Page 6 - Mid Valley Times 8-15-19 E-edition

Thursday, August 15, 2019 | A6 | Mid Valley TiMes
Self reflection, inspiration at KCUSD staff meeting Aug. 9
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
It was just before noon on Aug. 9 inside the Performing Arts Center on the Reedley High School campus — during the annual staff meeting for Kings Can- yon Unified School Dis- trict — when teachers and administrators took out their cell phones, switched on their flash- lights, and collectively held their phones up in the air.
"I must tell you, this was the first time I did the phone flashlight mo- ment, and I'm definitely going back to that," said Peter Flores.
Flores, the guest speaker at the event, who currently serves as the Director of Student Services for the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, said initially he felt nervous about asking teachers to take their phones out for the "flashlight moment" but he's glad he took a chance and did it.
"It was definitely an awesome moment," he said. "But more than anything else, it tells me that Kings Canyon Uni- fied School District, they get it."
Flores' message to staff centered around self reflection, not just on an individual level, but for the entire edu-
Photos by Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
LEFT: Kings Canyon Unified School District staff members held up their lit up phones during the Aug. 9 meeting to demonstrate unity and strength within the district.
ABOVE: Alison Stevens, right, a senior at Reedley Middle College High School, singsasolowhileperformingwiththeKCShowcasesingers.
cational system as a whole.
"Sometimes we make assumptions rela- tive to all that and we can't seem to close the achievement gap and that's because we're not looking at institutional systems that exist," he said.
"And when we ask why some students are
doing better than others, we shouldn't always put it on the student or the parent, sometime's it's us; the educational insti- tution."
The annual district staff meeting is held each year and takes place one week prior to the first day of school.
It is aimed at inspir- ing faculty to do their
best for the upcoming year, and also includes an "Employee of the Year" portion where standout employees are recognized for their ex- tra efforts during the previous year.
"From all of us, we want to send a message to all of you, the most important thing is that you take care of your-
self and you take care of each other," said John Campbell, Kings Canyon Unified School District superinten- dent. "We cannot be there for the children, if we're not there for ourselves."
Campbell thanked the faculty for all their hard work and said he's look- ing forward to a produc-
tive year.
"I close with the fact
that it is a privilege and an honor to be the superintendent of such an outstanding district like Kings Canyon Uni- fied School District."
Classes resumed on Aug.14 at the district's elementary, middle school, K-8 and high school campuses.
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