LETTERS.

A Message Out of Tragedy

Thank you to RoseAnne Fogarty for sharing with readers the sad but insightful guest column ("Uncommon Civility: A Superintendent's Suicide") in the September issue.

Colleen Fennell's unfortunate and untimely death is not only a loss to her family but also to her larger family--children and educators. The civil behavior that Fogarty advocated is essential to permit healthy disagreements for democracy to function effectively.

She is on target by suggesting we "seek balance in our lives" and "maintain personal fitness of body, mind and spirit." Balance to me is the essence of life. The life of a superintendent is a series of peaks and valleys, and we have to remind ourselves that without the valleys there are no peaks. We have to continuously remember not to let ourselves be driven to hopelessness. Our family and faith can help us stay hopeful and believe the hard times shall come to pass.

I do not know what type of family support Colleen Fennell had. We need to look at the world from the inside out--rather than continuously being a target from the outside in--and that capacity comes with spiritual growth. As my grandmother used to remind us almost on a daily basis, "What we face in life is destiny; how we face it is choice."

Fogarty delivered a great message through an unfortunate tragedy.

RAJ K. CHOPRA

Superintendent,

Granville School District,

Granville, Ohio 

A Need for Working Relationships

More attention needs to be drawn to the roots of the tragedy discussed in RoseAnne Fogarty's column. To have this happen in a business that is supposed to be profoundly people-centered compounds the impact of the loss of Colleen Fennell. A couple of lessons are worthy of notice.

Relationships are critical in the superintendency. The obvious relationship of the board of education and the superintendent always needs to be "a plus." A strong and positive relationship with each member of the board and the board as a whole is the best way for a superintendent to deliver the most for young people. Without such a working relation-ship, nothing positive is going to happen.

Further, anyone who ventures into the superintendency needs strong relationships with others beyond the district in which service is being rendered. To have meaningful relationships with mentors, peers and others who aspire to do the most for students is vitally important. I fear that many today enter the superintendency without the relationships that can sustain them in difficult moments.

The incivilities connected with this tragedy of Colleen Fennell are far too common all across society. Those who seek the superintendency and those who search for candidates need to take heed. The chance to assess whether the ingredients for successful relationships are present must be part of any search process before recommendations are made, appointments are approved or letters of application are written.

CHARLES L. LITTLE

Superintendent,

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools,

Plymouth, Mich.

Cooperating with Parochial Schools 

In his articles in the August issue ("Catholic School Lessons for the Public Schools" and "The Folly of Public/Parochial Comparisons"), Peter Holland states: "Catholic schools are viewed most usefully as a complement to, rather than a competitor of, public schools." I agree.

In Community Consolidated School District 15, we believe in the [P.sup.3] mathematical statement (Public x Parochial x Private = a vigorous learning community).

We see the mission of our school district as the development of a true learning community that goes beyond the district's boundaries to encompass all segments of the community. That includes parochial schools because, after all, their students are members of our community too.

Public schools constantly deal with demands to improve by competing in the educational marketplace. In School District 15, we made a conscious decision to compete differently with the parochial and private schools in our district, which is located about 30 miles northwest of Chicago. We are committed to working together.

We encourage parochial and private school leaders to do their purchasing through us because of the cost-saving resources we can access. We help them apply for grants. State law allows us to transport their children on our school buses. The parochial and private schools use our facilities. We offer staff development opportunities to their staff members. In one case, we helped our parochial and private school colleagues with their technology so their students could readily access the Internet. We provide special education services. Parochial and private schools are part of our inclement weather network and the community emergency network.

We formed a ministerial alliance to discuss issues of common interest. We value their feedback. We also meet regularly with parochial and private school administrators.

We have a diverse community of more than 100,000 people with various religions, cultures, traditions and concepts of family. More than 50 languages are spoken in our schools. We need to involve that diverse community if we are to provide a quality education to all children.

Parochial, private and public school children can reach out together. We can do activities jointly that involve the whole community. We can celebrate the educational opportunities our schools provide.

JOHN G. CONYERS

Superintendent, Community Consolidated School District 15, Palatine, Ill.

Deserved Recognition

The profile of Bob Rogers, superintendent in Bluffs, Ill., in the September issue was terrific. He always has impressed me with what he has accomplished in his district. I also have to give him a great deal of credit for educating me on HTML language and helping to develop our association's web site.

Bob's attitude is always so upbeat. I never would have caught the technology bug had it not been for him.

TRISH DUKNOSKI,

Administrative Assistant, Illinois Association of School Administrators, Springfield, Ill.