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Dear Mauston and Lyndon Station Communities:
My first year with the School District of Mauston was in 1996-97 and that year has always been one that I would look back on with great reflection. I remember being a first-year varsity boys’ basketball coach and wondering if the challenges were greater than my knowledge and skills. I also remember having a group of coaches and players that worked together each day to get better, to be the best we could be. That was a very demanding but also very rewarding year. The things we accomplished were only because of the collective efforts of the team.
The 2019-20 school year brought about many of the same thoughts for me as a first-year superintendent. The courses I took in preparation for the position never shared how to operate a school district amid a global pandemic. Once again, I was questioning whether or not I had the knowledge and skills for the challenges presented. Thankfully, just like my first year of coaching basketball, the team came together and worked together to overcome the many obstacles put in front of us.
We have a slogan at the School District of Mauston that says #OneTeam. This slogan is used in our print materials, website, and social media posts. The #OneTeam was evident every day throughout March, April, and May. Our teaching and support staff, administration, families, and students all worked together to make the best of the most difficult circumstances. As I have said before and will continue to say, there is no place I would rather be and take tremendous pride in our communities and district.
The School District of Mauston is proud and thankful for the strong business and community partnerships that have been developed and strengthened throughout the years. We also appreciate the support our families give to our staff and administration. We know the success of our students depends on the collaboration of all our educational stakeholders. Our community planning session last November illustrated the importance of all our students graduating with the skills and knowledge to be successful in whatever pathway they choose.
This school year will provide many more challenges for the district. We face decisions about the pandemic and providing safety measures for our schools, facility maintenance, and building priorities, and our curricular and technology needs. We are blessed to have a great TEAM of teaching and support staff along with the support of our families and students.
My commitment to you is to lead by example and with integrity, match my actions to my beliefs and act in trustworthy ways. I continue to be enthusiastic about this work and will learn from each of you as much as I will contribute. Please join me and our great staff in celebrating a new school year. We look forward to your support and ideas as we work together to help our students and communities succeed. What we know more now than ever before is we are strongest as #OneTeam.
Joel Heesch
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