Mr. John Fairchild

Dear Chazy School and Community Members,

As of July 1st I have officially taken over the role of Superintendent of Chazy Central Rural School. Prior to beginning I was fortunate to have five days to visit Chazy and become reacquainted with the school and community. I wish to thank Kevin Mulligan and the entire school community for the gracious welcoming I have received. Everyone has truly gone out of their way to make me feel at home.

During two of my visitation days school was in session so I had the opportunity to meet several students. I was amazed at how polite and respectful the students were. Having been away for 33 years I had almost forgotten about the exemplary behavior of the students who walk these halls. Many high school students approached me and introduced themselves, something that does not happen in most schools. Elementary students took time to share what they liked about Chazy School. The swimming pool was the clear winner.

The faculty and staff also welcomed me to their classrooms to see a lesson or to talk with students. In addition many staff members took the time to speak with me about their programs and their love for the school. It is very clear that the teachers and staff at Chazy are here to provide excellent educational opportunities for students.

Over the next several months I will be meeting many new people and becoming reacquainted with some people that I have known for my entire life, but have lost touch with. I will also be looking at how I can help the teachers lead their students to success. I will do my best to continue the traditions that are the hallmark of Chazy, while at the same time looking for ways we can do an even better job of educating our students. Given past successes of the school and community I know that I will need to look hard.

One thing that I hope to accomplish early on is making our website more interactive. Hopefully, we will be able to use our website as a primary means of communication with parents and the community at large. Please visit the website again in September to see what changes are occurring. If you like what you see, or have suggestions, please let me know. I can be reached at 846-7135 or via email at jfairchild@chazy.org.

As most of you are aware during this summer we will be continuing the next phase of our construction project. When faculty, staff and students return in the fall they will see many changes. Some will be readily apparent, such as new ceilings and wallpaper in many areas. Some other changes will be unnoticed, such as new windows and heating units, but these changes will reduce energy costs, saving the district money in the future. I want to thank everyone in the community for supporting the much needed upgrades to our school facilities. When the project is done we will all have a school building that we can continue to be proud of for many years to come.

In closing, I wish to extend a thank you to everyone who has made the first week of my return to Chazy so welcoming. Thanks to the Board of Education for their support of me, the district support staff and administrators for showing me the ropes, and especially Kevin Mulligan for leaving me a school in such great shape. I know I have left some people out, but if I list everyone who has helped me during this week my letter would be way too long. I wish everyone a pleasant and relaxing summer and look forward to seeing you in the fall.

Sincerely,

John “Toby” Fairchild