I would like to take a moment to thank the Mayo staff for their support, leadership and passion for helping every student at Mayo High School learn.  They are the consummate group of professionals and I consider them all very good friends.  Their work with students was invigorating to witness each day and I know that the students and parents of our school community truly appreciate the education our students receive.  Trust me when I say that I will take many, many things I learned from our staff when I begin at Chanhassen High School next week.  

 Lastly, I would like to congratulate Tom Olson for being selected as principal of Rochester Mayo High School.  You will be very, very fortunate to have him as the principal.  Mr. Olson was welcoming to me from the very instant I began.  He knows our school, our students, parents and community.  He was a “go to” person for me and I am so pleased that you will have the opportunity to see his leadership skills in the capacity of principal. 

Well, wish me luck in my quest for the Tupperware box.  Once I find it, I can get breakfast packed up and our boys on the road to Tony’s hockey tournament in Blaine. Why not add something else to the weekend, eh? 

 Please, please keep in touch.  Best wishes to you and again, from the bottom of my heart,  THANK YOU.

 I shared with our staff this afternoon that I have been offered, and have accepted, the position of principal at Chanhassen High School beginning July 1.  I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed my time as principal of Rochester Mayo High School these last four years.  We have amazing students, staff and parents and I thank you for having had the opportunity to serve.

 Be assured that I will work with the district, our staff, students and parents in the transition phase and as a new principal is named.  I expect that a posting should be forthcoming later this week, once I have been approved formally by the Board of Education in District 112.

 As always, thank you for your support of our school and our district.

 Our student body supported one another and had a great time.  When the sound went out, our students started the WAVE.  It was a blast.

 Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting seven Mayo juniors who have been invited to continue on the path toward National Merit finalist status.  As we do each year, we invite them to the main office conference room and congratulate them for their status, as well as offer our support as they plan to take the SAT and continued their applications.  Unfortunately, we are required to keep the names confidential for now, but suffice to say they are an impressive group.

Mayo High School Student Awarded the Minnesota Gold Medal

 Karla (Cecilia) Reyes-Sanchez, a junior at Mayo High School,  won the “Outstanding Interpretation” award for the Literature category in the 2009/2010 PTA Art Reflections Program and was awarded the state GOLD medal on Sunday, April 11 at the TIES Conference Center in St. Paul, Minn.  Reyes-Sanchez’s winning entry now goes to the Nationals in Memphis, Tenn.  If she wins at the National level, she and an adult will receive an all-expense paid trip to the Nationals in June and a $750 award. 

Reyes-Sanchez’s winning entry will be on display at the Edison building through the end of the school year and she will be recognized for this outstanding achievement at the school board meeting in May. Congratulate Cecilia when you see her for winning the state GOLD medal!  

Beauty is…

I am an elusive little thing

And tend to hide in front of your eyes.

The harder you look, the less you’ll understand,

That my shiny outsides don’t grant a happy life.

It’s where I am and why I’m scarce the prize man

Often forgets to find.

As far as I know, I have no true match,

Like wobbly drops or children’s laughs.

It’s hard to reproduce the emotions I produce;

But the feeling’s so grand,

I understand man has to try.

Too often, polymeric smiles and flawless

Lies are sold to overeager hearts;

They light up the sky and rumble only for a while.

Don’t be fooled.  I am simplicity’s lasting perfection.

I will whip heads around as only a breaking pile of dishes can

And you will know it’s me,

When you’re filled with awe.

The hardest part is putting me in words:

Trying to squeeze reality’s charms

Into a single line is bound to spill

The true richness in me, from the ink to the heart.

Open your eyes, take me in, and don’t ask

As I come in, “why?”

It is our belief that students, via their registrations, determine the offerings of a comprehensive high school.  Of course, there are parameters we must follow, those being economics, legal and contractual concerns to name a few.  For example, we don’t run any classes with six kids in them, so we go back and look at the course registration for each student individually and place them in one of their alternate choices. 

In addition to the course registration information that students fill out, we keep a spreadsheet with five years of registration data in it.  What it allows us to do is look at the number of students at the end of registration and then again at the end of the class.  That trend data allows us to inform our decision making and make sound decisions.

So, currently, Mr. Olson is “cleaning up” data and placing students in their alternate courses, in the event that one of their choices did not have enough students to offer the course. Before we leave for spring break, staffing should be wrapped up and we will move into our next phase of the process—the construction of the master schedule, which starts in April and ends in August.  More on that later.

We hope to see you at conferences on Thursday afternoon.

 Second, I had a BLAST at the annual Science Fair at RCTC this afternoon.  Suffice to say, I was amazed by our students, their creativity and work.  Of course, their work is a reflection of the support provided by you, their parents, and by our staff at Mayo.  We are especially thankful to our science department and, especially, Deb DeYoung, who is our liaison to the Science Fair each year.

 I am looking forward to traveling to the Capitol next week with twenty Mayo students on Wednesday.  Have a nice weekend.