SUPER MONDAY

A motivational and informational morning message from Superintendent Willis

Week 2 ~ August 21st, 2023

Super Monday Message

Congratulations on successfully navigating the first week of school. In the spring we heard from Governor Cox at Piute high School talking about his #disagreebetter campaign as the chair of the National Governors Association. As a Utah companion to that campaign, a non-profit organization called Project Unite has developed “The Dignity Index.” 

Through research done at the University of Utah, this group released a scale for rating the dignity of our dialogue. One end of the 8 point scale is contempt and the other end is dignity. The scale rates distinct phares as more or less divisive. The objective of the project was not to make everyone agree or even like each other, their goals are clearly stated to prevent violence, ease divisions, and solve problems. We can’t solve difficult problems as a country if we can’t find a dignified way to speak to each other. 

The scale rates speech that is divisive from 1-4 and speech that shows dignity from 5-8. As an example, a 3 on the scale might be saying something like “They’re bad people, it’s us vs. them, we only win if they lose.” A two or a one is when someone really starts dehumanizing their opponents and suggests they don’t deserve to live. On the other side, a 6 might be saying something like “I’m curious why you think that, we should talk about that more.” Last fall Utah university students took statements from Utah political debates and scored the dignity of their speech. 

Research shows that people don’t want to hate or be divided. We want to find solutions, we want to work through our problems, but sometimes our public figures don’t model good constructive debate. Each of us can be a model for dignified speech by engaging with our neighbors with the focus of solving a problem rather than proving we’re right. 

The dignity index has videos and other resources on their website https://www.dignityindex.us/. When you read the materials you might pick up on a few phrases you might repeat that can be divisive. Improving the quality of our interactions as a country is something everyone can work on. Have the best Week 2. 

Super High Fives

Just a few of the awesome recent accomplishments that need a big thank you. 

• The biggest possible super high five to Craig & Tina Sudweeks. They retired this month after 30+ years of managing school district transportation. Craig started working on Piute School District buses in the 1980’s and has kept them running smoothly ever since. They quietly accrued numerous recognitions and awards for exemplary vehicle management and we are grateful for their dedicated work.
• Super high five to the new volleyball coaching staff. It takes a significant commitment of time and emotion to coach high school sports. We appreciate their willingness to serve.

Other Super Information

• The school board is holding a public hearing on September 11th at 6:00 PM, in the Piute High School Auditorium to hear public comments regarding the proposal to merge Circleville Elementary School and Oscarson Elementary School into one new elementary school in Junction. Everyone is invited. This link is to a community information folder regarding the proposal.

Super Weekly Schedule