Principal's Friday Update From Truman High School

By Tommie Saylor
Truman High School Principal

“Judge not lest ye be judged”  (The Holy Bible: King James Version, Matthew 7)

Today marks the end of the annual state mandated testing that includes the ACT, Work Keys, and Merit Examination, or more affectionately known as the MME’s. 

Our juniors endured three days of testing, costing the district thousands of dollars in both preparation and implementation, and our students hundreds of hours of study to make themselves ready for this evaluative marathon.  But what is really sad about this, is that in a few short months the test results will be made public, and good orbad, this is how we will be judged.  

The media, the politicians, and even our own community members only look at this one point of data and derive conclusions of our worth, make determinations if we are doing our jobs, come to conclusions that influence funding and distribution of resources, and enact decrees that affects careers and students alike.

What the media, politicians, and many of those in the general populous do not understand, or choose to not understand, is that we do so much more than just simply teach Math, Science, English, and Social Studies…. WE TEACH STUDENTS, not subjects.

We teach lifelong skills that prepare students to enter into the adult world.

If one wishes to evaluate the level of instruction taking place at Harry S Truman High School, lets looks at the whole, not the part -- not a single point of data, not three days of grueling test taking, but the totality of what takes place within our hallowed halls.  

Let’s consider the nearly 40 students that qualified for state level DECA competition thanks to the tireless work of Ms. Carly Lundgren. 

Let’s consider the band that received the highest marks possible at District level MSBOA competition, a band that is now preparing for state level competition thanks toour amazing director, Mr. Jason Cassell.  

Let’s consider the nearly 200 students who were accepted to college on the spot during our college fair, where over 30 colleges were represented handing out over $1.7 million in scholarship money, all thanks to our counseling team of Mr. Jerome Abraham, Ms. Maryann Chaparian, Ms. Jennifer Moitozo and Ms.Kim Wozny.

Let’s consider our JROTC program that just a few weeks ago took first place in a drill competition due to the efforts of First Sgt.  Karol Clampitt and Staff Sgt. Kurt Wilson.  

Let’s consider our science department that took their students out to the football field this last fall and taught them all about rocketry, culminating in the launching of multiple rockets affectionately known as “rocket day,” thanks to the organizationand diligence of Ms. Shannon Adis, Ms. Neeru Bhooi, Ms. Jamie Crosson, Mr. David Grimason, Ms. Michelle Szabo, and Mr. Anthony Thomas.  

Let’s consider the lifesaving skills being taught by Mr. Pimer on the pool deck, the Ping-Pong matches organized by Mr. Bechtol between our students and the senior citizens within our community, and the 30 years Ms. Fortune has been leading the Youth In Government students to Lansing to give our students the experience of proposing bills and passing resolutions.  

Let’s consider the school newspaper edited by Mr. James Solak, WHST broadcasting class taught by Mr. Dennis Winnie, after school tutoring organized by Ms. Linda Rzepecki, the endless hours spent by Ms.Roseann Woloszyk making sure our special needs students are appropriately accommodated for MEAP and MME tests.

Let's consider Ms. Teri Hanning without, without whom we would not have been able to conduct any of the multiple standardized tests taken by our students this year, Ms. Graznak who teaches our students the art of publication through the production of the Yearbook, and Ms. Lisa Arseneau and Ms. Rosalind Lojewski, who head up the AP program affording many of our students college credit before they even enter the collegiate world.  

Let’s consider Ms. Melissa Skopczynsk,i who feeds a student every morning knowing that this student does not receive breakfast at home, our maintenance team that keeps our school in working order, our secretaries that have become surrogate mothers for us all, and Ms. Kerrie Voorheis who leads the team that worked for months resulting in Truman becoming fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) on our first attempt.  

I wish that I could remember more, but I’m sure you get the point. So many good things take place at Truman that goes well above and beyond what can be gleaned through state mandated tests.  

We afford our students educational experiences that cannot possibly be measured by paper and pencil, yet are exponentially more important that just standardized testing.

Let the chips fall where they may, I fear not the results of the MME’s. I know what kind of educators we have. I have seen the blood, sweat and tears -- so many tears you have shed on behalf of your students.

We will do what we have always done, celebrate our successes and tackle our failures. 

We, the teachers, will educate. 

Remember, their future is in our hands. Improving one week at a time.

This is The New Truman High School.

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