Welcome, November. The pictures on this post are Cassadaga Veterans: Folks who graduated from these halls or folks related to students and staff who walk our hallowed halls. Service matters. Service exists all around us. We want to show our students that the staff and students at our school have connections. The kind of connections that matter: friends, families, neighbors and friends who have chosen service over self. Thank you to all of our Veterans!
In September, I asked you not to blink. In October, I asked you to imagine your child’s life at 25.

This November, I want to add another question.

Who will be better off because they were there?

It’s a question worth asking as we prepare students for their futures. Because building a good life includes learning how to contribute to someone else’s.

November gives us a powerful place to begin: our Veterans.

Behind every military uniform is a person. Someone who once sat in a classroom, wondered about their future and made a decision to serve. Someone whose commitment carried responsibilities that many of us have never been asked to shoulder. And behind that person are often families who served in their own way, through deployments, missed holidays, uncertainty and time apart.

To the Veterans in our Valley community: thank you. We want our children to understand the people, experiences and sacrifices behind those two words.

That means taking time to listen. Asking about someone’s service. Learning their story. Understanding that the people we pass in the grocery store or sit beside at a school event may have chapters of their lives we know very little about.

Within Thrive by 25, Enlistment is one of our four pathways, alongside Enrollment, Employment and Entrepreneurship. For some students, military service may offer a meaningful future grounded in purpose, teamwork, learning and responsibility. Our job is to help them understand that commitment and make thoughtful, informed choices.

But service belongs in every bucket.

A future nurse will care for someone on a frightening day. A business owner may give a young person their first chance. An electrician will do work that keeps a family safe. A neighbor will notice who needs a hand and show up.

Whatever our students become, we want them to become people others can count on.

As we gather for our second Seminar Learning Day, we are moving from imagining a future toward taking steps to build it. Students do not need every answer at 15 (Most adults I know are still figuring a few things out...). But they can begin practicing the habits that will matter in any future: follow through, keep learning, accept responsibility and contribute.

Those habits need practice now.

Show up when you said you would. Help without waiting to be asked. Thank the person who made something possible. And when something needs doing, be willing to say, “I can help.”

Families can help us make that connection. This month, ask your child two questions: “Who helped you today?” and “Who did you help?”

There is a lot to learn from both answers.

We want our students to reach 25 with choices, stability, confidence and opportunity. We also want them to recognize the people who helped them get there—and understand that they have something valuable to offer others.

Someday, we hope they can say, “This is my life. I built this.”

And then add:

“Look at the good I can do with it.”

Yours in Education and Valley Proud,
Superintendent Mangus

https://www.cvcougars.org/page/superintendents-message

🍂Remember to book an appointment for the Valley Volunteers to come help around your community! You can still sign up by emailing the leadership class email in the picture below! ❤️💙
leadership@cvcougars.org
#ValleyVolunteers #ValleyProud #StudentInfluencerCatie

Reminder! Our fall blood drive is on November 10th, from 8:00 AM - 2:30 PM, in the Little Gym! Students must be 16 (with parent consent) or older and must sign up with Ms. Pleszewski in Guidance. Students, remember that if you donate while in high school you may be eligible for a college scholarship come senior year!

https://fourhearts.org/donor-quickpass/