As hard as we try - and make no mistake, we try really, really hard - there are some unavoidable realities in public education in a rural setting. Other school districts will outspend us and out-recruit us. They might have the luxury to offer varsity water polo, or astronaut camp in actual outer space. That’s not us. That can’t be us.

Now it’s true that - boosted by a generous bond approved by our community in 2021 - we can claim:

• One-to-one technology for each and every student

• Classrooms equipped with new furniture and super-cool learning devices

• A beautifully revamped athletics complex

• Heightened safety and security of our buildings

• A new on-campus preschool program

• Early college opportunities for students who want to get the jump

• Robust skilled trades offerings

• A venture into Lego League

• Our brand-new girls’ soccer program

• And on, and on, and on

That’s all good stuff. Important stuff.

But we don’t stand out because of our stuff; we stand out because of our people. Our teachers, our staff and most importantly, our students. Our people embody the unstoppable community spirit that makes Beaverton Schools the unquestioned hub of an entire community that cares. It spills into our halls and flows through our classrooms with joyful, relentless abandon. There’s a hope-infused work ethic in our people - a grittiness and an eagerness to achieve that mixes high expectations with a proven road map to get students where they need to go.

The stuff is great. The stuff is cool. But without excellent people traveling on a true collaborative journey to succeed, it’s just stuff.

Our school rests in a small town with a huge heart and our best pitch to parents is this: If your kids show up ready to learn, to engage, to care, they’ll leave here ready for college, or a career, or both. If they show up knowing what they want out of life after high school, great. If not, that’s fine as well; like everything else we do around here, we’ll figure it out together. Either way, we will do our absolute best to make sure they get there.