Superintendent’s Corner
By Andrea Sheridan
The 2022 - 2026 School District of Athens Strategic Plan remains as the foundation upon which we make decisions relevant to students, staff, families, and our community.
Our vision serves as our compass, and our mission reminds us how we will reach our final destination. The goals and action steps included in the strategic plan help us identify the most urgent, and important areas of operation we need to address now, and in the future.
Vision: Our Athens school community will cultivate and promote a positive, inclusive culture of respect with equity, integrity and dignity. Students will be empowered to thrive emotionally, socially, and academically within a proactive, compassionate, and nurturing system of support.
Mission: Our mission is to promote a safe, inclusive, engaging learning environment to promote critical thinking, citizenship and student empowerment through strong school and community relationships.
The vision and mission statements create the basis for three areas of focus, or what we have described as our “pillars”: Staff and Student Engagement; Family and Community Engagement; and Facilities and Operations. Each of these pillars have corresponding purpose statements.
One of the purpose statements which supports Student and Staff Engagement reads: Develop the whole child by providing high quality programming and resources to support the social-emotional wellbeing of all children to ensure that each student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. We promote this purpose by providing our students with 19 extra-curricular options at the high school level. One option in particular is Future Business Leaders of America, Inc. (FBLA).
FBLA is the largest business Career and Technical Student Organization in the world. Each year, FBLA helps over 230,000 members prepare for careers in business. The Athens High School FBLA chapter has approximately 20 members, and is located in Region 2, which comprises approximately 30 total chapters. The involvement of students in extracurricular activities such as the Future Business Leaders of America reflects the district’s dedication to providing diverse opportunities for students to explore their interests, and prepare for future careers.
The School District of Athens hosted the Regional FBLA Leadership Conference (RLC) on Feb. 3. This is the first level of competition for FBLA students.
Michelle Murkowski, FBLA advisor, shared this statement, “Athens may be considered a small chapter, but we have 90 percent of students competing this year, and all FBLA members will be in attendance at the local event to help host. Over 600 students competing in 75 different events, ranging from Accounting, Parliamentary Procedure, Social Media Strategies, and Website Design will be in attendance. The top three students in each event advance to the State Leadership Conference inApril 2024.”
Jennifer Espinoza-Quiroz, Athens High School senior, is the Region 2 state vice president. There are six regions throughout the state, and each of the regional vice presidents is responsible to host their regional competition.
In addition to hosting the regional competition, Jennifer interacts with other members of the state team to create, plan and execute initiatives for Future Business Leaders of America. As a state officer, it is her responsibility to promote the mission of FBLA, which is to inspire and prepare students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences.
The School District of Athens is proud to provide this supportive and enriching educational experience for our students, allowing them to develop into well-rounded individuals, and future leaders in our community.
Andrea Sheridan
