All Aboard The Waterford Express

If Choo-Choo Coleman married Mark Twain, what would his name be?

Jerome Belair, of course.

The Waterford superintendent showed off his theatrical side this morning at his staff convocation, where all employees of the school district gathered at Clark Lane Middle School, before the first day of school on Tuesday. Belair, inspired by “The Polar Express,” dressed up as a train conductor, telling his staff they were all now aboard the Waterford Express.

“All aboard, we have a new school year,” he said.

Belair also focused on the specific goals of the school district, namely a focus on literacy, and how the staff needs to prepare students for an unpredictable future. The incoming kindergarten class will be the class of 2024, and by that time 80 percent of the jobs are not yet created, and 90 percent of the technology will be new, he said.

“The demands are more and more complex,” he said. “And frankly, failure is not an option.”

Specifics

Belair, buoyed by a slide show presentation, made the academic focus of the school year clear: literacy. Students need to access information from complicated texts to perform a task or garner information, not just read for pleasure, he said.

“We are committed to improving student performance in the district area of literacy, by improving literacy instruction,” Belair said.

He also pushed his staff to push students “just beyond their comfort zone,” and said the goal of Waterford schools is to get students college and career ready. The technology of the schools continues to improve, highlighted by the , which will make the school a “completely wireless environment,” Belair said.

Highlights

Belair also shared successes of last year’s school district. Waterford High School students posted the highest in the school’s history, he said.

Additionally, students performed well on the as well, with several groups scoring the highest in district's history, Belair said. Some areas are “exceptional,” although there is always room for “continuous improvement,” he said.

Recognition/Honored

Assistant Superintendent Craig Powers took time to recognize each new employee. The new administrators and teachers are:

• Kathy Vallone, the new director of special services
• , the new principal of Clark Lane Middle School
• Ron Melnik, the new director of finance and operations
• Krystle Bartek, a new special education teacher at Clark Lane Middle School and Waterford High School
• Tessa Castleberry, a new biology and general science teacher at Waterford High School

Powers also recognized all employees who have worked in the school district for at least 30 years. The two longest tenured employees, Maintainer Clyde Ingram and Great Neck Music Teacher Sherry Stidfole, both served 40 years, “almost as long as I’ve been alive,” Powers joked.

Both Stidfole and Ingram received standing ovations by the rest of the staff.

Belair also recognized the staff of each school, as “Rocky” music played in the background. All of it was to prepare for “the best year ever,” he said.

“They once interviewed Willie Mays right before the home run contest, and asked him what made him so great,” Belair said. “And he said it was really all about the preparation…. Well, I believe we are prepared to have the season of a lifetime.”