GREENFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
141 Davis Street, Greenfield, MA 01301
“Every Child’s Success is Our Mission”
Ph: 413-772-1310 / Fax: 413-772-1379
Jordana B. Harper, Superintendent of
Schools
10/30/15
Good Afternoon,
What is so powerful about education is that it endures. Every teacher knows that the
result of the hard work, endless hours of dedication, papers graded and relationships
built with students, will not come immediately. Students do not return the next day
and say “thank you for that homework assignment.” Instead, the results come years,
sometimes a decade or perhaps two, later, when a student returns to say “you made
a difference in my life. Thank you for believing in me, challenging me, and inspiring
me.”
In this magnificent new building, it is quite possible, and very tangible even, to see
that what we do today, will have an enduring impact on so many students’ lives for
so many years to come. Greenfield, as the seat of Franklin County, is lucky to have
this state of the art facility for our students to learn in, today.
So it is in that spirit that I would like to thank the past and present members of the
School Committee, High School Building Committee, and Town Council, Mass
School Building Authority, local and state representatives, including Senate
President Rosenberg and State Represent Paul Mark, present here today, and of
course the cooperation of the construction team – including Shawmut Construction,
Construction Monitoring Services, and Dore & Whittier architects, along with Town
Departments. I would also like to thank past and present supporters of public
education in Greenfield, including the teachers, families, administrators, and of
course students who breathe life into the walls and halls that we are standing in today
– for believing in the enduring legacy of education, and for championing and
investing in the success of our students. I would like to begin by thanking all those
that made this possible.
As Superintendent, it is my honor and pleasure to celebrate today’s Ribbon Cutting
for the new high school, ushering in a new age of opportunities for our students.
Greenfield Public Schools students are academically prepared, active in athletics,
engaged in service to their community, and among some of the most thoughtful,
creative, and artistic young people in the state of Massachusetts. Today, they can
take advantage of a high school that matches their potential, and will help catapult
them to greatness.
The Greenfield Public Schools is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, marital status, race, color, creed, sexual orientation,
gender identity, national origin, disability, ancestry, genetic information or military service. The Greenfield Public Schools maintain a commitment to ensuring that the school
community is free from discrimination in education and employment.
They can learn not just about science and technology from textbooks, they can study
and build on advances in renewable and sustainable energy through the many energy
efficient features in their own high school, such as energy recapture lighting, rain
water catch basins, a permaculture garden in the new Science wing, and solar panels
to be installed on the roof.
Our student athletes can enjoy basketball and volleyball games in our brand new
gymnasium, and will soon have the ability to host regional track meets with our new
8-lane outdoor track, drawing well deserved attention to our district’s fee-free
athletics program and accomplished student athletes.
Our library can be filled not just with books but with technology, conversation, and
community, through the use of maker space projects, and light-filled spaces where
students collaborate as a community of scholars.
Musicians and actors can grace the stage of our completely renovated auditorium,
students can edit films in the digital labs and create works of practical value in our
completely updated woodshop, while artists create works of stunning beauty in
pottery or art class.
Most importantly, our students can learn every day in classrooms that demonstrate
the belief that a community is as strong as its schools. Modern, spacious learning
environments replace the dark, low rooms that many remember from the old GHS.
And while our teachers have always been just as dedicated, our students just as hardworking, and our administrators, custodians, cafeteria works, secretaries and
coaches as willing to go the extra mile to do what’s best for our kids – the grand
opening of this building marks a momentous occasion, that reminds all of us of the
power and potential, and the enduring legacy, of education. Therefore it is my
deepest honor to dedicate this building today to the students and community of
Greenfield.
Thank you.