Wilson, USD 327 can work together I want to share my encouragement and support for the citizens of Ellsworth County and especially to the citizens within Wilson and the leadership of USD 327.

As a child, I was reared with the commitment to two basic life principles: 1) When the going gets tough, the tough get going. 2) Always love and support family. Over the last few months, I have been following the public news accounts of the challenges created by the USD 112 decision to close the Wilson Jr./Sr. High School. This situation truly fits into the definition of “tough times.”

Life principle No. 1 taught me that tough times can be perceived as either a problem (negative) or an opportunity (positive). A negative approach leaves one with a sense of how bad this situation is impacting me. A positive approach encourages one to identify what can be done to turn the situation into an opportunity. My perception is that the citizens of Wilson are actively pursuing this approach.

Life principle No. 2 taught me that one always supports, loves and includes family. Those who live in the Wilson area are an integral part of the Ellsworth County family. If it is the responsibility of Ellsworth County citizens to provide quality educational experiences to the children within our county, principle No. 2 requires us to identify the opportunities and commit to fulfilling the mission of educating ALL the children of our county.

I do not have any magical answers, but I do have faith that the genius of Wilson citizens and USD 327 leadership will identify how to educate ALL the children of our county. My request is to change the paradigm from “problem” to “opportunity,” then move the response from “why we can’t” to “why can’t we?”

Thank you, good luck and God bless. Roger Pearson Ellsworth