Welcome to the 22-23 School Year!

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President Memo from the desk of Austin Meiners

March 12th, 2023

Hello all,

     Firstly I just want to congratulate all of you for an incredible return to fully functional and rewarding Honor Group Concerts this 2023 Winter. I am so grateful for our representatives who put in hours of their time to provide answers, support, and organization for our students and community to have not just one level but Elem through HS honor groups perform on stage again. Bravo to you all.

     Thanks to Patrice for jumping right in and solving many questions so quickly and to Ryan for being the ever consistent webmaster, algorithmic solver, and program editor. His work goes under the radar annually and I wanted to make sure to note his excellent work. Thanks also goes to our board with Steve continuing the process of getting us and keeping us on budget, it's thankless but he handles it better than I know I ever could (or did!). Thanks to Vanessa for always knowing what needs to be done and in what order especially when I'm not tracking our to do list quickly enough, she is both sharper than a google search and wiser than an encyclopedia and we have been blessed with her time and effort even while juggling her responsibilities with her family and daughter's busy schedule. Thank you to Ray for taking full control of HD responsibilities as well as serving as the MC for the concert, this year's Barstow venue was packed and a huge success through his leadership. Lastly, the biggest thanks to Aimee who not only supported countless students through logistical challenges, but also made sure the elementary string program had life despite not being able to be in her own home for weeks. She is tireless and puts the needs of others before herself. I hope that she is able to have a good rest this spring break and we can find folks to take on the MANY roles and responsibilities she has absorbed the last few years.

     Moving forward, I don’t see Solofest happening this year, many members of our board have triple booked responsibilities to make the concerts happen and we are in need of new blood and fresh ideas to jump in to take on this project with at least 6 months of planning and a venue to host it. I will be happy to support but will not take it on as a project manager role Next, I'm assisting with the transition to next years 2023-24 Board and Representative positions. If you served this last year (and this is a subtle test to see if you read this far down), can you please email Ray or myself to confirm whether or not you are hoping to return to the team next year. I know this is a volunteer role and you are all significantly appreciated by our students, our fellow teachers, and especially our admin and county superintendent’s office. We are seeking roles on the SBCMEA Executive Board and Reps document so please feel free to join Ray and his upcoming incredible team as we pour more joy and art into our vast County and community!

Best,

Austin Meiners