Creating a Culture Focused on Student Strength
Kirstie Gabaldon President-elect, Florida Association of School Administrators Assistant Principal, Creekside High School, St. Johns County “Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into Benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.” ~ John F. Kennedy “I teach. What’s your superpower?” Anon. Visitors arriving at Creekside High School comment that the school feels like a college campus, or how happy everyone looks, or that the school feels like a positive place. What generates this atmosphere is not a well-placed palm tree or bench (although we have those), nor is it the tall rotunda, or shiny red paint. I would argue that what generates this atmosphere is confidence. At Creekside we have focused on developing opportunities for our 2,000 students to explore and discover what they are interested in, and where their talents may lie. We