Schools gather to focus on legacies

With staff and administrators from all five of Boulder City’s public schools together, BCHS Principal Amy Wagner explained in one sentence why they were all gathered last Friday.

“These kids are not walking into a classroom; they’re walking into a legacy,” she said.

Legacy being the operative word as those in the filled high school cafeteria looked at not only what it means to be a student in Boulder City but an educator as well.

Represented were administrators and teachers from BCHS, Garrett Middle School, King and Mitchell elementary schools as well as the newest public school in Boulder City, the one at the St. Jude’s Healing Center.

Each school was broken into small working groups.

“I’ve been wanting to get all of our staffs together for quite some time,” Wagner said to the group. “Today is not about one school or staff, it’s about all of us. I’m so excited that we’re all together in one space. It doesn’t matter if we’re at one of the elementary schools, the junior high, high school or the new Healing Center, we all serve the same families and students. They’re just at different parts of their journey.”

Wagner showed a short slide show of the history of education in Boulder City, starting with when Hoover Dam was being built. Since many of the workers had children, some of the wives started teaching with a $1 tuition but the students had to bring their own textbooks. Soon after, the U.S. Congress allocated $70,000 for the Boulder City School District.

The morning was broken into various activities, including individual time capsules, one per table, to be opened at the end of the school year. The time capsules included the following:

• Our team goal for the year: What is one shared goal we want to accomplish together by the end of the school year?

• Team motto or quote: Choose a quote, phrase, or motto that will guide your team through the year.

• Letter to our future selves: Write a note to your team and read later. What should you remember, celebrate or keep in perspective?

• Predictions for the year: What do you think will happen this year?

• Challenges we know we will face: What is a roadblock you anticipate? How will you support one another through it?

Near the end of the morning, each teacher was asked to create a legacy stick. On one side in big numbers, they were to put the number of years they have been in education. On the other side, where they’re from, a drawing of their high school mascot and why they enjoy education.

“As educators, we each bring with us a story – a beginning, a purpose, a path and a passion,” the instructions for the legacy stick read. “Today, you have captured that on your legacy stick. Not just a timeline of your years in education but a visual reminder of why you show up every day. Whether you are just beginning or have decades behind you, each legacy matters. Each stick adds to the story of our schools and our community. We are in this work together, because we are all connected by our students, our schools, and our shared commitment to this community we all love, Boulder City.”

After finishing the legacy sticks, they lined up, shoulder to shoulder, within the interior of the cafeteria in order of the number of years in education. BCHS math teacher Bill Strachan was at one end with 42 ½ years all the way to those just starting in education.

“I love the idea of getting together and I love the idea of doing time capsules,” King Elementary Principal Jason Schrock said, who was celebrating his birthday. “I grew up in Boulder City so names like (Brian) Fox, and (Don) Estes and (Bill) Strachan are legacies. These are people I will always remember because they played such an integral part in my life and education. So, I want you all to think about the legacy you will leave.”