Dear Editor:
I didn’t start my career at Pike-Delta-York Local Schools, nor did I originally live in the Pike-Delta-York community. To be honest, when I decided to take the position Mr. Adkins offered me in 1998, I had no idea this would be the school district where I would choose to stay! I had no idea this would be my school and community of choice!
It’s my opinion that the “WHY” is the purpose behind the choices and looking at the potential end game result. I’ve been spending a lot of time in quiet reflection since the money crisis and levy proposal were announced for PDY.
WHY did I choose this district to be the end game of not only my career, but for the education and extracurricular choices for my children? Why did I choose this community to be the place for my children to grow and experience childhood?
When I first began teaching here, two questions continually pounded my brain about the PDY staff and faculty. I was intrigued why so many PDY alumni wanted to return to the district to teach. They’d already spent 13 years of education here – why come back to the same district to teach when there’s so much to experience in the world?
In addition, why did so many staff choose to spend their entire teaching profession in this district? After 23 years, I know the answer is so simple. These people see the devotion staff gives to the students; these people see the commitment to change lives of students; these people are lifted up by each other in times of need and in times of celebration. The faculty and staff of PDY literally become an extended family.
I’m blessed every day to call the people I work with and the people I had the pleasure of working in years past, FAMILY. Life is sometimes really tough.
This faculty has provided my family and me comfort and reassurance through various stages of autoimmune and health issues, grieving processes in death, fund raisers for those in needs (one time being our own daughter) and so much more! Life is sometimes joyous and incredible.
This faculty has helped us celebrate marriages, births of babies, college graduations and again, so much more! And because the faculty and staff of the school lead the way, community members began supporting us in so many ways as well. Small school district and small community life for us just means one very large extended family!
This has been our district of choice for a long time; we eventually moved here because we felt that if the faculty and staff here was good enough for other people’s children, it was definitely good enough for our children.
We have two PDY graduates with two more in attendance at the middle school and high school. We felt that by living here we were making an investment that is not worthy of any price tag.
So my “WHY” is all about family! Do you know that quote “There’s family. There’s friends. And there are friends who become family”? It is fitting to my “why”. Now do families always get along? NOPE! Do families try to work out a difficult situation or a rough patch in life?
In my opinion, YES! Is being a family easy? NOPE! But is being a family and making it work important? YES! And a crucial component of a working family is trust, communication, and continuously building a stronger relationship with one another. You have a voice. I have a voice.
We all have a voice. And for this levy, the voice we have is to vote to keep the family together. And when the vote is over, we need to rebuild this family.
Being a parent is my number one priority; and I believe that the PDY Schools carries an important mission statement: “Pike-Delta-York Schools are dedicated to being, “a place where all students are excited to attend. The needs of all students are met.
All students are valued as though they were your child or grandchild.” I will emphasize the last part “you child or grandchild”. This is MY WHY.
Having my children feel the embracement of knowing they’re worthy and valued by the PDY FAMILY, both school and community, they’ve been given the gift toward success.
It does indeed take a village to raise a child, to raise many children, to raise tomorrow’s future.
Kirsten Mignin
Delta, Ohio