By DR. DEREK ARROWOOD
Hamilton Heights Superintendent
Last week I shared a shout-out to our teachers, one part of our collective family at Heights. Today, I want to acknowledge the role and contributions of our bus drivers. These individuals represent some of our most dedicated and loyal employees. They are over 30 drivers strong (including our sub drivers), handle 28 routes, and log over 4,000 miles weekly (not including sports or specialty trips). Together our drivers bring over 320 years of combined experience in their profession! It is my pleasure to welcome the newest additions to our driving team: Austin Bragg, Dave Hildebrand, Heather Pearce and Joseph Rushton.
I am partial to this tight-knit group of professionals who are tasked with safely transporting our students to and from school and then some. On occasion, as a CDL holder, I get the pleasure of driving one of our buses and know first-hand that this is not for the faint of heart. Our drivers are among our many unsung heroes entrusted with the care of our children who make a difference in their roles every single day. Without fail, each of our drivers go above and beyond to help one another and are true treasures to our school corporation and community.
Mark your calendar to attend the Hamilton Heights School Board Candidate Forum beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at Hamilton Heights Middle School. The candidates include Dr. Kevin Cavanaugh, current Board President (Jackson Township), Gretchen Pennington (White River Township) and David Adam Sheller (White River Township). The meeting is open to the public and will be broadcast on our Hamilton Heights YouTube channel. The event is sponsored by the Hamilton Heights Classroom Teachers Association. Watch it live here.
With fall in the air and homecoming activities in full swing, Husky spirit not only radiates through our classrooms and hallways, it can be seen and felt throughout our community. While we are not able to host some of our favorite traditional homecoming activities, our student government and honor society organizations have focused on what we can do.
They have really stepped up to meet the moment and bring a week of celebration and spirit blending a mix of traditional activities while incorporating new ones, including the “Cars and Popcorn” drive-in movie tonight, and culminating with action-packed football Friday night at 7 p.m. with the Hamilton Heights Huskies match up against the Tipton Blue Devils. This game will be broadcast live on the on the Husky Sports Network. Watch it here.
Speaking of our community, I had the pleasure along with Julie Davis, HHSC School Board Member and Peggy Georgi, HHSC Public Affairs, to serve among the presenters at the ISBA/IAPSS 71st annual (Virtual) Conference (Indiana School Board Association and Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents) this week. Our program, “Engaging Husky Nation: How to (and not to) Keep Your Community Engaged,” provided a platform for us to share insights and information we have learned with colleagues from around the state. It also gave us the opportunity to highlight the impact and influence our highly connected and involved community has on student learning at Hamilton Heights.
I am grateful and proud to call this community home.
#WeAreHuskies