The Greene County School District kicked off the beginning of the school year with its annual Welcome Back event Thursday morning at the high school auditorium.

The day started with the Friends of the Jefferson Library donating and serving breakfast to district staff at Ram Restaurant. Then the program began in the auditorium with Kevin Paulsen as the emcee. He acknowledged the local businesses who were a part of the vendor fair during breakfast, as well as introducing the school board members and recognizing the years of service for each staff member.

Another part of the program was Chris and Tracy Deal who talked about their organization, Bringing Optimism & Opportunities to Students & Teachers (BOOST) of Greene County. Chris said BOOST financially supports staff for special projects and trips. He pointed out that in five years they’ve raised over $300,000. 

School Board President Steve Fisher addressed staff and he shared that as a board, they are servants of the people who elected them and they work for the community as well as the district.

“This community has shown great faith and have invested massively into this school district. We have to remember that we must not let them down. We have to put out a good product and that product is young people that are well educated and prepared for the world. So please don’t ever forget who we are working for.” 

Following a review of a video with highlights from last school year and remarks made by each building principal, the program ended with comments from Superintendent Brett Abbotts. He talked about eight core values he lives by, one of which is self-care.

“You have to take care of you. For one it’s really impossible for you to pour from an empty cup. Your cup needs to be full, you need to take care of yourself, and you need to do what’s right for you.”  

The 2022-23 school year for the Greene County School District starts August 23rd.