This was a traditional greeting among Masai warriors, considered the most fearsome and intelligent of African tribes, meaning “And how are the children?” The traditional response to this inquiry was, “All the children are well.” This meant, of course, that peace and safety prevailed; that the priorities of protecting the young and powerless were in place; that the Masai people had not forgotten their reason for being, their proper function, and their responsibilities. If you can imagine a school community where peace and safety prevail, where children are a priority, and where the adults in the community understand their roles and responsibilities, I hope you envision John W. Ross Elementary School.

I am honored to lead a school where all of the adults in our community work together to bear the equal weight and responsibility for ensuring that all of our children are well, not only as measured by academic achievement scores, but also as measured by the effectiveness of our social curriculum in developing kind and generous human beings. As you spend time on our website learning more about the Ross community, it should be evident to you that “Kasserian ingera” is the question that guides us as we embark upon the challenging and rewarding work of educating the next generation