The first Destination 158 meeting proved to be a success. Over 200 people attended, listened, engaged, and offered thoughts about the strategic plan for District 158. On each table was an orange sheet filled with information about the meeting on the 24 and announcing upcoming meeting dates. D158 Superintendent Scott Rowe was thrilled with the participation of the community members. “I was hoping for over 150 people to come,” Rowe said, and that number was greatly surpassed. 

An element the district wants to focus on is finding a way to turn its students into leaders before they leave high school. Other general goals that they took interest in included community development, academic growth, managing emotions, school safety, and financial stability. 

The volunteer members that attended the meeting got to brainstorm and talk amongst one another about particular areas that need development in our district. Every five years the district holds these meetings to discuss similar topics. This being the third one and by far the largest.

Rowe has a goal to have the community’s opinion align with his when it comes to the direction of the school, mentioning that he is excited to see where these meetings go and is glad for this great start. He likes to hear the suggestions that everyone has for the school to learn more about all of the different ideas.

One of the community members that attended the meeting was Carly Wothington. “I have a child in Special Education and I want to be a parent voice of Special Education,” Wothington said. She was curious to see how that perspective played a role in the meeting. 

The meeting had an assortment of people from the board of education, community members, as well as teachers. Overall, the first Destination 158 meeting was a success and they can not wait to put together everyone’s suggestions and figure out a strategic plan.