By HOLLY GASKILL
During Norwell’s first strategic planning meeting of the year, members of the district’s staff, administration and community members focused on growth.
Growth in two meanings — how the district has grown and developed its resources, and where it needs to grow and adapt.
The group started by revisiting a “SWOT” analysis from the 2021-22 school year, detailing the district’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. At the time, the district had found a lack of commitment to programming and marketing to be threats and opportunities, both of which those present found had made significant strides since. Strengths included the school’s response to COVID-19, facilities and a welcoming community.
Since then, there have been some significant shifts. For example, the district embarked on a massive branding effort, including changing the district name and implementing districtwide colors. However, those present did find room for better marketing, particularly in making schools’ accomplishments known.
The group also applauded the district’s programming and dual-credit opportunities but expressed a desire to grow the schools’ fine arts opportunities, assess each school’s individual needs, and continue to serve special education resources.
The goal list is a work in progress, Superintendent Mike Springer noted. He fielded feedback on a vision statement, “At Norwell, we seek opportunities for inquiry, improvement and innovation.” Keeping the alliteration but refining the idea, the group also considered ideas like insight, inspiration and impact.
“Through everything we go through as an organization … this is the kind of stuff we come back to — who do we want to be?” Springer summarized.
Norwell holds strategic planning meetings directly following their second monthly school board meeting.
The regular agenda items, in contrast, took roughly five minutes to get through, approving personnel matters and a contract with Nexus Therapy for speech pathologists.
The board accepted resignations from Lancaster Elementary School teaching assistant Elizabeth Mann, Norwell High School girls’ assistant soccer coach Rob Fuess, and bus driver Judi Sonnigsen.
The following employment recommendations were also approved: Dylan Felger as NHS assistant track coach, Lex Hunter as NHS assistant baseball coach, Allyson Wireman as Ossian Elementary School teaching assistant, Alex Howard as LES special education teacher and Shanna Snyder as OES teaching assistant.
The district also received donations of $500 from Family Ford of Bluffton to the Norwell High School athletic program and several massagers from Peyton’s Northern for athletic trainers’ treatments.
holly@news-banner.com
