Can you imagine a world in which you could not read, perform simple mathematical calculations, or have some sense of history, or how we all fit into the ongoing human narrative? Can you imagine not knowing something of the science behind our orbit around the sun, or of the countless cosmic worlds beyond our reach? But for the initial exposure in school to art, music, dance, or theatre, we might have never experienced the sharing of some of humankind’s most profound beauty.

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School matters. I don’t have to tell you that; you get it. But what is also true is that you matter. You, the parent; you the grandparent; you, the uncle, aunt, niece, or nephew. You, the non-parent, the retiree, the working mom, the working dad. The active, the disabled, the old, the young, the teacher, the student. You, and everyone else reading this message. You are the community, and that community both strengthens our school and is strengthened by it to the degree we choose to engage. In other words, we’re all in this together.

 

When we decided to publish this magazine, it was with the idea that by strengthening the connection between the school and the community; by sharing the stories from within and beyond our classrooms, we believed we could make a difference in the lives of our community’s children. And, in doing so, make a difference in the life of our community itself.

 

Welcome to Visions141. I hope you’ll enjoy the stories we’ll share in this and upcoming issues of Ottawa Elementary Schools’ own very special school-community magazine. We welcome your input, value your insights, and are honored to help share your community’s stories.