Serendipity

ser·en·dip·i·ty (sĕr'ən-dĭp'ĭ-tē)—making fortunate discoveries by accident

What a pleasant surprise it was to look at Wednesday’s paper and see an article naming Graham as a school that is "closing the achievement gap." Graham, Ellis, and several schools from Talladega County were among 73 schools in Alabama with this distinction. A complete list of the schools appears here

What does this mean to us? The answer is MONEY. I am unsure about how much and exactly how it can be spent. I have called the State Department and am awaiting a call to help answer some of those questions.

As a faculty, we reduced the achievement gap both between our free lunch and paid students and between our white students and black students. Also, we closed the gap to a greater degree than the state average. A total of 73 Alabama schools are receiving financial rewards for being "Gap Closers."

I realize that as you go about planning your lessons and working with your students, you are not thinking much about closing the gap between this subgroup or that subgroup. It's obvious that your focus is on each child as an individual. The gaps I see you closing are the ones between where that child is right now and where you know he or she can be. I believe as long as our day-to-focus is there, the rest will take care of itself.

Congratulations to each of you for the part you play in the big picture. As we continue to do the very best we can do in whatever our position may be, who knows what other serendipity may come our way.