Leaders within the Niles Community Schools are doing their part to ensure that the middle word in the district’s name remains an integral part of the educational process.

The school district hosted a special board meeting/community forum last week, bringing a variety of stakeholders together to help shape the future of the schools through the development of a strategic plan.

The result was nothing short of spectacular.

For starters, it was tremendous to see that more than 40 people gave up eight hours of their Saturday two weeks before Christmas; all for the greater good of the community.

And this was a diverse group that included board members, administrators, teachers, staff, parents, and leaders of community organizations like the YMCA, Lake Michigan College, the library and the chamber of commerce. I guess that’s where I fall as a representative of the newspaper.

Mark Weber, CEO of the Niles-Buchanan YMCA, agreed he was impressed with the number of community leaders that got involved in this process.

“We are starting to see an increased focus in our community around youth education and development,” he said. “When business, families, community groups and schools work together, students are bound to be more successful and the entire community benefits.”

It was also truly exhilarating to see this wasn’t just a dog-and-pony show so the district could say public input was sought.

Led by an outside consultant in partnership with the Michigan Association of School Boards, the process was truly driven by those in attendance.

Superintendent Dan Applegate took lots of notes, encouraged discussion and genuinely wanted the whole process to have involvement. Everyone involved checked his or her egos and personal agendas in order to really focus on the task at hand.

This is another important step for a district that, just a couple of years ago, faced serious questions about its culture and image within the community.

Gaining support to pass the bond levies earlier this year was also key in this process that certainly has involved some healing. The next step will be in seeing through the plans promised.

But having a clear mission and vision for success will be fundamental as well. That was the focal point Saturday.

The group helped craft a vision statement, mission statement and fully articulate a core set of beliefs for the district. These will be compiled with feedback gained from other sessions, student input and more sources to be formally presented in February to the school board, many of whom were present.

Once adopted, it will be Applegate’s job to work with administration to implement it. While some would be intimidated by the challenge, Applegate seems energized by it.

If Saturday’s meeting is any indication then this should be a smooth, collaborative process that doesn’t let anything distract the district away from the ultimate objective — providing the best education possible for Niles students and preparing all for future success.

 

Michael Caldwell is the publisher of Leader Publications LLC. He can be reached at (269) 687-7700 or by email at mike.caldwell@leaderpub.com.