Greetings, Dragon Nation! 

Once again, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to share a few thoughts with you as we start rolling into the new school year.

I sincerely hope that each one of you had an amazing summer. I know that many of you traveled, spent time with friends and family, and took some time to relax and recharge. I was able to travel to several places to which I had never been. Visiting new places, meeting new people, and experiencing new cultures is key to developing an understanding of the world that surrounds us.

While the start of our school year has been very smooth, it has already been marred with the knowledge of yet another school shooting, this time in Georgia. While we hope and pray that such an event never happens to us, the reality is that it is possible. We develop procedures and drills to try to prepare ourselves, but that doesn’t remove the fear that such events are becoming almost routine.

Back in 2010, I personally experienced this terror. A student brought a gun to school where I was the principal and shot at two classmates. Fortunately, he missed and after a brief chase was taken into custody. Our school followed the procedures that we practiced, and we all went home that day. 

When one looks at these violent school events with some objectivity, it is clear that each one is unique. However, there are a few commonalities that also become evident. While some of the commonalities are beyond our control, perhaps the most obvious is not. 

In almost every case of school violence there were warning signs that should have been noticed and reported. The person who committed the violent act either said something, posted something, or perhaps even bragged about their intentions. Sometimes this information made its way to someone who could intervene, but many times it did not. After one of these events takes place, we are often left wondering how we missed the signs.

Mr. Jordan, our Chief of Security, and I often talk about safety issues here at MLWGS. The one thing that we always come back to is that our greatest safety asset is our community. We have a community that wants to feel safe and is willing to work together to keep it that way. All of us must do our part whether it is making sure that a door isn’t propped open, that we aren’t making our peers feel alone or unwelcomed, or that when we see or hear something that doesn’t look right that we let someone know. School safety is everybody’s business.

I realize that this is a bit of a departure from my usual bright and shiny messages, but we live in a world where I feel that this post is necessary. I want each and every one of you to know that I think about our collective safety every day. We all share one thing in common. At the end of the day, we want to safely return home. Let’s work together to make that always happens. 

Thanks again to The Jabberwock for giving me another forum to stay connected with you. Until next time, stay safe, stay strong, and go Dragons!