 Josh Costa, The Principal of Thomas Kelly Elementary School in Carmichael, was the featured speaker. He spoke about how he prepares his students for success as they progress through their education and beyond. He makes it a point to get to know each one of his 150+ students. In this age of easy access to information online and social media, Principal Costa and his staff help the students to see the big picture and think for themselves what is and is not relevant and useful. He talked about the IB program offered at Thomas Kelly and the effort that goes into maintaining the IB certification (a two year comprehensive and rigorous pre-university curriculum leading to an IB diploma). He pointed out the parallels between IB program and Rotary, with the focus on developing well rounded individuals who want to serve and make the world a better place. Thomas Kelly emphasizes teaching not only for academic success but also to be responsible citizens. The students are taught how to interact respectfully with each other and the adults around them. Thomas Kelly students come from various backgrounds, speaking 17 different languages, with Russian being the most common language after English. He invited Rotarians to volunteer at Thomas Kelly and help develop the young minds to be model citizens of the future. |
