Happy New Year! The Year of Gratitude

I can't believe it has been six months since my last post! I started this blog to help the community see the person behind the title and role, so I want to share my personal and professional focus for 2023. 

It has been a very busy and exciting year, and I wish everyone a very Happy (and healthy) New Year. Fresh starts and goal setting are essential to success. As adults, we often set goals to accomplish, especially in January. It's the perfect time to stop procrastinating or to get motivated to attempt something we have wanted to try or do. This year I have resolved to focus on gratitude. I communicated this charge to staff and families before the break and have encouraged others to consider picking a word to focus on for the year.

If you are interested, check out the OneWord Challenge and pick a word that can help guide your year.

Something is encouraging about fresh starts, which can also be true for our youth. It's essential to reinforce making better choices, setting new goals, and modeling them. It's not about perfection; it's all about progress. As we approach the second half of the year, it is a  great time to work with students to help them set academic, social, and/or personal goals.

I always liked the quote I heard when I was younger: "aim for the stars, you might hit the sky, but aim for the sky, you might hit the ground." Although some goals may seem too challenging, isn't life just that? So many of us and our students have and continue to face difficult times.

When we get through those difficulties, extreme adversity can mold us into caring, determined, and, yes, successful/better individuals.

Treat this new beginning as a chance to focus on something important. My word and focus for 2023 is gratitude. Showing gratitude for people and blessings keeps us focused on the positivity of our lives and this journey we are all on. Research supports that gratitude can improve health, happiness, and even relationships. I am very grateful for the care, dedication, collaboration, and expertise of our DPS team members and all they have invested into teaching, supporting, and caring for our students and families--truly demonstrating a #cultureofexcellence. I am grateful for all they do to create a learning environment that fosters support and success. The collective focus on the vision to equip students to build a better tomorrow is present and thriving by every team member and group. Each generation is the future. I am very proud of our DPS staff and students and look forward to what the future brings.


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