WCS Superintendent conveys message of support and hope

Community of Whitehall,

The recent deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubery and George Floyd and the national response to the continued injustices of our neighbors leave me struggling to find words. At the core of our humanity, we are one people. When one of us hurts or is marginalized, then all of us hurt and are marginalized. Martin Luther King said as much during his ministry.

What we are witnessing today is hard. It comes on top of very tough times for our country. As witnesses, however, it is also our great privilege and responsibility to rise to the occasion and to do something about it. And that starts with each of us as individuals.

That is why I am writing to you today. I want you to know that as your superintendent, that I stand by every student, and especially our black community and anyone else who faces oppression and injustice. And in standing for one, it does not mean that it comes at the expense of another. We must see that caring for others -- just like loving our neighbor -- is not something that runs out.

We also must recognize that not all of our friends and neighbors are okay. This is understandable. We need to check on each other. And, we must listen up, speak up, and stand up for what is right. 

As we emerge from all that we are facing, we have great power in how we respond to the times and with what we work for, or against. I want it said that when times were tough, our Whitehall community came together and supported what is right and just for all of our brothers and sisters. I do not pretend to have the answers to what is a much older, deeper and larger societal issue. I do promise to work in the areas that I can to impact change. I hope you will do the same.

In our schools, we work hard each day to provide personalized learning for every student and to work on cultural proficiency.  Diversity, pride and opportunity are core values that make up who we are as a district. We strive for the success of every student and believe that all of our students deserve equal opportunities. We will continue to do this and it is our beautiful diversity that helps set us apart from other communities. Thank you for hearing this message of action and hope. Let us be able to count on each other and to take care of our neighbors. As always, I am here for all of you and I am always proud to serve this beautiful community and our families.

Sincerely,

Brian Hamler
Superintendent