Friday Five...x2
The publication will continue, but this is Superintendent Robison's final Friday Five edition.
Welcome to my final installment of the Friday Five. It has been my pleasure to collaborate with our team to share five happenings (among thousands) each week in ZCS.
While it is difficult to say goodbye to the amazing people of ZCS, I am very much looking forward to reframing my time to include some other interests and pursuits--and without such 24/7 distraction from family and friends as this role became over time.
ZCS has commanded the lion's share of my waking attention for nearly 17 years. I have watched young students grow into wonderfully accomplished and successful young adults. I have shared in many families' joys, sat with grieving parents and staff members, and collaborated with many to build a set of campus and central operations teams focused without flinching upon the mission of student growth.
I have been inspired in ZCS more than frustrated and appreciated more than vilified. I have sought to pass credit for successes to those doing the core mission work and to absorb blame/make apology as a leader should--while striving to correct what is wrong. Ours is a large, complex human operation. It is therefore imperfect and still chasing excellence every day. Even when we capture excellence, there is always room for continuous improvement. Anyone who leads anything understands these dynamics well.
The opportunity to work with and for the ZCS family of educators, amazing board members, engaged parents, and wonderfully unique students--thousands of them--has been the honor of my professional career. Too, I must share my gratitude for the professional partners and consultants who have assisted our schools in technical aspects of finance, litigation, health care, design/construction, athletic training, school nursing, demographics, governmental relations, and more. They know who they are, and most of them live right here in Zionsville or Whitestown. These powerfully talented partners/allies have well assisted with our successes on behalf of youth.
I have spoken of passing the baton to Dr. Rebecca Coffman as "the upgrade," and I'm not being humble so much as realistic. Change is needed in organizations. People must signal this need and get out of the way. New eyes bring new vision--as it should be. Dr. Coffman has a wonderful future focus and a giant heart for youth. ZCS is in good hands as she takes the reigns.
This week's Friday Five is a X 2 edition. I am reflecting on ten memorable aspects of the thousands I/we have experienced here since mid-2006. While it is impossible to capture nearly two decades in a school community with just ten reflections, I've given it a good ol' Eagle try!
I hope you will take time to read, watch and reflect with me. It has been an honor to journey with you. Keep soaring.
Always an Eagle,
There are scores of stories that leap to mind. A first impression story at a PVE Ice Cream Social set the stage for me…
STUDENTS
Pleasant View Elementary School student memory
TEACHERS
Recollection #2 - Teachers
Finding teachers who teach children and young adults is better than finding teachers who teach subjects they love. A great example is finding folks who were already here when I got here in 2006 and hiring more just like our best.
Mary Hightshue was known as the French teacher in ZCS for more than 40 years, but everyone who encountered her knew she was about young people as much or more than her favorite world languages talent. Same is true of Scott Kubly in Math, Bob Brennan, Lindsay Alessandrini, Cindy King, Amy Ertel, Ann Bender, Donna Adams, Kim Gray, Liz Ferrand, Andy Seward, Scott Turnquist, Megan Magoni—and I could name a hundred more right off the top of my mind—counselors, too.
We have systematically hired one more like our best for a long time. Teachers are a top ten recollection of this place, to be sure.
Superintendent Scott Robison and the late Mike Shafer present at the State of the Schools address.
Superintendent Scott Robison and the late Mike Shafer present at the State of the Schools address.
The late Mike Shafer presents at ZCS Board meeting.
The late Mike Shafer presents at ZCS Board meeting.
TEAM
Recollection #3 - Team
Internal, external, referendum, finances, facilities, name it. Teams make this place work in the instructional, strategic and operations realms, and as a fitting exemplar, I will mention the late and truly great Mike Shafer—our long-serving Chief Financial officer who died suddenly in the spring of 2021.
Mike was brilliant. He was a quiet strategist who understood servant leadership well. He exemplified the concept so essential to organizational greatness in that he led well--precisely where he was in the organization. Everyone should lead where they are, and Mike led with sophistication, deep intelligence, and no ego interference. Top recollection, for sure, was the opportunity to serve the Zionsville Community Schools with Michael Shafer, CPA.
LEADERSHIP
Recollection #4 - Leadership
A top ten recollection was setting in motion my succession plan when I brought Becky Coffman into district leadership. Within one week she was using her science teacher skills to brief the board on HVAC systems. That was eight years ago this coming July. She will lead with experienced new eyes, dynamic people skill, and deep contextual knowledge of this core mission. I’m excited to see her fly as the lead eagle!
STEWARDSHIP
Recollection #5 - Stewardship
From cost cutting in 2007, thank you to former board members Mark Englert and Shari Richey—among others, to those like Mary Reid, Ellen Niksch and Mike Copher for professional leadership in passing five ballot questions since 2012, sustaining clean audits and the highest credit rating of any school district in Indiana, to being the only school district we’ve found in North America in which the superintendent and core district cabinet officials are paid entirely from money we earn---not state tuition support or taxpayer money. This entrepreneurial way of staying lean and paying in lean ways for top school leadership is the quietly boldest single bundle of successes in operations from my time leading here. This could not have happened without people like the late Mike Shafer, board members Rob Wingerter, Mark Englert, and the late Jim Krupowicz—and leaders of the effort like Jenny Froehle, Julie Oakley, Sue Gregerson, Rachel Vining, and more.
STRONG IN EVERY WAY
Recollection #6 - Strong in Every Way
No one is strong in every way. However, this comment by a parent about what every mom or dad wants for their youth stuck with us. Strong in Every Way became a major vehicle in moving the ZCS vision for student growth to be so much more than a thin little test score. Growth of young people is complex, often non-linear, and in need of a multiplicity of opportunities. ZCS is always growing and improving. That’s the gig—and a top ten recollection.
Recollection #7 - Lilly Grant
LILLY GRANT
Winning the Lilly Grant for Counseling and Mental Health. With our district’s zip code connoting affluence, few grantors look beyond the first sentence of a grant application from ZCS. However, with the mental health crisis among young people racing to the fore in 2011 or so, Lilly found compelling our grant’s opening sentence about curb appeal here in the ZCS bubble--but with kids who were not okay. We won a grant and retooled our counseling curricula and moved with all due speed to provide teaching to help mitigate student anxiety and mental health needs while also elevating staffing to provide more ready supports.
ZIONSVILLE EDUCATION FOUNDATION
Recollection #8 - Zionsville Education Foundation
Anything and everything about Zionsville Education Foundation (ZEF) is a top ten recollection from my time here. The Zionsville Education Foundation is key to the success of instructional innovation and so much more. ZEF is for big ideas that change students’ lives. ZEF is about being extraordinary in ways that our people and our organization may not think we can be. ZEF is for ZCS what Lombardi said about chasing perfection—“Perfection is ideal, but by chasing it, you can certainly catch excellence." ZEF is about excellence!
MY AGE
Reflection #9 - "How old do you think I am?"
Reflection #9 - "Are you my teacher's daddy?"
Reflection #10 - Student Exemplar
This top ten should return to where it started. Students and their growth--the reason ZCS exists and the reason for my life’s work in K-12 schools.
Sophie Quick is a student exemplar representing thousands of worthy young people I have had the pleasure of serving in ZCS. She was an extraordinary young leader who single-handedly brought the late Eva Kor to Zionsville for presentations that reached more than 2,000 people on topics of the Holocaust, survival, resilience and forgiveness. And then, when Sophie was a senior at ZCHS, she emailed me and asked that I help with a good-natured senior prank she and her friends cooked up. We hid tiny rubber ducks with seniors' names written on them throughout the high school. That late night trek through the high school with Sophie, ten other seniors, and our communications lead, was light and fun in spite of the pandemic that had upended many of their senior year traditions. We even had a duck references pun battle that closed when Sophie declared the video a “Duck-u-mentary” and called me “Ducktor Robison.”
Top ten reflections of my wonderful years as the ZCS superintendent start and end with --- the young people ZCS serves. Such an honor!
BONUS MOMENTS
Superintendent Scott Robison shares his gift of music with students at Boone Meadow Elementary School.
A leader who values community.
Superintendent Scott Robison gives a cameo performance at a Zionsville Community High School band concert.
A heart for kids.
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