Dear USCSD Community:

Welcome back for the 2021-2022 school year. My name is Jason Dentel (pronounced Den-tell), and it is my distinct honor to introduce myself as the new Union Springs High School Principal. Before coming to Union Springs, I was the assistant principal at Newark High School for two years and was a teacher for twenty-plus years before that. In my first weeks at Union Springs, I have been impressed with the entire team’s (support staff, teachers, counselors, and administrators) work preparing for the upcoming school year.

The role of the high school is to help our students become college and career-ready and see their role in the larger community. Two crucial factors in this are attendance and engagement in the “high school experience.”

Showing up for school has a significant impact on a student’s academic success. Families are a vital factor in making sure students come every day and help deliver the message that attendance is essential. One of the keys to successful attendance is communication between home and school. Would you please reach out to our school nurse or counselors if there is the information we need to know about attendance concerns?

Union Springs will once again offer many extra-curricular activities for our students. Our athletic teams will again merge with Port Byron, which offers our students a more extensive menu of sports opportunities. Homecoming week is the week of September 20th, and along with spirit days, the week will culminate with games being played on our campus Friday and Saturday. We also offer many clubs and activities we encourage our students to participate in. Please encourage your student to participate in activities to broaden their overall experience here at the high school.

As a district, we continue to monitor safety guidelines in the hope of returning the time-honored traditions that Union Springs offers. I will also be meeting with groups of students, parents, and staff to look at new traditions we want to begin.

Some logistical information: Student arrival is 7:30AM this year, and dismissal is 2:20PM. We will have an academic support period from 2:20 - 3PM. In early October, we will begin our 3-5 tutoring sessions and homework support. There will be a 5PM bus, and on the AM announcements, we will let you know which teachers are staying after.

The Union Springs High School Handbook, which includes our Code of Conduct and acceptable use policy, will come home with your students in the first weeks of school. Please review these with your student and return them to their homeroom teacher by September 24th.

This summer, I listened to a podcast, and the speaker used the phrase, “It is better to get it right instead of being right.” This philosophy resonated with me because we do not always have all the answers. Still, through communication and collaboration, we can, “get it right.”

The 2021-2022 school year promises to be an exciting year for all of our students. We look forward to welcoming students back on September 7th. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at 315-889-4110.

Sincerely,

Jason Dentel