Dr. Annette Griffin Superintendent of Schools November 2007 en Español

Learning Is Tied To All; Serving and Honoring Others

Everything in our society is tied to learning. We are blessed to live in a community that believes in the importance of public education. We are also fortunate to have a staff of quality, committed educators who believe that the bottom line in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District is successful learning for ALL students.

Just as our world is changing at a fast rate, we in the C-FB ISD are experiencing much change. We owe every teacher, principal and instructional staff member a huge THANK YOU as they implement new curriculum and teaching strategies because they are taking our students to new heights in learning. Each and every day, they are awakening the joy of learning and creative expression in students.

Recently, the School Board celebrated the service of 217 team members who have been a part of our organization for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and even 40 years. I marvel at the spirit of these individuals. They are truly the heart of C-FB ISD. Their passion for public education and children are what keeps our district a premiere public school system – a beacon of hope not only for our community, but for this state and country.

If there’s a C-FB ISD educational team member who you wish to say “thank you,” please consider the C-FB ISD Educational Foundation’s STAR program. The Foundation created the STAR Awards program based on a suggestion of teacher Lani Mango. Her idea was to have a project that encouraged parents and others to honor faculty and staff members by contributing to the Foundation. With that idea, the STAR Awards program was born in 2001.

Contributions received from STAR recognitions support programs that directly benefit teachers, students, classrooms and schools. Persons interested in the STAR Awards can find more information on the Foundation’s website (www.educational-foundation.org), or they can call the Foundation office at 972-968-6543.

This is also a time when Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD is honoring the men and women who have served our country. Many of our schools hold special assemblies, luncheons, and ceremonies in honor of Veteran’s Day. These activities are planned by our students because they understand the sacrifices made by the men and women who served in our armed forces.

I am always touched by how deeply our students honor the veterans and their families who attend these special activities. Our students are so honored to have these men and women on their campuses. Sometimes, I’m not sure who benefits more from these events – the students or the veterans.

These celebrations honoring the men and women serving in the armed forces help our students learn about our district’s character values. In 1996, a group of parents, teachers, and students worked with the School Board to develop the district’s character values. They selected seven standards that they believed were ideals on which this country was established. The seven traits are respect, pride, integrity, service, responsibility, cooperation, and citizenship. Our goal as educators is to model these principles throughout our district whether in the classrooms, on the playing fields or in district offices. We want our students, families and the entire community to know that character values are alive and well in C-FB ISD.

In the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District, every child and employee are valued because the success of the individual makes us a great team. I encourage all of us to model the district character values of respect, pride, integrity, service, responsibility, cooperation, and citizenship and to remember that “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

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