This year’s commencement exercises, in spite of the inclement weather, afforded Goose Creek schools the opportunity to graduate 1409 students. This serves as the culmination of many years of hard work for the students, parents and educators and is an achievement in which we take great pride. Congratulations to our graduates, and we wish them continued success in their postgraduate education and careers. Please keep a watchful eye as we consider establishing an alumni association.
In regards to our facilities, the 2015-2016 school year was a year of designing new facilities as well as restoring older facilities. As we prepare to break ground on three new facilities soon, including the Transportation Center, the Technology Center and the renovation of Stuart Career Center into a career tech high school, a majority of the work completed has involved mechanical, electrical and plumbing, along with security. Most of this work is unseen, except for the security vestibules and fencing; however, the infrastructure upgrades to our aging facilities would certainly be noticed if we didn’t invest in them.
We are approximately three-fourths of the way through the 2013 Bond with only an Ag facility, modification of the CTE wing at one high school, a cafeteria expansion at another high school and the remodel of the Green Center as a Special Education Center, allowing the department to move out of rented space in the San Jacinto Mall, left as major projects. While there are minor upgrades, such as playgrounds, carpet and some site improvements, we are winding down the Bond on time and on budget.
While we typically think of summer as a time for a break from school, our district has served Approximately 4,000 students in the summer school program, continuing to close the achievement gap for all students. Thank you to our faculty and staff members who worked with summer school for your dedication to helping our students succeed.
As Goose Creek schools grow, we continue to look for opportunities to spotlight all the wonderful things happening in our district. Our Communications Department does an outstanding job of keeping everyone informed about activities and accolades. We also have reworked a job description to include grant writing, strategic planning and marketing, with emphasis on image awareness, which closely aligns with the City of Baytown’s Imagine Baytown program and Lee College’s marketing campaign, identifying the college as ranking 2nd in the nation for a value-added education. We welcome Kevin Foxworth, former principal of Ross S. Sterling High School, to this role as executive director of support services and strategic planning.
The Personnel Office is always a busy place in the summer. We will continue to improve as a school district because of the quality teaching staff that we hire and retain. I also believe that because of our expanded course offerings, both curricular and co-curricular, we are by far the school of choice for the Greater Houston region.
I hope you are finding time to relax, enjoy family and friends and have some fun this summer, so you will be ready to start the 2016-2017 school year re-energized, willing to embrace the challenges once again. I commend each and every one of you for the choice and the commitment you have made to improve your students’ lives through the education that you provide. Your efforts serve to improve our society as a whole. You may have more influence on the positive outcome of our nation than any other single thing.
Again, rest up, enjoy some down time and come back ready to change our world one student at a time. Looking forward to seeing your smile!