The landscape of public education in Iowa continues to change, and the word choice has become increasingly prominent. At Benton Community, we know families have choices when it comes to their children’s education, and we do not take for granted the trust families place in us. Every single day, we work to make Benton Community a School of Choice by living our mission of providing a Quality Education for a Lifetime of Learning and fulfilling our commitment to ensure Benton Community is A Place to Belong for every Bobcat. Being a School of Choice is not the result of one program, one person, or one accomplishment. It is the result of an entire school community working together to create something special for our students.
Our dedicated staff make Benton Community a School of Choice through the countless ways they show up for students each day. It happens when teachers prepare engaging lessons and create classrooms where students are challenged and supported. It happens when associates provide an extra layer of encouragement, when our food service team makes sure students are fed, when our transportation staff gets students safely to and from school, and when our custodial and maintenance staff create clean, welcoming spaces for learning. It happens in classrooms, on stages, in shops, on fields, in gyms, and on courts as coaches and sponsors give their time and talents to help students discover what they are capable of achieving. Across our district, our staff continually provide second-mile service to students and families.
Our families and students are equally important in making Benton Community a School of Choice. Families strengthen our schools when they believe in the good happening here and add to that good—serving as their child’s first teacher, partnering with school staff to support their child’s educational journey, and celebrating all things Bobcat Nation. Our students carry that work forward when they challenge themselves academically, treat others with kindness, accept and support one another, and represent Benton Community with pride. Whether their accomplishments take them across the local, state, or national stages, our students continually demonstrate what it means to be a Bobcat.
None of this happens without our communities. Every time someone volunteers as a career speaker, serves as a Junior Achievement volunteer, sponsors an academic or activity opportunity, fills the stands wearing blue and gold, celebrates the accomplishments of a student with us, or shares a positive story about Benton Community on social media, they help communicate who we are and what we value.
As educational choice remains at the forefront in Iowa, our response at Benton Community is simple: we will continue earning that choice each and every day. We will provide second-mile service, pursue excellence, strengthen opportunities, build relationships, and make decisions with students at the center. For the Bobcats who fill our buildings today—and for the Bobcats who will join us in the years ahead—we will continue working together to ensure Benton Community remains A Place to Belong, a place with a Quality Education for a Lifetime of Learning, and a School of Choice.