Today is a day I have been waiting for over the past several months — my first official day as the superintendent of the Upper Arlington Schools. I am humbled by the opportunity to serve this great school district and community and truly excited, along with my family, to become Golden Bears and to call this community our home. I am appreciative of the Board of Education, staff and community members that have stepped forward to help with my transition both personally and professionally.
As you may know, we have many new faces joining our team this year, both at the district level and in our school buildings. Over the past few months, much of my transition has focused on ensuring that we have the best possible candidates to fill any open positions on our team for the upcoming school year. We are continuing to monitor our growing enrollment and adjust our staffing levels accordingly. I am excited about the quality of the individuals joining our team, and I am looking forward to our students and families having the opportunity to meet them in August.
A successful public school is a reflection of the expectations of the community. With that in mind, we have a responsibility to take the time to listen and learn from our team and our community. This spring, Dr. Stephanie Siddens, our new deputy superintendent, and I had the opportunity to meet several students, staff members, parents, grandparents and community members through the latest round of Listen Learn Lead sessions. As we move forward, Dr. Siddens and I, as well as all of the new members of our team, will continue to listen and learn from all of our stakeholders and then focus on how we can continuously improve, both as leaders and educators and as a district as a whole.
From those Listen Learn Lead sessions this spring, I have learned why this community is such a wonderful place. In those conversations, one thing almost always came up: the Fourth of July. I am looking forward to celebrating my first Upper Arlington Fourth with my family and kicking off those celebrations with the Upper Arlington Alumni Association’s UAHS Open House on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the high school.
As we prepare for the start of the next school year, I will share any additional updates with you. I look forward to when we will have everyone back together in our schools in August.
Robert Hunt, Ph.D., is the superintendent of Upper Arlington Schools. You can email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @Hunt_EdLeader.