Opinion: Thank you to all who supported positive start to 2019-20 school year

On behalf of Sumter School District, I would like to thank the Sumter community for its support for a positive opening to the 2019-20 school year. We are fortunate to live in a community where people are concerned and care about the quality of life and education for our children and ourselves. The examples below are just a sample of recent demonstrations of collaboration and support for public education.

To ensure a positive school opening for many students, United Ministries sponsored the Gear Up For Learning program again this year. Sumter School District sincerely appreciates all of the hard work and countless hours the volunteers contributed toward making this project a remarkable success. Thanks to the generosity of local churches, businesses, organizations and individual community members, our students in need were to start the school year with the necessary school supplies.

The Sumter County Ministerial Alliance and the Sumter County Concerned Clergy treated the adults who work for and with students to an uplifting back-to-school event. The highly motivating program provided tremendous inspiration and was greatly appreciated. Their investment in us will serve us well as we embrace the opportunities this school year brings to ensure great educational experiences for every child.

Thank you to the faith-based community, government agencies, military and civic organizations that went above and beyond to host back-to-school events and/or school supply drives. Collaborations such as these guarantee students are well informed and start the school year off right.

Furthermore, thank you to the Forestry Commission for the $277,536 donation to our school district. Donations are deposited into our general fund and benefit our schools directly. They are utilized for educational materials to further enhance the educational opportunities for our students.

Sumter School District is committed to continuing our partnerships to transform the educational system by setting new and higher standards for student achievement. We constantly look ahead to discover innovative means to reach our students and will equip our teachers to do so. Through collaboration and teamwork, we look forward to building upon the efforts already underway to help our greatest assets, our children, succeed. Together, we can achieve excellence.

PENELOPE MARTIN-KNOX, Ed.D.

Superintendent, Sumter School District