So Glad To Be Here...

Greetings! I wanted to bring you up to speed on current happenings.

I started here at MC on May 19th. It has been extremely gratifying yet at the same time overwhelming. I can unabashedly say the people I have come in contact with have been amazingly receptive and warm.
I have marveled at the school spirit of Manheim Central School District. And, I would be remiss if I did not mention that I recently read the football team has not had a losing season in 42 years. Talk about an attitude and culture of winning!

I plan on using this forum to keep you abreast of my entry plan. To date, I have met with all the administrators as part of my early entry plan. Details to follow.

Hope you have a great weekend! Please feel free to stop in and see me or send me an email (aikenp@manheimcentral.org).

It's a great day to be a Baron!

Leadership Lessons from Bruce Arians

I begin my day the same way everyday. I come downstairs, start the coffee pot, and read the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. (I never claimed to be normal). 


I read a great article this morning on Bruce Arians that piqued my leadership curiosity. Bruce Arians, now the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, was once the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers.


The article went on to explain how he has been a successful coach wherever he has been. One of his current coaches explained it this way: Bruce is successful because he places great emphasis on relationships. He has a real passion for people.


He has a real passion for people. This statement has resonated in my mind all day. I began to think of how successful you could be as a leader if you truly, intimately, adopted this mindset; and carried it out in action- not just words. Think of how much better our schools would be if we all had a real passion for people? How about the workplace? How about our neighborhoods? How about our world?


All around us negativity swirls. Turning the tide starts with each of us. I challenge you to have a passion for people. See how much better your life becomes by pouring into others. From an ancient proverb: your life will be refreshed by refreshing others.


He has a real passion for people.

Another Snow Day!

Good Day!

As I write this most recent newsletter, it is 9 degrees. We have been off of school for the past two days. As much as I hate to admit it, my thoughts over the past two days, coupled with the other snow days/delays we have had this year, run to standardized testing. What impact will the weather have on our kids this year?!

Unfortunately, this is our reality. Standardized testing has really become the driving force behind what we do each day. As the snow pelted us yesterday, I was in touch with various teachers to reschedule our third benchmark test of the year. To note, our third benchmark test comes on the heels of our 8th grade class most recently taking the CDT tests.

In the midst of the various cancellations and delays, one school in particular caught my attention. I noticed that a local community college had posted “On-line learning day”. Rather than cancel school, all students were expected to log into their respective computers to complete the day’s learning. What an awesome idea! I am not sure all of the logistics this would take; however, students could log into their respective classes to ensure no learning was lost due to inclement weather. If there was a way we could make this work at CWMS, learning would never be lost to a snow day again!

Here is a link to a news story from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. This highlights three schools from Pittsburgh who do not lose instruction due to poor weather.

Education in 2014 is not relegated to a building. Let’s keep striving towards a ‘wall-less’ school room!