As the weeks of summer melt away, I find my excitement growing for what lies ahead. I hope our students and families have enjoyed some time away from school — we can’t wait to welcome everyone back. Meet your Teacher is scheduled during the afternoon/ early evening of Aug. 15 and then the first day of school is Aug. 16!

But first, I want to congratulate the students who put on an outstanding performance of “The Little Mermaid” with summer theater as well as the kids who enjoyed Camp Invention at Ellsworth Elementary, Project LEAPES at Ellsworth Jr./Sr. High and the recent Kaden Davis football camp. It’s always inspiring to watch young people working with caring adults to learn and practice fun new things together.

As we gear up for a new year, the district’s strategic themes are coming to life. Supporting exploration and engagement for students. Connecting with community. Investing in faculty and staff. These aren’t just words on our website or piece of paper — they are setting our district and schools in motion.

Our career and technical education, or CTE, programs are a great example. Our teachers’ enthusiasm is contagious, and it shows in the relationships they build with all students. No matter what a student may envision for their future, the value of a thriving CTE program is impossible to deny. Research tells us that CTE increases realworld opportunities for students, boosts graduation rates and improves post-graduation success. We also know that 70 percent of jobs in the future won’t require a college degree. It just makes good sense for us to invest in CTE!

We’ve added two new CTE pathways since this time last year — Animal Science and Natural Resources and Environmental Systems — bringing our total to 10. We will continue to seek opportunities to deepen the learning experiences in existing pathways, and we are always considering what new pathways might be a wise investment for our schools and community down the road.

Strengthening schoolcommunity connections can only lead to great things. From student internships to volunteering, our young people will have more chances to immerse themselves in a career environment and “try on” opportunities that interest them. We are also exploring how we can offer EJSHS students the chance to earn technical certifications during high school.

And as we begin the new year, I hope you’ll join me in welcoming some new faces in the CTE programs — and some familiar faces in new roles.

• Karl Dawn Stover will begin in her new role as CTE coordinator this fall, serving as a community liaison and providing leadership to the growing department.

• Industrial arts will be taught full-time by Ken Cravens. Thanks to Steve Thorburn for sharing this role last year and going above and beyond to make sure EJSHS students continued to have this opportunity.

• Kendra Ploutz will be teaching journalism, Mandy Burger is taking over the FACs program and Kara Hays is our new agriculture teacher.

After spending the last year or so speaking with people across the district, I truly believe we all want the same thing for our small, rural communities — a bright, sustainable future! We want economic stability and opportunity, so our young people can stay and work after graduation or return a few years later to raise a family. And we want others who desire a small-town life to see real, lasting opportunity here.

We have a prime opportunity to create this bright future by working together. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Stacie Schmidt with Grow Ellsworth County and to every person who is hungry to create partnerships that benefit us all. I am proud and grateful to be part of USD 327. See you in August!

Let’s Grow!

Deena Hilbig is the superintendent of USD 327. She can be reached at (785) 472-5561.