What does it take to be a WeGo Wildcat?

What does it mean to be a Community High School Wildcat? As the new superintendent of Community High School District 94 in West Chicago, I look forward to meeting our students to learn firsthand what it takes to be a Wildcat.

I understand that over the past school year, the School Climate Committee conducted a schoolwide survey and used that data to create a touchstone describing what it means to be a WeGo Wildcat. This is the result of their work:

Working together

Embracing diversity

Giving to our community

Owning our voice

This is more than a vision for our school; it is the representation of who our students are and what they do that makes them WeGo Wildcats. It says our students value working together, whether on classroom projects, sports teams, or clubs and activities. It says they value diversity and that our school is better because everyone is not exactly the same. It says our students give back to the community for providing them with an excellent education. And it says that they accept responsibility for their words, and understand that words can have both negative and positive outcomes.

As I meet and get to know our students, parents and community members, I encourage you to get to know our Wildcats here at Community High School right along with me. As the school year progresses, you will see a greater emphasis on communication as we spread the word about what our Wildcats are doing as they learn and grow. Visit our website (www.d94.org), and watch for social media activities including Twitter and Facebook to learn more about our school and what our Wildcats are up to.

I am rather new to blogging, but I see it as a tool to help bridge the communication between home and school as well as chronicle the happenings throughout the district during the year. You can find a link to my blog on the district’s home page. I hope to provide some insight into our successes and challenges, a firsthand look at our students, and information on upcoming events and meetings.

My passion is teaching and learning, but I am also an advocate of student involvement in school through participation in student activities. My goal is to actively engage students in the learning process and to empower them to be 21st century learners. Through the development of broader educational goals it is my hope to develop local initiatives that will shape the future success of students at Community High School District 94. I am looking forward to having a dialogue with parents, teachers, community members and, most importantly, students about educational opportunities and school community happenings around our district.

I look forward to meeting our Wildcats on Friday, Aug. 23!

Ÿ Doug Domeracki is superintendent of Community High School District 94 in West Chicago. His column appears monthly during the school year.