Ah, the last day of school

At Vanderbilt Area School we had 12 snow days during the winter. We had to make three of those snow days up, so today is our last day of school. Yes, June 16 is our last day of school! I don't know if in my 22 years in education that I have been at a school that ended later. But that's okay because our kids showed great growth, we were able to exit Priority School status, and are closer to getting out of deficit. The District had been a Priority School four four years and its been in deficit for over a decade (minus one year when the ARRA money helped to smooth things). Our belief is "Every Child. Every Day." and we are getting closer to believing that as a system. It's been a good, if not LONG, year. I'm proud of my teachers, students, staff, and all of the families. But it will be nice to exhale later today and realize that we all have some time to "recover" as we prepare for the (gasp!) 2017–2018 school year. Have a safe and enjoyable summer!