Memories, Challenges, Reflections, and Opportunities

It's been an eventful month. Recent events have forced me to spend lots of time in deep thought reflecting on the past and pondering about the future. Typing this blog, while listening to some great tunes from George Strait and Alan Jackson, is very therapeutic and much needed. This will be the only time I plan to address York and Westside from this social media account as I want to be very fair to both.

Being a York Duke for these past 10 years has been a blessing. It has meant more to my family and I than I can put into words. We were so lucky to be in the right place at the right time. My wife and I, as well as our four kids, all made lifelong friends here that we will cherish forever. Life is about relationships and we hit the jackpot in York.

Here are some of my all-time favorite memories in York...there are too many to list so this is just a sample....

1) Spending the night with our 3rd graders at the Omaha Zoo back in 2010 after an evening thunderstorm that led to a sleepless night of smelling 200+ smelly and wet socks, etc. My back hurt for a month but it was worth it!

2) Passing the YHS bond issue in November 2011 with a 69% voter approval ....I had always thought about what the celebration would be like as a superintendent on such an occasion...I came home ready to celebrate and my boys were asleep, Liesl and Micah had gone to Omaha to say goodbye to a family cat named "Honeycomb" that had gotten sick and there I was all alone....I ended up playing on-line NCAA Football until the wee hours of the morning with my beloved Seminoles and went 4-0 beating some guys that tried me with LSU, BYU, Ohio State, and USC.

3) When Brett Onnen made a deep 3-pointer as a Duke Hoopster playing at halftime of a YHS game in 2010. The student section picked him up, toweled off his sweaty face, and body surfed him through the crowd. It was the loudest I ever heard the YHS gym until...see #4 below....

4) February 2018 when the York Dukes beat Aurora in the district final basketball game in what was a deafening roar the entire game....the Duke Dome was jumping and it was an amazing atmosphere. My ears were ringing for a couple of days after that!

5) Our "Back to School Celebrations" and "Community Pep Rallies" in East Hill Park each August.

6) Being able to be there in person this year to watch YHS One-Act win another State Championship in Norfolk.

7) Watching #11 snag an important interception in Memorial Stadium to help YHS win the football state championship in 2017.

8) Watching the York Dukes Boys' Basketball team overcome all kinds of adversity to cut down the nets in Pinnacle Bank Arena in March 2018 and then being able to get Dr. Nordlund down to the team locker-room to celebrate and take pictures afterwards.

9) My first visit to the YHS Animal Science Lab and Greenhouse....leaving there thinking, "WOW!" Such amazing opportunities for our students.

10) Making home visits through our SixPence Early Childhood Grant and seeing some of the challenges our young people and their families have to deal with and how amazing our staff is that works with them on a daily basis.

11) Seeing the Manufacturing & Entrepreneurship course get launched at YMS last year. It is such an innovative course offering that will benefit many students for years to come.

12) Our "Real World Leadership Academy" each April for our graduating class out at the Holthus Convention Center.

13) Getting to take my beautiful wife to another Prom each April.

14) Every kindergarten graduation!

15) All of the YMS "Almost Anything Goes" Days.

16) Coaching Bo and his buddies in pee-wee football and in basketball games in Bee, Nebraska. Also, being able to see Jeb and Bo play varsity football together this year on the field at the same time.

17) Watching both of my daughters at State Cross Country in 2009 and 2010 and then qualify together for state track with gutty performances at district track in Lexington in early May 2011.

18) Every April at "Honors Night" when we get to see and hear all of the amazing academic accomplishments of our graduating class.

19) All of the concerts, Veterans Day programs, speech invites, and other activities that were so fun to attend.

20) NASB School Board Conventions every November with the YPS Board of Education....spending time learning and brainstorming together to help the York Dukes.

This June, it will be time to begin the final chapter of my career as we transition to Westside Community Schools in Omaha. I am very excited about the opportunities at Westside. It is a premier school district known for innovation and excellence. I have given everything I have to York the past 10 years and will continue to do so for the next few months. It will then be time to be "all in" at Westside and to do our part to help build on the tremendous accomplishments and rich history already in place.

The opportunity to get my wife back to her hometown to be closer to family, while also joining one of the best school districts in the entire Midwest, was too good to pass up. Earning a Class A leadership position was always in the back of my mind and there is never an ideal time to do so. We are excited to develop relationships within the Westside family and to do our part to help push Westside forward to ensure a bright future for the 6,000+ students counting on us each and every day.

Thanks to the York Dukes Family for the last 10 years. We still have several more months together to get better.

Thanks to the Westside Family for believing in me and trusting in me to help you for the next 10+ years. It's going to be a fun and productive ride!