Thursday was a busy day for ACPS. First, I had the great joy to attend the Service Awards and We Notice ceremonies at Lane Auditorium. I was impressed with the number of nominations and years of dedication exemplified by this group. As Pam said, everyone who deals with young people is an educator. We listened to how, in the last 40+ years, the classroom has transitioned from chalk blackboards to electronic blackboards, and our educators have adapted to these changes and excelled at providing high quality learning experiences for our students.

Shortly following the ceremony, the School Board adopted the 2014-15 budget, which has been challenging to balance. The division, however, has risen to the challenge and embraces our commitment to optimize our resources.

What I saw on Thursday and see every day are wonderful people making connections with students to prepare them for the future. It is our educators who are raising the bar in the division and moving toward our One Student-Centered Strategic Goal, where every student masters the lifelong-learning skills to be a 21st century learner, worker and citizen. I will be sharing more snapshots with you about our Horizon 2020 Strategic Plan and how the incredible people of our division and community are making it happen. Keep an eye out for the ACPS Horizon 2020 blog.

Charlie Price, Strategic Planner
cprice@k12albemarle.org