Important Information:

There is a place in America to take a stand: it is public education. It is the underpinning of our cultural and political system. It is the great common ground. Public education after all is the engine that moves us as a society toward a common destiny ... It is in public education that the American dream begins to take shape." -Tom Brokaw

"If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people." -Chinese proverb

January is School Board Recognition Month - a time to salute the work of our volunteer school board members and to celebrate public education.  It is a time to reflect on the combined commitment to leadership and accountability toward assuring that ALL children succeed that is a foundational belief of our school board. 

It's an exciting and challenging time in public education.  School Board members in Williamston develop policies and make tough decisions that help shape the future of our education system.  They bear responsibility for an annually budget of $17 million, 1900 students, 200+ employees and multiple facilities.  They are citizens whose decisions affect our children and build our community.

Showing appreciation for the important work of school boards should be a year round process, but too often we neglect to recognize dedication and hard work of these men and women who represent us.  The staff and students of our district are asking all members of the community to take a moment and thank a school board member.

Thank you to the WCS School Board members who dedicate countless personal hours to ensure the needs of our community are met by our public schools.  We salute the public servants of WCS shoes dedication and civic responsibility make local control of public schools in our community possible.  We applaud them for their vision and voice to prepare today's students to be tomorrow's leaders.

The men and women serving Williamston Community Schools and their years of service are:

Ernie Gaffner   32 years

Marci Scott 10 years

Larry Ward   10 years

Rhonda Coon  7 years

Gordon Wenk  7 years

William Penn    4 years

Charles Hasemann  3 years

Williamston Community Schools is an outstanding school system.  It is our devoted staff, dedicated students, supportive parents, Board of Education and community committed to providing an excellent educational program that makes us who we are.

Our school family partnership is committed to implementing  programs that focus on the development of the whole child - cognitive, social, emotional and physical.  Every decision we make centers on providing growth opportunities in those four domains. With an amazing support staff, our educators are providing rigorous academic challenges for our students -  providing an individualized roadmap to success.  We are focused on changing the world - one student at a time.

We are proud of our accomplishments.  We are proud of our honors and awards - the state and national recognitions we have received for our educational programs and in honor of our exemplary educators.  We have a State of Michigan Teacher of the Year, three Outstanding Science Teachers of the Year, Model United Nations award winning program and teachers, etc.  Our students have also received recognition.  We have award winning playwrights, visual artists, and musicians.  Recently,  a team of Math Science Academy students were honored  with a $10,000 grant  (one of twelve nationwide)  for their innovative project - developing an early warning system for rip tides along the Lake Michigan coastline.  We also have successful student athletes who are champions on the courts, fields, and courses.  Our student athletes are equally successful in the classroom and demonstrate this with academic all-star badges  that stand alongside the trophies.

Learning is a constant.  It is the "verb" of our mission.  Continuous improvement is a way of life for students and staff.  We know that what we are today will be even greater tomorrow.  Our mission is to ensure that our students will leave us with a passion for learning and an ability to participate fully in an ever-changing, global society.

That is our promise to our students and community.

Sincerely,

Narda Murphy

Narda Murphy

Superintendent