Every August, we mark the ritual: backpacks bought, new outfits bought, pencils sharpened, buses rolling, and back in my day, new Pee-Chee folders (kids today don’t know how cool we had it in the 80’s).
Back to school isn’t just a seasonal shift—it’s a civic moment. And it’s not just about students. It’s about all of us.
Education isn’t a product we consume. It’s a formation. It’s the slow, deliberate shaping of character, curiosity, and citizenship. And it doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in classrooms, yes, but also in living rooms, lunchrooms, museums, farms, laboratories, and more.
To our students: You’re not just preparing for tests. You’re preparing to lead. To wrestle with hard questions. To build things that last. To serve neighbors you don’t yet know. Don’t settle for easy answers. Lean into the hard stuff. Find out what you love and feed that passion for learning.
To our teachers, coaches, bus drivers, and school administrators: You are doing precious work. You’re not just delivering content—you’re cultivating minds. You’re modeling patience, discipline, and a contagious joy to learn something new everyday. You’re teaching how to win with grace and to lose with dignity, the importance of picking up your teammate. You bus drivers are sometimes the first interaction of a child’s day. Your warm smile and greeting mean more than meets the eyes. Thank you, all! And I won’t forget the janitors and staff that take great pride in making sure everything is in tiptop shape. I remember the great pride my elementary school janitor took in keeping the campus clean. It takes dedication and calling to keep cleaning up the boy’s bathroom.
To parents and caregivers: You are the first educators. The habits you model—grit, gratitude, humility—matter more than any curriculum. We know innately that our children are precious gifts from God with immeasurable worth and potential. May God grant you all grace and perseverance this school year.
And to the rest of us: Let’s stop outsourcing civic responsibility. Let’s stop pretending education is someone else’s job. If we want a flourishing Nampa, we need to invest—not just dollars, but time, attention, and care. Some of the most valuable lessons I learned as a child came from coaches and neighbors who were willing to teach me things that weren’t in some formal curriculum.
Back to school is a chance to recommit. To remember that self-government depends on self-formation. That strong communities begin with strong character.
Let’s make this year count!
