Last summer, shortly after being hired as the next Alba-Golden Schools superintendent, Dr. Shelby Davidson, led his brother on a tour of the campus. It was a Thursday evening, Davidson recalled, and as they walked by the gym, the sounds of basketball could be heard. 

Having the ring of keys in hand, the new superintendent opened the door to the gym and inside were a handful of youngsters playing hoops. Play stopped. 

Davidson introduced himself, and in a very telling gesture the youngsters lined up and came forward. Each introduced themselves and shook his hand.

“It was my first introduction to the caliber of kids here in Alba-Golden,” Davidson stated.

The story reinforced Davidson’s confidence in and appreciation for the community that is Alba-Golden and the efforts which local families put forth in raising their children.

“I knew from that moment, that this really was a special place,” he admitted. 

Early in the second semester this past school year, Davidson undertook to understand more of what makes Alba-Golden Schools successful. He decided to conduct individual interviews with his 53 graduating seniors. 

Davidson credited an old friend, Keith Hilliard from Van, for the idea. Hilliard had shared a story with Davidson, that when Hilliard was in Van Primary school in the 1960s, he had been asked by Van Superintendent J.E. Rhodes what could be improved on the campus. Hilliard thoughtfully responded that the school needed more bicycle racks.

Those who went to school in the ‘60s and into the ‘70s can well recall just how many kids rode their bikes to school. 

Hilliard recounted that to his amazement, on the very next day, the school started installing more bicycle racks.    

The story stuck with Davidson. “It reminded me that above all else, our students are the ones we serve,” he reflected.

A yet doable option for a small school – although it certainly still took some scheduling creativity – the interviews were begun in February. 

Assistant principal Shelby Keller organized the appointments. Each senior received 20 minutes with the superintendent. No class time was lost due to interviews, with most scheduled during ‘senior time.’

The results of the sessions were, in a word, reassuring. Davidson sketched out three main themes which emerged again and again. They were the strength of the community and school, the caring demonstrated by the teaching staff and the variety and quality of extracurricular activities. 

“Those are three qualities to build from and they form a great base for us,” Davidson commented. 

Those themes play right into the continuing efforts of Alba-Golden Schools.

As Davidson explained, “To be successful we must not only stand on the side of hope, but we must inspire hope.”

The senior comments were noteworthy for another characteristic. Although there were no prepared appeals from the students, there were also no ‘deer in the headlights.’ Davidson revealed that each of the seniors was courteous, looked him in the eye and carried out a mature discussion – more indicators of attentive family upbringing and successful schooling. 

Davidson reported no ‘are you kidding me?’ moments, nor any great surprises. However, as he paged through the notebooks full of interview notes there were some recommendations which could be rectified immediately. Securing the protective covers atop the baseball field fence and replacing the gloves in the shop more frequently were two such examples.

Looking up from his notes, the superintendent took the opportunity to relate what he believed to be the three greatest strengths of young people today. 

“Number one, the kids are positive and full of hopefulness for a better future,” Davidson noted. He added that as a group they demonstrate a high level of self-confidence, and lastly, that they demonstrate significant resiliency in the face of challenges.

The interviews also served to dispel a couple possible misconceptions which may be present in larger society.  The first is that kids today are not empathetic.

Davidson responded, “It is clear to me that kids are generally caring about what is happening around them.”

The second misconception was that youngsters are not being raised in a civil manner. In addition to sharing his story about the basketball players, Davidson advised that all of the students he interviewed were courteous and civil.

It will be difficult to follow up on last year’s success at Alba-Golden schools. Coming off of a truly spectacular year of achievement, Davidson has a plan – to hold the course.

“We hope to prepare our students to compete at the highest level, regardless of the endeavor…we expect them to. This is the Alba-Golden way.”