A Moment I Will Never Forget

The week before Thanksgiving break, I had an unbelievable experience. I was coming back to my office from a meeting off site and there was a young lady in her twenties in the waiting area. As I approached my door she said, "Mrs. Witt do you have a few minutes to talk?" I looked at her and recognized her face but was not sure of her name or how I knew her. I told her, "Absolutely, come on in."

As soon as we walked into my office she said to me, "Do you remember me?" I told her that I remembered her face, but that I couldn't remember her name. She reminded me she was Antoinette and had been a student in my sixth grade class twelve years ago. I instantly remembered who she was. I told her it was so great she was here and asked her how she was doing.

Antoinette proceeded to tell me that she had been living in Louisiana for the last seven years and just recently returned to California. She said she had a purpose for the visit, she had to tell me something. She went on to explain that she had majored in Political Science in college and that she had to write a paper recently explaining why she chose the path in college that she did. She said that as she was writing her paper she connected her decision all the way back to sixth grade. She actually said to me, "Mrs. Witt it is because of you and the debates you had us do in class that I knew I wanted to be an attorney. I wanted you to know that it is because of you." She even remembered the topic of the debate we had in class. I can't even begin to explain the emotions I was feeling at that time. Goose bumps ran up and down my arms. It was such a great feeling to have her come back after all these years to reconnect and to let me know that her decision to follow a career path had to do with something we had done in class.

If she had never come and shared her story I would have never known what impact our sixth grade class had on her. She was a great way to end the week and go into the Thanksgiving break.

I am thankful for so many different things in my life right now. I am thankful for all the students that I have been able to teach. I am thankful for all the teachers and staff members that I have been able to work with over the last eighteen years. I am thankful for the opportunity to continue to work in education and help students every day. I am thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful to be here today taking one more step towards being the change I want to see in the world.

Our ONE goal: To graduate every Fairfield High Student and to ensure that they leave FHS college and career ready!!! 

Inspire, Engage, Excite, Lead, Foster, Create, Empower!!

Many more great things are in store for Fairfield High!

Continue to be innovative, creative, and a model of excellence!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

Being the Change We Want to See in the World

Our staff and students are Being the Change They Want to See in the World!! Thursday was a highlight of the year when we hosted the First Annual Special Olympics Soccer Event!! There were over 500 students participating, staff from across the District, volunteers from ASB, AFJROTC, and donations by FHS staff and community members. The event was in partnership with Special Olympics and Unified Sports. It was such an amazing day that FHS has committed to hosting this on a yearly basis and expanding to more people. The event would not have been possible without adaptive PE teachers Matt Miller and Alex Aragon!!! Below is a video compilation of the event.

Our Super School Design Team met again on Wednesday and the meeting was AMAZING!! We had more students join us for the conversation. It was so encouraging to see our students taking an active role in FHS and sharing their ideas to make it even better for the years to come. We have submitted our preliminary proposal to the XQ group. Several students at the meeting kept emphasizing the importance for students to give back and do more in the community.

Friday afternoon we saw another 1st for FHS and surrounding schools. Our Key Club under the leadership of Peter Gelpke organized a dodge ball tournament. We had several student teams from FHS, a staff team from FHS, AND.... student teams from Vanden, Armijo, Rodrgiguez, and American Canyon participating. This event had a similar feel to our AAG competitions. It brought people together for light competition all in the name of a good cause, raising money for Pediatric Trauma. Here is a short video of the tournament.

Our ONE goal: To graduate every Fairfield High Student and to ensure that they leave FHS college and career ready!!! 

Inspire, Engage, Excite, Lead, Foster, Create, Empower!!

Many more great things are in store for Fairfield High!

Continue to be innovative, creative, and a model of excellence!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

Working on Designing a Super School

A little over a week ago I sent out an email to staff and students informing everyone about a Redesigning High School Challenge. I was looking for people interested in joining the effort. I was beyond ecstatic to see how many staff and students were interested in taking on the challenge. We now have a team composed of 21 people and 8 of those are students.

We held our first meeting on Wednesday to talk about the positives and negatives of Fairfield High as it is, and what our school could potentially look like if we redesigned it. The central theme that came up from both staff and students alike was that the school needs to be designed around student interests. Listening to the students explain what they want to get out of their high school education was enlightening. The students want relevance, they want purpose, and they want skills that will help them be successful after high school in the paths they choose to take. The students also shared that part of the success of Band and ROTC are that they are composed of like minded individuals all working together towards a common goal.

The team has drafted a concept name for our redesign, "Fairfield High School Discovery Academy," and an idea that will be at the center of this proposed redesign:  "A school designed around vibrant participation in a student interest themed environment. We will empower our students to access pathways through exploration of different fields. This access and exploration will allow our students to engage in learning that will prepare them for a life of learning and career opportunities."

We have the opportunity to win $10 million to make this proposed plan a reality. Want to share ideas or join the team? Our next meeting is this Tuesday at lunch! Please let me know if you want to join or share your ideas!

Our ONE goal: To graduate every Fairfield High Student and to ensure that they leave FHS college and career ready!!! 

Inspire, Engage, Excite, Lead, Foster, Create, Empower!!

Many more great things are in store for Fairfield High!

Continue to be innovative, creative, and a model of excellence!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

The Super Heroes Among Us....

What is a Super Hero?  According to Wikipedia, a Super Hero is "A heroic character possessing extraordinary talents, supernatural phenomena, or superhuman powers and is dedicated to a moral goal or protecting the public."

We are very fortunate to have many Super Heroes among us at Fairfield High!! These are individuals that do everything in their power to make sure students are safe, happy, and successful. They don't let anyone or anything get in their way and are able to overcome many obstacles to ensure a student is taken care of!! These are true Super Heroes and individuals that need to be publicly recognized! Here are just a few of our FHS Super Heroes.

Dale Horton: 
Dale lent his car and his time to the FSUSD Trunk or Treat event on Thursday night. Then, as if Dale hadn't done enough. He went above and beyond his call of duty when he met with Liz Teresi at the home of one of his students.

The visit extended past Dale's contracted work day and without hesitation he continued to review the student's IEP in an extremely patient and parent friendly manner.  The student's father and step-mother appeared extremely appreciative and excited about the goals and resources explained during the meeting.

Dale's service to our families is an excellent example of Gold Standard Customer Service and exhibits the qualities of a true Super Hero!

Elizabeth "Ellie" Velazquez:
Ellie was called into my office on Friday to help translate. The topic that Ellie had to translate was for a very emotionally charged situation. Ellie maintained complete and total composure and professionalism throughout. Later in the day, after her work hours, Ellie once again was found translating for a parent that was going through a very difficult emotional situation. Ellie not only translated for the mom but afterwards sat one on one with her ensuring that she was okay. Ellie was a true hero on Friday in both situations. It was because of her that both parents were able to understand and deal with a difficult situation, and leave knowing they were heard and understood, because of her language skills and her human compassion. Ellie is a Super Hero!

Val Quijas:
In the words of James Macariola, "Val, you are the bomb!  You had a long day already with leadership at 7:00 AM, teaching all day and dressed like a zombie, blood drive, sports rush at lunch, flash mob, and still found time to decorate for FHS at the mall?  Someone get her some oxygen and a pay raise." This is NORMAL for Val Quijas! Val is a Super Hero to everyone at FHS!

Kelly Briggs:  A one woman machine that managed to transform FHS into a Zombie Apocalypse on Friday!! Kelly started the movement and succeeded in getting a majority of staff members to come to school dressed as zombies and participate in a Flashmob at lunch!  Kelly isn't afraid to take risks and have fun all in the spirit of THE STUDENTS COME FIRST!!! Kelly is a Super Hero!

CHECK OUT THE FLASH MOB!!

Our ONE goal: To graduate every Fairfield High Student and to ensure that they leave FHS college and career ready!!! 

Inspire, Engage, Excite, Lead, Foster, Create, Empower!!

Many more great things are in store for Fairfield High!

Continue to be innovative, creative, and a model of excellence!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!