Mr. Patrick Long

President, Upshur County Schools

The School year in Upshur County is about to commence and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all.

Education can be likened to a great big canvas and this year we would like our students to throw as much paint as they can on the canvas of their education. This year I have no doubt that our students will throw themselves into their education, they will make the most of the canvas of opportunity that they are offered and they will paint the goals that they aspire to. I have no doubt that if they remain motivated in the classroom, then they will achieve their goals. Upshur County schools, together with the parents and the students themselves, will help to make this a reality.

Help! Four letters that can mean so much. Four letters that can be seen as a dynamic, planned action - or as a plea!

This year, the PTO’s will continue to tirelessly take action to help raise funds for the various schools and their individual projects and the Board of Education will continue to take action to help strategically plan towards ensuring an educationally sound and innovative future for our schools.

The teachers in Upshur County will take action and help the students to achieve academic, sporting, cultural and life-long learning. May I take this opportunity to thank the teachers for their continued professionalism, excellence and dedication. It is your teacher motivation and motivation in the classroom that will help to create a year that is bright with embraced opportunities.

However, even more importantly, the students themselves will have to take action to further their education. Our young ladies and gentlemen are beginning to realize that they cannot merely sit back and expect the greater School community to do everything for them - they are realizing the importance of self-motivation and are prepared to help themselves.
It is an appeal that we make to our young charges today. Help yourselves! Make the most of the fantastic educational opportunities that you have. Throw as much paint as you can on to the canvas of your education this year. If you can do that, then one day, you will be in a position to respond to the pleas of others who may need your help!

Help! Four letters that mean so much. You must help yourselves so that ultimately you can help others. Each young lady and gentleman, in their own way, will need to help. You will need to help your family. You will need to help the environment. You will need to make sense of the world when sense and reason go missing. You will need to help solve problems through innovation and invention. And, you will need to help turn indifference into motivated, helpful action.

This is our goal as the year in Upshur County commences! Let's continue to work together to help each other to be our best for the world!

Patrick