Dear Greene County Community,
I hope you and your families have had a wonderful holiday season and a strong start to the new year. As we begin the spring semester, I want to share an important initiative that will bring the Greene County community together—educators, students, families, and community partners—around a shared vision for our students.
This month, the Greene County School System is launching the development of our Portrait of a Graduate.
This process is designed to define the essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions we want every Greene County student to demonstrate by the time they graduate, from their very first days in Pre-K through their final year of high school.
At its core, the Greene County Portrait of a Graduate is about the kind of people we want our students to become, not just the courses they complete or the tests they take. It will reflect our community’s hopes for students and our collective commitment to preparing all learners for success in learning, work, and life.
Why create a Portrait of a Graduate?
This work will help us:
• Develop a community-inspired vision of a Greene County graduate
• Clarify the essential skills and dispositions students need for long-term success
• Establish a shared compass for teaching, learning, and decision-making across the district
How will we use the portrait?
Once developed, the Portrait of a Graduate will serve as a guiding framework by:
• Informing instructional planning and learning experiences across grade levels
• Supporting district and school-level decision-making aligned to our shared vision
• Creating a common language to describe the skills and dispositions we are nurturing
• Strengthening community connections and partnerships that support student growth
• This is truly a Pre-K–12 effort, and it involves every school in our district. Our traditional schools and charter schools will be working side by side in this process, alongside families and community members, because this vision belongs to all of us.
What does the process look like?
From now through April, we will engage in a series of listening sessions, surveys, and input meetings with educators, students, families, and community members. The feedback gathered will be synthesized into a draft Portrait of a Graduate, which will then be refined with input from staff and students at each school.
As part of this work, I encourage you to complete the Portrait of a Graduate survey, which is now open. The survey provides an opportunity to share your perspectives on the knowledge, skills, and dispositions you believe are most important for Greene County students to develop over time. Your responses will directly inform the draft Portrait of a Graduate and help ensure it reflects the voices, experiences, and perspectives of the Greene County community.
Survey Link: bit.ly./greene-graduate-portrait
I also encourage you to attend and participate in one of our upcoming community conversation sessions,
which will be held at locations across the county over the coming weeks. These sessions provide an additional opportunity to share your perspectives and help shape the Portrait. Your voice and perspective are essential to this work.
Thank you for the many ways you support students, families, and schools across the Greene County community. I look forward to working together as we design Greene County’s Portrait of a Graduate and chart a clear path forward for teaching and learning across our district.
Sincerely, Dr. Aaryn Schmuhl, Superintendent, Greene County School System