board by the start of next school year. Stay tuned.
4. Congratulations to Valley counselor Kerri Deporter who is an honoree for the ATHENA Leadership Award! The ATHENA award recognized women who have made a huge impact in their field and who have helped to promote the success and growth of other women. She is very deserving! There is a dinner on November 14th where she will be with the other honorees and where the ultime winner of the award will be announced. Congratulations, Kerri! https://www.athenainternational.org/leadership-award-events
5. Congratulation and welcome to our new Director of Transportation, Courtney Vencl. Courtney will begin October 15th and will have about a month of transition time with LeeAnn Shipman, who will be retiring after many years of outstanding service.
6. Wednesday is September 11th. On September 11, 2001, terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people and injured 6,000 more on our soil. The selflessness of the first responders, fire fighters, police officers, and volunteers showed what heroes looked like in real life. In addition, the tragic event brought America together in a significant way, which caused us to become more unified and stronger than ever.
Many people know or know someone who knows someone who was impacted by the events of September 11. At some point on Wednesday, I would ask you to carve out a few moments to reflect on those lost, the heroism, and the unification that occurred after the events.
Thank you for reading and have a great week!
Dear Community Members:
Thank you,
Christopher R. Brown, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools