By Tammy Campbell

Federal Way Public Schools

There is a lot to be thankful for this school year. We have a community committed to the success of our scholars, and we appreciate all who have gifted their time, talent and resources. Your contributions in helping our scholars learn and grow now, and into the future are making an impact.

We recently celebrated the grand opening of the multi-phase Federal Way High School project. Thanks to our community’s support, Federal Way High School has been rebuilt into a state-of-the-art school that will serve thousands of students for decades to come. Scholars are preparing for college and career with access to courses that didn’t previously exist such as computer science, bio tech, engineering and advanced manufacturing, sports medicine and Pro Start culinary arts. These are all high tech, living wage professions students can pursue through post-secondary education, or walk right onto the job field after graduation.

Thanks to our voters who approved bond funding in the November 2017 election, we are moving forward with eight school construction projects, as well as the renovation of Memorial Stadium and various smaller projects throughout the district. Six of these school construction projects — Mirror Lake, Wildwood, Lake Grove and Star Lake Elementary School, Totem Middle School and Thomas Jefferson High School — are currently in the planning and design phases of construction. We appreciate the staff, parents, scholars and neighbors who have provided feedback on each project as we move toward construction.

Safe learning environments are at the forefront of everything we do and we are grateful for strong partnerships with local law enforcement and fire department personnel who partner with us to ensure safe learning environments for our staff and scholars. Because of this strong partnership, we are enhancing emergency preparedness training for staff and students and building robust emergency and incident response plans that are customized for each school site.

Mentoring matters. The caring adults in the district’s Mentor & Me Program and Communities in Schools of Federal Way increase our scholars’ chances of achieving success. It’s never too late to become a mentor. January is National Mentoring Month, and we invite our community to make a difference in a scholar’s life by becoming a mentor.

Federal Way is a strong community and we are appreciative of the individuals and organizations who volunteer and give back to our schools with school supply drives, holiday support efforts, providing assistance to scholars experiencing homelessness, and so much more.

It takes all of us to provide opportunities so that each of our scholars — our community’s children — can reach their full potential. We want students to be thriving as confident individuals who are masters of their learning and feel deeply rooted and cared for in their community. Now more than ever, our schools can’t do this work alone. We need difference makers, not doubters.

So again, I heartfelt thank you for believing in our scholars, our schools, and making a positive impact in our community.

Dr. Tammy Campbell is the superintendent of Federal Way Public Schools.