Summertime, and the livin is easy....

“Summertime, and the livin is easy....”

Many of you may recognize the title of this blog as belonging to a lyric from the famous George Gershwin tune, “Summertime” (in the play Porgy and Bess). Yes, summer is here and the summer solstice has come and gone. June 21 is when the sun is at its peak in North America. From this point, until winter solstice in December, the sun will leave us a few minutes earlier each day.

In my opinion, summertime is not necessarily easy for CCSD’s 12-month employees. All buildings are cleaned, arranged and organized prior to the arrival of staff and students; records are maintained/updated and distributed. The construction and renovation activities have added to the workload of building maintenance staff members. They and the office workers must contend with atypical room changes and storage problems as areas are cordoned off and emptied. Dust and debris force maintenance crews to revisit areas that had been cleaned earlier. Despite these issues, all 12-month employees are determined to provide the expected level of cleanliness and organization to which our students are accustomed. Greg Shaffer and his staff work very hard to get buildings and grounds in top shape for the beginning of the school year. I applaud the efforts of our corps of summer workers as they work tirelessly in the heat of the summer, inside and outside the buildings.

Building projects at Jackson and the high school are in full swing. I encourage you to log onto the district’s web site and check out the “Construction Pictures” section to see how the projects are progressing. I am involved in many hours of meetings and planning throughout the summer as the projects move forward. However, the minor inconveniences we face now will fade from our thoughts when our students—the reason for our existence!—enjoy the result of our efforts. I want to reiterate my appreciation for the efforts of our district’s committed families and school board members.

Every year my wonderful wife Judy, who is by nature an early-to-bed person, makes it a point to stay outdoors until after dark on June 21. She is determined to catch the last glimpse of daylight on the longest day of the year. I believe this helps her cope with how quickly summer fades into fall. She knows that autumn is my favorite time of year but I’m careful to keep talk of football, leaves, hunting, etc., to a minimum until after June 21.

Enjoy what is left of June, and have a safe and happy Fourth of July holiday!

Dr. D.