Tom Trigg, Ed.D. Blue Valley Schools Superintendent

As the school year draws to a close, I can't help but think about the tremendous success our students and staff members have experienced this year.

Staff members have been working tirelessly to help each child find success academically and personally - and it shows. Not only did Blue Valley students perform extremely well in state assessment testing again this year, students also achieved greatness in activities, athletics and received a variety of local, state and national awards. More than 400 AP Scholar accolades were given to Blue Valley students, a tribute to their hard work and the dedication of their teachers to help them reach these heights. Thirty-three students were named National Merit Finalists - the highest number of Blue Valley finalists in one year. At the building level, 12 Blue Valley schools were honored with the Governor's Achievement Award, an award that recognizes the top performing schools in the state of Kansas.

In addition to these wonderful successes, the district also received a glowing review from patrons in the district in the biennial Customer Assessment Survey. District patrons were randomly selected to participate and 95 percent of patrons surveyed said they would give teachers in the district a grade of "A" or "B," compared to 91 percent in 2005. Overall, 91 percent of respondents said they would give the district as a whole an "A" or a "B." This shows us that the efforts our staff members are making to personalize student learning are paying off. We are dedicated to Education Beyond Expectations and we are grateful to have a community that is supportive of those efforts.

I cannot express enough how proud I am of all of our students and staff for their hard work and dedication. But there is one particular group that I'm most proud of right now: our seniors. This is an exciting time as their educational journey in Blue Valley comes to an end. But I am confident that our seniors are filled with promise for a bright future as they graduate this month and venture out into the world. I look forward to hearing all about their successes in the years to come.

I'd also like to take this opportunity say thank you to parents, staff and community for your support throughout this year. Blue Valley would not be the district it is without you.

Have a wonderful summer.

Tom Trigg , Ed.D.
Superintendent