One of the happiest periods of the school year occurs in the late spring and early summer. Students, teachers, and parents enjoy this season of award ceremonies and graduation exercises. This is a time for congratulations and celebrations. This is the time that we celebrate student achievement, we celebrate their persistence, we celebrate the gaining of insight into who they are, what they believe, and what they value, and we also celebrate the fact that there is a readiness for the next phase of life. During this season we not only congratulate the students but we acknowledge the role that teachers, parents, and other care givers have played in assisting the students in getting to this educational milestone.
The close of the school year is the time for looking back and looking forward. The staff of the DPS Foundation looks back on a year of change and a year of successes. We smile as we remember of first event which was a Roast and Toast of Darrell Burks. We are grateful that the change in leadership at the Foundation was seamless. We appreciate the role that we played in assisting students in their participation in many out of class activities. Students and teachers attended the Presidential Inauguration in D.C., others performed on the stage at Carnegie Hall, dancers experienced a Master Class with professionals from the Dance Theater of Harlem, and a group of elementary students traveled across state to participate in Academic Games. These and many other activities enhanced the education of these students because of the generosity of everyone who contributed to the DPS Foundation.
As we add our congratulations to students, parents, and teachers, we thank everyone who assisted us in achieving our goals. We look back with pride, and we look forward with anticipation. The next learning opportunity is ahead of us and we know that it will have a positive impact on the district and its students. We look forward to new partnerships and we welcome the opportunity to participate in the achievement of the goals of the new DPS Strategic Plan. With your help, great things are happening here at the DPS Foundation.