A great place to live, work, play and educate our children

Since arriving in Missouri, my wife and I have always viewed Lee’s Summit as a place we would want to live, work and raise our children. When the Lee’s Summit R-7 superintendent position became vacant, it didn’t take long for my wife to say, “Go for it!”

And, as a newcomers to our community, we are quickly discovering what long-time residents have known for years — there is no better place to live, work, play and raise a family than Lee’s Summit.

Last spring, my wife and I, along with our two young children, made the move to Lee’s Summit. We have been genuinely impressed by everything our community has to offer. During the past few months, we have been experiencing the numerous family-friendly resources and amenities.

As parents of a 4- and 5-year-old, my wife and I were immediately taken by the countless educational, recreational and enrichment opportunities for children. We have explored the community, enjoyed the beautiful parks system and witnessed our residents’ focus on helping others.

Rarely a weekend has passed without our family coming across at least one organization working on service projects. We feel blessed to be a part of such a caring and active community.

During the last few months, I have met one-on-one with a number of school leaders, civic leaders and neighbors. The sincere feedback shared during these informal conversations has been invaluable and solidified my positive impression of our school district.

During each meeting, I invariably hear how proud our citizens are of our students, our schools and the entire Lee’s Summit R-7 family. As your new superintendent, I am humbled by the privilege to lead in a school system that is truly the heart of our community.

As we move forward together, I am enthusiastic about working closely with district staff and the community to continue building on this reputation of excellence for all students. I’m quickly learning that Lee’s Summit R-7’s reputation as a destination school district with committed educators is well-deserved.

My family has been warmly received by our community during the last few months, and I am immensely grateful for this welcome. We feel like we have found our home.

Lee’s Summit offers a wonderful environment to live, work, play and raise a family. Lee’s Summit R-7 is a great place for your child to obtain an outstanding education. I am excited to be a part of our school district, and I look forward to being of service to our students, staff members, families and greater community. Let’s have a great school year!

This story was originally published July 27, 2017 at 2:18 PM with the headline "A great place to live, work, play and educate our children."