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Superintendent's Message

 Posted on February 29, 2012  •

   Welcome to the Walnut Township Local School District Website.  We strive to make our website user friendly and to provide you with helpful information about our district, our students and staff.  If you have suggestions for improving our website please contact us.

  Can you believe it is March already?  As I was in my childhood years I remember adults telling me that “time moves more quickly the older you get.”  Well, they were right!  And I am feeling pretty old right now.  It seems like only yesterday we were opening the doors to a new school year.  Old man Winter has taken it easy on us this year (so far) and the children have been able to experience recess outdoors for most of the Winter months.

  I am very appreciative of the work our teachers and principals are doing with regards to learning and implementing the revised State Standards and New Model Curriculum.  This work is very important as we prepare to offer our students a more rigorous curriculum focused on 21^st Century Skills, problem solving skills and critical thinking skills.  We want our students to be very well prepared for college and/or careers.  This means preparing students for jobs yet to be created and fields of work yet not dreamed.  Similar to when electricity spread across our great country ushering in an age of industry, technology is spreading throughout the world and ushering in an age of tertiary services.  Thus, what we teach, and how we teach, must change.  We are aligning our curriculum with the National Core Standards and as of 2014 our students and teachers will be held accountable on state assessments for knowing a more advanced set of skills and knowledge.  That is why our main focus now is on changing what we teach and how we teach.  Change is not easy.  But if our children are going to be able to compete in our new “global society” we must embrace change and prepare them for careers in “their” future that are very different than careers in “our” past.

  All of our students have special gifts and talents that are being sharpened through their learning experiences in our schools.  It is wonderful to see Kindergarten students come to my office and read books to me with great fluency and comprehension.  As I walk the halls and talk with students, I see hope in their eyes and an excitement for learning.  I love to see more and more students participating in extra-curricular activities such as sports, cheerleading, band and clubs.  We need to encourage these young people so that they may realize their dreams and fulfill that hope in their eyes.  That is the reason our teachers, coaches, administrators, bus drivers, board members, cooks, secretaries, custodians and supervisors do what they do…..to make a difference in the life of a child.  I offer a special thanks to the students, staff, parents and citizens of Walnut Township Schools for making this a true community of learning.

  Congratulations are in order for our Varsity Boys Basketball Team and Coach Kirk Grandy for having finished 15-5 in the regular season.  This shows what students can do with encouragement, dedicated work, focus, and a willingness to learn.  More important than the wins is what these student athletes have learned about teamwork, leadership and patience in overcoming adversity.  These are qualities that will serve them well throughout their lives.  A special note of congratulations goes out to Junior Alton Frizzell who scored over 1000 career points.  Also, on behalf of the district, I would like to express our sincere thanks to Robert Weldon who has served as a basketball coach in Millersport for over 30 years.  Bob is retiring from coaching at the end of this season.  We are very much appreciative of the committed service he has given to our program.

Go Lakers!

Dale L. Dickson,

Superintendent