Principal’s Message
2007-2008
Welcome to Bellmar Middle School for the 2007-2008 school year. We live in an age when human talent is of utmost importance. In this, the 21st Century, you will need to be innovative to be able to compete in the global economy. As middle school students, your education is a vital first step in becoming contributing members in this ever changing economy.
Your teachers are in a race to prepare you for the demands of the 21st century workplace. You will be expected to perform skills of higher order thinking. Literacy is the foundation upon which academic learning and successful student performance depends. Therefore, our theme this school year will be “Ride the Wave to Reading.” Studies show that if you become a skilled reader our country offers you a fair chance in life. Becoming a skilled reader – a skilled user of language – is not quick or without hurdles. E. D. Hirsch, Jr., author of Cultural Literacy, tells us that, “reading ability correlates with almost everything that a democratic education aims to provide, including the ability to be an informed citizen who can actively participate in the self-government of a democracy. Reading proficiency is at the very heart of the democratic educational enterprise, and is rightly called the new civil rights frontier.”
I am reminded of a popular statement by Dr. Seuss, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn the more places you’ll go.” Walt Disney, one of my childhood heroes of the twentieth century said, “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” The great emancipator, President Lincoln, remarked, “The things I want to know are in books. My best friend is the man who’ll get me a book I haven’t read.”
Finally, we ask that you become contributing citizens to your community and to our greater democracy. This year you will not only be rewarded for your academic achievement, but also your civic achievement. You have my best wishes for success.
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Stephen V. Russell