Goodbye to 2012: See you in 2013!

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Dear Families & Staff of SRHS:

What an emotional week it has been! I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the events from last Friday. This, combined with the emotional strain that many of our families are experiencing at this time of year with our economy, the holidays, and the uncertainty of what may be yet to come in our future has added to the tension. This week was a perfect storm that brought many of those feelings to the surface in a way we don’t normally see.

As you know, Dr. Blake made the decision to request additional police presence in our building today. Local new agencies are reporting that several other NH schools took a similar precaution. Like many of these communities, rumors were circulating about potential safety concerns over the last few days. I can assure you that at Sanborn we had no direct threats made against our school. We took the time to debunk any rumors that did surface. In conjunction with the police and the school district, we felt that there was no immediate safety concern for our school and we carried on today “business as usual”. To parents who called me directly last night to get my opinion on whether or not their child should come to school, I simply told them that if it were my own child, knowing what I know, I would absolutely send them to school today and any other day moving forward.

I am happy to report that our day was “uneventful,” Our teachers conducted their academic lessons as expected. The cafeteria put on a fantastic buffet lunch for everyone in the building. We carried on with meetings and presentations as planned. Other than a few extra calls from the media to see if we had any news-worthy stories, our day was very much normal.

Thank you to all of you for your words of encouragement to me personally over this past week. To say it has been a difficult one would be an understatement. My wife Erica and my three little boys can attest to that fact. As we start our holiday break I am looking forward to spending some time with them in the coming days. My brother, a Captain in the Air Force, is flying in with his wife and kids to spend some time with us as well. It will be a relaxing and family-filled holiday recess. I wish all of you a happy holiday season and a Merry Christmas.

Thank you for being an active participant in our extended Sanborn family. See you all in 2013!

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