April 2019

Dear Roxbury Families:

Throughout the school year, we have been working as a community to formalize our beliefs on the ways in which we fulfill our vision of “preparing the children of today for tomorrow” with a special focus on our Gael graduates. After multiple meetings where we garnered the input of community members, Board of Education members, administration, teachers, and students, we narrowed the focus to six themes that we collectively believe frame the skills and attributes necessary for life beyond our schools and capture the essence of our Portrait of a Graduate. These include: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Active Citizens, Curious Thinkers, Adaptable & Resilient, and Life Ready. Please scan or click on the QR code below for more information about our Portrait of a Graduate and a view of the designs:

These themes were given to our Graphic Design students in Mr. Schilling’s class with the responsibility to create a visual representation of our Portrait of a Graduate. On April 8th, the students presented their designs to me, Dr. Seipp, our Assistant Superintendent, and Mr. Mitchell, our Director of Innovation. The students were thoughtful and impressive in their presentations, noting not only color, placement, and perspective, but also symbolism and how they feel about being in our high school. Comments, as close as I can remember, included sentiments such as, “Our shield symbolizes that Roxbury High School is a safe place for us to learn and grow,” “Our light shines brighter as we accumulate the skills we need for our future,” “This is the path we take to prepare us for our future,” and “Often times students choose to decorate their graduation caps; here is a decoration of all of the skills a graduate would acquire at Roxbury High School.” To say I was proud of them is an understatement. Their work provides a wonderful variety of strength, boldness, elegance and class, as well as out-of-the-box thinking with the use of scrolls, ribbons, laurels, steps, paths, silhouettes, shields, and light.

They were displayed at the National Art Honor Society Induction Ceremony on Thursday evening and will be displayed again on Saturday, April 13th, at the Roxbury Public Library, at the Board of Education meeting on April 15th, and in Town Hall on April 16th until they return home and adorn the lobby of Roxbury High School. Morning announcements at the high school will include an opportunity for students to highlight aspects of their design. The school and public community will have an opportunity to participate in a survey and vote on the design that best captures the essence of a Portrait of a Graduate. Voting will commence on April 16th and conclude on May 16th.  Please click on the image below to cast your vote: 

I encourage you to participate. The winning design will represent our Portrait of a Graduate and be revealed at the May 20th Board of Education meeting.

Yours in Education,

Loretta L. Radulic

Superintendent of Schools

At our community gatherings this year as we worked to define our Portrait of a Graduate, the following video was used to frame and guide our discussions- Essential Skills and Mindsets: