Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Good afternoon Essexville-Hampton Public Schools Community,
I am excited and honored to be starting my second week as superintendent of Essexville-Hampton Public Schools. I thank the Board of Education and the entire community for making me feel welcome. It was a great feeling to walk through Bush, Verellen, Cramer, and Garber during my first week as I saw smiles, joy, and an excitement for the start of the 2022-2023 school year from students, staff, and teachers.
After spending the past 15-years living and working in the Washington, DC area, I am truly excited to call Essexville home. I grew up in a small community in northeastern Indiana and graduated from one of the smallest public schools in the state of Indiana. I have been a social studies teacher, special education teacher, special education co-coordinator, social worker, assistant principal, and a principal of a PK-8th grade school and 9-12th school during my time in Indiana, Maryland, and Washington, DC. I have experienced the value of community, schools, and family and the impact they have on each person. I am thankful and excited to learn more about the excellence that exists here as well as the areas of opportunity to strengthen our work moving forward.
I am committed to listening, collaborating, transparency, and excellence as we build out our work as a school system moving forward. I am working on sharing a 100-day plan that will outline my efforts to learn the community and prioritize our focus areas as we strive to ensure a great 2022-2023 school year and beyond. This plan will be on the district’s website by mid-September. Additionally, I am spending a significant amount of time conducting listening tours focused on our students, families, teachers/staff, and greater community. Please see the included flier for seven listening tour sessions that are open to all. In addition to these sessions, I look forward to joining parent teacher conferences across the district, and attending extra-curricular offerings to meet families.
Thank you, again, for the opportunity to serve the Essexville-Hampton Community. We are looking forward to an excellent school year!
In partnership,
Justin Ralston
Superintendent