Principal's Message |
Dear Pirate Family: We successfully graduated our first senior class in June and I want to welcome The Class of 2009 to their Senior Year! I also want to welcome The Class of 2012 to high school. Seniors, June, 29th is just around the corner! Freshmen, graduation is just a blink of the eye away (just ask an old guy like me.) Along with 93 instructional staff members, 37 support staff members, 5 administrators, 15 custodial and maintenance workers, and 16 food service staff members, we expect nearly 1,500 students this year to walk the decks of our ship. I say “Welcome aboard Me Hearties!” I am proud to be your leader because of the character and quality of both the students and personnel we have at MHS. In today’s climate, a school with a good reputation is hard to find, yet we have established that reputation and proven what we already knew; MHS is a premier school and the Flagler School District is a premier school district. I am pleased to report that our school has risen from near the bottom of the pile in Volusia, Flagler, St. John’s and Putnam Counties to near the top, being out scored only by a few points by Bartram Trail, Nease and Spruce Creek High School. Also, Flagler District Schools is the ONLY school district in Florida where all of their public schools were rated A. I thank all of you. It is the quality of work done by our teachers and our students and the support given by their parents, and our community members that has created this well-deserved reputation. We have made our “A,” but that is only one leg of our long journey. To continue to improve we must man the sails, watch the compass heading and keep our hand on the wheel. I have been told that it is harder to maintain an “A” than reach one. Our teachers will continue to demand mastery from our students. My administrative staff and I will continue to demand quality instruction from our staff. We will continue to need support from our parents and community members. We are fortunate because our teachers and staff have a unique combination of knowledge and caring. So many times high school teachers fall into the trap of being subject oriented rather than kid-oriented. Not at MHS! I have never seen a group of professionals who care so much for their kids—care about them as individuals, not just as students. Couple this with the fact that our teachers are experts in their fields and are willing to do what is necessary in order to assure that our students are learning and you have a high school of which any community can be proud. It is not only our teachers that take on the responsibility of helping to raise and educate our children, but our support professionals as well. Whether they are secretaries, paraprofessionals, custodians, or members of the food service staff, they want each child to succeed and will do whatever is necessary to assure that your children are in a safe learning environment. Chris Pryor, Ph.D. |
