Updated 04/24/08

THE WHAT

Over the course of this school year, as our community has debated the scope of the renovation and expansion of the Unionville High School, the questions have centered on the why and the how much of the project proposal. From Landhope to Hank's, from the far reaches of West Marlborough to Chadds Ford, those questions have been repeatedly asked and answered with abundant disagreement. Three seasons of public discourse and discord have dominated seventy-seven square miles of conversation. While these fiscal conversations are critical to the quality of life in our community, we must reserve sufficient breath to ask the questions, who and what. In brief, whom do we serve, what human resources do we invest, and what are the outcomes of these investments?

In the April 13 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Delaware Valley had the opportunity to read the indisputable answers to the who and what questions. The annual Inquirer Report Card, a virtual statistical portfolio on comprehensive public, charter, private, and parochial school programs throughout the region, offered comparative data, school to school. It also published a Points of Pride column, listing the self-reported achievements of each Delaware Valley school entity. While some districts listed the acquisition of technologies and implementation of new curricula, others, ours included, presented a view of that which a school community values and supports. Reflecting the achievements of our students, the contributions of our staff, and the priorities of our parent and community volunteers, the two inches of print introduced Unionville-Chadds Ford to a diverse region and readership. With pride, we acknowledged:

• exemplary student achievement in our academic program, in the fine, applied, and performing arts, and in athletic competition.
• that 97 percent of our graduates attend college
• a commitment to on-going pro-social/anti-bullying initiatives
• unwavering support of parent and community volunteers and an exemplary network of home, school, and community partnerships
• that our Marching Band and Speech and Debate Team have been accorded national recognition

Beyond the two inches of newsprint, we celebrate the parents and community members who organize and execute read-a-thons, career day events, art shows, and the After- Prom Party. They help build stage sets, create costumes, design murals, apply stage make-up to adolescent faces, carry band instruments, fete staff, raise scholarship and grant funds, chaperone field trips, and spend endless hours cheering for their children and for those of their neighbors. We celebrate the students who earn recognition on the academic playing field, as well as those parents and teachers who support and coach them. Throughout the region, our students are noted for the highest levels of achievement in science, world language, forensics and robotics competitions. We are proud, not only of these achievements, but most especially of the home, school, and community network that assures these achievements. In Unionville-Chadds Ford, we have built a virtual sidewalk on which our children make great strides daily.

That is what we value.

That is what we do for our children.

That is what we do to build community.

 

Sharon E. Parker
Superintendent of Schools

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District