WBCH offers this space for area school superintedents to highlight activities in their districts.
This one is different; it is a letter to the school district and community from Maple Valley Superintendent Michelle Falcon announcing her resignation:
To the Maple Valley School Board, Staff, and Community,
It is with much thought and a heavy heart I tender my resignation as the Superintendent of Maple Valley Schools. My tenure in this district has been a highlight in my career and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to be the educational leader.
We have many accomplishments to be proud of. We have updated our curriculum, instructional practices, and assessment plan through a complete school improvement process. With the instructional rigor, our results have been drastic improvements in our student achievement scores.
We have improved our facilities by passing a much needed bond issue by the taxpayers and thanks to the generosity of our community. Re-opening Maplewood gave us more space and building enhancements that has restored pride and a created positive learning environments.
Our innovation in technology has created educational opportunities for our students which weren’t available before. We have implemented programs such as: virtual learning, Marketing with DECA, MV Works Electrical Program, reinstated BFS, AP & Advanced core courses, created life skills, expanded our art program also promoted intersessions, added Robotics, weight lifting, district wide PBIS and MTSS.
The proudest achievement of all is our resilient, dedicated and caring staff who, without them, none of these milestones would have been possible. Our administrators and teachers became student mentors and adopted student support programs such as the Ambassadors of Compassion and Spiritual Care Consultants which has helped hundreds of our struggling students.
Our food service department programs provided three meals a day for our students and even lunches in the summer. Our many years of summer school gave our students additional chances to become academically successful. Our community relationships have improved by creating partnerships. We have also held annual community service days as a way for our students to give back.
Little Lions Childcare and Pre School was created to meet the needs of many families in our community. Under the leadership of Annette Kent, this program has thrived in the two years we have been opened.
I am grateful to the board of education for hiring me for this position and supporting my leadership. You have taken your demanding and thankless role very seriously. Not many of my peers are as fortunate as I have been in the way you have supported me. However,
I believe it is the right time for someone with a fresh perspective to come in and carry out the vision and mission set forth by the district.
All of this boils down to relationships. The professional relationships we have created in the district has proven to persevere through many adversities this school year. I would like to thank you for your loyalty or just the fact that most of you respected the office of the Superintendent. The collegiality is what I will miss the very most.
My next opportunity is not in a superintendent’s position but takes me to Lansing where I will focus on school improvement, curriculum, instruction, and assessment. It is also closer to my home. Consider this letter my two week notice and my last day will be July 2, 2018.
With Kind Regards,
Michelle A. Falcon
