National School Change Award at Carver

Today I had the pleasure of attending the Panasonic National School Change Awards ceremony for Carver Middle School. I would like to share with you some remarks I made while introducing Dr. Lew Smith, Director of the Panasonic National School Change Awards.

We expect a lot from young people:
We expect you to study hard. Get good grades. Believe in yourself. Do your best. Help your community. Make good choices. Be a friend. Dream big. Be a success.

The National School Change Award is proof that our students at Carver Middle School are succeeding in a big, big way. You have decided that you will excel in class, that you will make a difference in the community and that you will achieve your dreams. Your commitment to excellence is clear.

Congratulations to the Carver Cougars on this outstanding accomplishment. I am proud of your success, and I am happy to share this moment with you.

Let’s not stop. I challenge Carver Middle School to continue to move forward, to work hard and to see how much higher your star can rise. There are no limits to what you can achieve if you remain focused and committed.

At this time, I would like to introduce Dr. Lew Smith, who is here to present the Panasonic National School Change Award to Carver Middle School. Dr. Smith is directs the National School Change Program, which is based at Fordham University in New York. He began his career as a high school social studies teacher and has extensive experience in many, many areas of education.

This is the third time that I have helped welcome Dr. Smith to Chesterfield County Public Schools because this is the third year in a row that a Chesterfield school has won a National School Change Award. We are always delighted to greet Dr. Smith with a warm Chesterfield County welcome.

Message to the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors and School Board at May 7 Joint Meeting

It is my hope and desire that all parties participating in this meeting leave enlightened, encouraged, and united as a result of the staff presentations and your discussion. Both the Chesterfield County Government and School Division have earned exemplary reputations as a result of the outstanding services and education it offers its citizens, both young and old.

This past week I attended a national education conference in the Washington, D.C. area where our school division was highlighted as one of the exemplary systems in the nation. And this week I participated in the Virginia Annual Conference of the Superintendents on Global Education, where again, our innovative and forward thinking strategies to prepare our students for success in the 21st Century was validated as we examined the work of Harvard Professor and author of the Global Achievement Gap, Tony Wagner, and engaged in discussions with educators from Finland and a panel from India. They also helped affirm the profound challenges ahead in light of the remarkable progress we are experiencing.

Our president recently said, “The time for finger-pointing is over. The time for holding ourselves accountable is here…It is time to expect more from our students…Let there be no doubt, the future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens.” Furthermore, he states, “Economic progress and educational achievement have always gone hand-in-hand in America.”

We can all agree that strong schools are good business for Chesterfield County, for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and for the United States of America.

In closing, I extend a special thanks to each of you for your service, and a special thank you to Jay Stegmaier and his staff for the collaborative manner in which they have worked with our school division staff during some very difficult times. May we always remember that it's not about us, but it is all about our children and citizens we serve. United we stand.

Respectfully,
Marcus J. Newsome