January, 2010

Dear Parents and Residents,

We faced the dawning of a new year, 2010, with excitement, trepidation, concern, fear and hope all at the same time.  Many of us made New Year's resolutions and some have probably already broken them.  All of us, not only in this school district but in most others, face the same challenges/opportunities which will have to be addressed.  How we choose to address these situations will determine how successful we as a school district can become.  Success is not determined by the "winning" of a game or the "winning" of a levy but by the concern, attitude, and willingness to listen, cooperate, suggest and general overall working together as a group to solve problems.  No problem can be solved without discussion.  Discussion leads to research which in turn allows suggestions to be made to solve the problem.  No one is capable of having all the answers but by working together we can often discover the "best" answer to help in any given situation.

There will be some who will make comments without knowing the facts or base his/her interpretation on what happened many, many years ago through his/her past experiences.  Some of these past experiences may not be relevant to today's issues.  One must realize that change occurs and it is up to us as residents of this community as to whether or not that change will be good and constructive.  Change for the sake of change is seldom good; however, change determined by a cooperative and  concerned group whose members have researched and studied the issues and have sought input from the commnity is usually beneficial for the entire group.

There will never be a decision made which will be accepted by all residents as being the "best" for any given situation.  However, if we are to better this school district we as members of this school district must take the initiative to address the issues and take credit for our concerns and suggestions.

When you have a concern or suggestion regarding the school district I encourage you to discuss it with a person who has first hand knowledge regarding that concern.  It may be a teacher, building Principal, Board Member or the Superintendent.  I can assure you that any member of this group will be more than willing to sit down with you to discuss any concerns you have.  And if you are not sure of the answer you received is correct you can always follow the chain of command to the person at the next level who may be better able to answer your question.

This is a good school district with parents and others who support the children of this community.  Working cooperatively together we can make this a better school district, better serving the needs of your children.

Sincerely,

Forest Yocum, Superintendent

740-927-3941














Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Dear Southwest Licking Schools Parents, Families and Community Members,

This week I have been very fortunate.  Earlier I was asked to read a Christmas story to a group of fourth graders and today I was asked to read a Christmas story to a group of third graders.  Before I read the story they were told that they could ask me any questions about my "job".  The questions they asked were very interesting ranging from how long have I been a School Superintendent to how many other jobs outside of education had I worked.  As I sat there with them I couldn't help but remember why I had become a teacher.  Christmas without children just wouldn't be right.  How blessed we are as teachers, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to be able to work with children, to see them grow up and become adults and eventually parents, also.

The story I read today was about a little mouse who wanted to have a Christmas tree.  Her mother told her to go to the woods and pick one out.  As she and her siblings went to the woods to select a tree they tried to find things to decorate it so it would be as pretty as the one in the window where they lived.  They found a few items which belonged to other larger animals.  Normally these animals would have given chase to the mice for fun or lunch; but this time, because it was Christmas, they shared their items with the mice.

The mice found a tree and decorated it with the few items they had found but it wasn't very pretty and there was a complete lack of ornaments.  They went home very disappointed and frustrated.

Later that evening the mother mouse asked her children to accompany her to the woods to look at the Christmas tree.  When they arrived all the animals in the woods had placed an item on the tree and the tree was very pretty.  They were all sitting around the tree looking at it.  Many of these animals were lifelong enemies, sometimes feeding on each other; but today for a few hours they just sat together and looked at the tree.

What a simple and beautiful story!  What if we as a school district, city, county, state and nation could just for  few moments put aside all the antagonisms we have and bathe in the beauty and peacefulness of Christmas for the common good of all!

A simple and beautiful story for children but a "life" lesson for us as adults.

With that, I wish all of you a very Blessed Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Sincerely,

Forest Yocum









Dear Southwest Licking Schools Parents, Families & Community Members,

Friday, November 20, 2009, members of the Board of Education along with a number of elementary students, school administrators and levy committee persons erected a sign at the corner of U.S. Route 40 and Smoke Rosd designating that area as the site for a FUTURE Watkins Memorial High School.  The need for a new high school is due to the overcrowding conditions occurring in all District schools.  However, this school will not be able to be built until our number "comes up" at the Ohio School Facilities Commission.  It is obvious that, with the failure of the past two bond levies, the community simply can't afford to build a new high school without help from the OSFC.  This school district is slated for a 44/56 percent partnership with the OSFC providing 44% of the cost.  When our number "comes up" we will be given the opportunity to utilize state funding with the passage of a bond levy.

The funds to purchase the new school site have been provided through the Permanent Improvement Levy funds.  During the levy campaign it was noted many times that some of the funds from this levy would be dedicated to the purchase of the land in addition to buying school textbooks, computers, school busses, building and grounds repair such as asphalt repair/replacement, HVAC, etc.  We are very fortunate to have been able to purchase this land which sits adjacent to the back of the present middle/high school site.  The purchase of this land ensures that the SWL School District will have the required acreage to satisy future building needs.

During the past 17 years there has been significant growth in this school district.  The enrollment in 1992-93 was 2,195.  Today the enrollment is 3,956.  The "new" Etna Elementary School was build in 1996.  An additional renovation project occurred in 2000-2001 involving the Pataskala Elementary, Kirkersville Elementary, Watkins Middle School and the Watking Memorial High School.  Later three (3) additional classrooms were built on to Kirkersville Elementary.  Since 2000-01 our student enrollment has grown from 3,260 students to a current enrollment of 3,956.  After the completion of the high school addition it was projected that it could comfortably accommodate 950-1000 students.  Today there area 1,239 students in the high school, an increase of 41 high school students more than last year.  Two years ago we "walled in" a portion of the hallway by the high school cafeteria converting it into another classroom.  This year we rennovated the Middle School 6th grade cafeteria into three classrooms.  We are currently rennovating the Pataskala Elementary stage area into two additional classrooms and a small storage room.  All buildings are once again over crowded and if we must provide all day every day kindergarten we will need approximately eight (8) additional classrooms.

One may ask why we have continued growth in the schools when it appears there is little or no home construction occurring within the district.  During the "construction boom" many homes were purchased by younger families with few students of school age.  As time has progressed these students have become older and have progressed throught the grades to the high school.  These young families have also had more children adding to the enrollment growth at the elementary level.

If anyone would like to discuss this or any other concerns please call 740-927-3941 and we will set a time to meet.