PARTING WORDS = FROM PRINCIPAL PATI BEAUMONT

Parting Words from=20 Principal=20 Pati Beaumont

What a pleasure it has been working for you for the last 11 = years. It=92s been an incredible = journey! As I reflect on those first = months, one=20 of my finest recollections was my involvement in building the =93Big = Toy=94 during=20 the summer of 2001. I = fondly=20 remember the mounds of coffee and doughnuts, and sandwiches and drinks = the PTO=20 supplied to the many volunteers who worked as a team to construct the = site,=20 volunteers from CVPS, VELCO, and GE, Select Board and School Board = members,=20 parents and guardians, teachers, and students, all working together. The = food=20 and drinks were donated by local businesses and individuals. The project = was=20 financed through the efforts of volunteer fundraisers, whose names are = on a=20 plaque that is displayed in our main lobby. Some of my first conversations = with=20 School Board members were about the best material for the =93wood = chips=94 that line=20 the ground. This is what = attracted=20 me to this community!

With the many responsibilities that come with being a = principal, which=20 include (but are not limited to) following school board directives, = creating and=20 living within budgets, staff and faculty supervision, building and = grounds=20 needs, community and parents concerns, my focus has remained clear=97a = focus on=20 our students. While = matters that=20 concern adults in the community are pieces of the puzzle, it is my = belief that=20 our focus must be on student learning. Alas, adult matters, in recent = years,=20 seem to have eroded the community=92s cohesive support that I witnessed = in 2001.=20

Public education mimics a democracy. Dissention and verbal = discourse is=20 the natural progression toward effecting

change and improvements. There has been much discourse, = and there=20 have been many improvements (i.e. communication modes, technology, = curriculum,=20 and building) over the last =20 decade. However, = it is=20 ALWAYS to be remembered that our ultimate goal is to provide the best = education=20 for all the students in our community. =20 Education should be about children, not = adults.

The=20 strength of that support for children has to come from the whole = community. The=20 responsibility of the = residents of=20 Rutland Town is to fund, govern, and support their school. When concerns = arise,=20 the most valuable contribution one can provide is problem solving.=20

While there will always be issues in schools that create an = ebb and flow=20 amongst the stakeholders in the community, this is what occurs in every = school=20 in the United States. It = is what=20 maintains the democracy. = There were=20 complicated and difficult issues in 2001, just like there are today, and = it is=20 only through the support of our community that those issues can be = resolved=20 toward a positive outcome.

If=20 there is anything I can leave as a legacy to RTS after my 11 years of = service,=20 it is to instill in the greater population that kid needs always come = before=20 adult needs, and that the community must remain intimately involved in = the=20 process of educating our youth.

I=20 humbly thank the Rutland Town community for allowing me to mature in my=20 profession. I am = eternally grateful=20 for the wonderful relationships I have formed during my tenure. I am excited to begin my new = journey as=20 the Pre-K to Grade 5 Co-Principal of Shelburne Community School; = however, I will=20 miss RTS. Good luck to = you=20 all! And remember, = =93Together We=92re=20 Better!=94