LEADING THROUGH LISTENING

As the 2017-2018 school year enters the final week and comes to a close, it is time to say congratulations to many people. Most importantly, congratulations to our graduating seniors, the Class of 2018! For these young adults, 13 years of hard work and effort are coming to close as they prepare to move onto the next chapter of their lives. For some, college is on the horizon. Others, the work force or military are the next chapter. Regardless of the path they choose, the members of the Class of 2018 are prepared to make a difference in the world. They are leaving behind a legacy and joining the great ranks of Rome Free Academy alumni. Beyond our students, it's time to also congratulate their parents, families, and guardians who have sacrificed and supported all the way through until this moment. Each student completing high school has a tremendous network and support system behind them, each step of the way. No individual in life can be successful without a supporting cast. As

For the last two years, I have spent many days trying to determine why things where a certain way within the school district and community. I have frequently asked people why a certain procedure was in place or why a certain person seemed to cause fear in people, or why some things were implemented that were not ultimately serving the best interest of kids. On almost every occasion, the response would boil down to some form of 'the squeakiest wheel got the grease' or 'whoever would cry the loudest would get what they want' or 'we didn't want someone reporting to the local paper'. At this point, it's no wonder why so many people are confused and/or doing things differently than most any other school district. We are in a community where the adults would rather attack each other, attempt smear campaigns, and attempt to expose things as error without having more than 10% of the facts. All of this causes our entire community to have a negative reputation

Recently, I was reading another blog about the success of the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team. For those that are not basketball followers, Philadelphia has been one of the worst basketball teams/franchises for nearly a decade; until this season. This year, they stormed to a close and made a decent run in the playoffs, with a very young but talented team. Over the years, there were many critics about their approach to building a team, and at this point in time it appears the critics may have been wrong. Rather than react quickly to negative seasons, games, performances; the 76ers strategically planned and built a contending team. They repeatedly wound up in the top of the draft, selecting in top 5 positions (if not the first pick) almost yearly. They battled through injuries of their young players, but didn't give up on them. In the end, they have amassed one of the most talented young rosters in the NBA, and now it's paying off. The concept that the franchise utiliz