theordquiz.com

By Kate Wolf
   Sometimes it seems like high school gets all the good press….the star athletes, perky cheerleaders and dance team, the talented musicians and drama or speech pupils, the serious voc-ag kids looking towards continuing a family legacy, and the stand-out academic students with superior GPA’s destined for a bright future. But all too frequently we forget where the process begins: At the elementary school level where the foundation is laid for every students’ potential success. Ord Elementary School Principal Doug Smith works alongside his staff of incredibly talented, creative, dedicated people to build that foundation every day.
   “I feel like you’re responsible for surrounding yourself with good people,” Smith explained. “And we’ve got good people here who are the right fit and they love kids.” 
   For Smith, team-building is what it’s all about and he’s been building his team for the past 14 years. He routinely has Professional Development Time with his teaching staff to discover, “What can we do better?” Together, they create a solid base for Ord Elementary School students which resonates with his own teaching philosophy and exemplifies their mission statement of “Character, Academics and Community.”
   “Character is first,” Smith stated. “Being nice, responsible, honest and respectful towards others are the pillars of character or we are in trouble as a society. We take care of building that character. Having teachers and staff that are not afraid to talk to kids about choices and taking ownership of those choices is our responsibility….just so kids get to see that it’s okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them.”
   In the culture Smith has developed at Ord Elementary, by the time students reach the fifth and sixth grades, they have established a level of trust that allows the older kids to serve as examples of what it means to be responsible and to show the younger students how things are done the right way in their school.
   Smith is also the genius behind the early morning outdoor daily assemblies following a brisk walk around the school building, that have put Ord Elementary on the map of peer recognition and are now being emulated elsewhere. It’s an upbeat, robust celebration of student birthdays, extracurricular activities, sports successes and special events combined with a little exercise designed to start each day off on a positive note. What Smith has achieved with this simple approach to positivity has been undeniably beneficial to the entire school culture, as well as teacher-student relationships. You can even see it happening if you’re there. Both kids and adults who may arrive at school still tired, a little grumpy or sluggish in the morning leave those assemblies    re-energized,      happier, encouraged and ready to tackle the challenges of each new day. It’s really kind of a remarkable transformation to witness.
   Then, at the pinnacle of his career success story, something truly horrifying happened at 1:28 p.m. on Dec. 14, 2023. Principal Smith suffered a dissection of an aortic aneurysm, a life-threatening event that nearly robbed Ord Elementary School of a truly exemplary educator, administrator and leader. The community was stunned and left reeling at the prospect of losing him. So many prayers were offered up on his behalf, it must have looked like a solid beam of pure light sent heavenward. Thanks to an early response, as well as the incredible skill and professionalism of hospital staff at Valley County Health System (VCHS) in Ord, he was sufficiently stabilized for transport and his life was saved.
   “It’s been life changing,” Smith commented. As a deeply spiritual individual, he recognizes the hand of divine intervention that gave him a second chance at life. 
   “He put people there who helped and it changed me mentally, physically and spiritually. The changes have all been good,” he continued. “You see things differently, more deeply. It makes you more aware and appreciative. It’s been worth it.” 
   As weird as it may sound, Smith appreciates the experience. It was a giant wake-up call to live in awareness of each moment, observant, grateful, fully engaged….not just existing on auto-pilot. He spoke about his life changing experience and his gratitude to the staff of Valley County Hospital at the VCHS Winter Gala on Sat., Jan. 11 at the Trotter Event Center. He is not reticent about giving credit where credit is due.
    “We have good kids at Ord Elementary and good families, as well as a wonderful, supportive community. We have the parents’ trust that we care for their kids,” Smith concluded. “When they walk across that stage at graduation, we are just as proud of them as the high school teachers.”
   Ask any kid on the playground at Ord Elementary School what they think about Principal Smith and the answer is invariably, “He’s awesome!” or, “He’s pretty cool….for a grown-up.” And that’s high praise in anyone’s book.

   The complete story is in this week's Quiz. Pick up your copy today!