Give them Roots, Give them Wings

Last week in Fremont many of your friends and neighbors wrapped-up one labor of love, and prepared to begin another.

When our Board of Education last week agreed to send a bond proposal for a new high school to state treasury officials for approval, it marked the end of a year-long investigative effort by the Finding the Future in Fremont citizen’s committee.

This committee took up their task in October 2007 by extensively reviewing the school district’s facility needs. Last spring they suggested the district needed a new high school, and asked permission to research possible building sites.

Their research was meticulous, involving committee and community meetings, presentations and discussions, community forums and one-on-one conversations. More than 100 people participated on the citizen’s committee; as many as 1,500 gave direct input.

Now, after making their recommendation to the Board of Education for a new high school on the Wagenmaker Farms property, the committee is about to begin again. This time, to make sure you receive the information you need to make an informed decision next May.

I have said before how wonderful it is to watch everyday people come together to decide and to work for, what they feel is best for their children and for their community. Today I want to thank each of them for taking time for their children in this way.

There is a special quality to Fremont. Many of you, who have lived here all of your lives, have always sensed it. Many, who left, and returned, and those who have come from other places, can compare Fremont to places they have lived. But there is a reason we are all here.

Perhaps we can find it in the Nestlé Company’s public commitment last week to Gerber and to Fremont, to keep the company here and to help it grow. They have a passion for children, and they see something in Fremont that makes them want to be here.

I believe we share the desire, from an old saying, to give our children two things: roots and wings. Roots to keep them grounded through tough times, wings to soar above everything, explore new worlds, and fly farther than we ever did.

 

John D. Kingsnorth
Superintendent
Fremont Public Schools
(231) 924-2350
jkingsnorth@fremont.net