My wife and I have lived in Granby for 35 years and both of our daughters are graduates of GMHS; both went on to Bates College and are now successful professionals.
I was the product of the parochial school system in Fairfield county. When it came time to enroll our oldest daughter in high school, I talked with a neighbor in Granby whose daughter went on to Brown. Her words still resonate: “You get out what you put in. GMHS is a great school.” And it turned out that her words were prophetic.
I was honored to have served on the Board of Education and the Board of Selectman for several terms, last in 2002. Since that time and through today, I have seen our school system continually improve. Our school system has been the subject of impressive state and national rankings.
It’s been very disappointing for me to hear that even with the election over a few people are attempting to brand our wonderful school system as subpar or stagnant. It is untrue, and it permanently stains our beautiful town and community. Most of us moved to Granby for the same reasons—the sense of community, farms, hiking trails and open space, a safe and nurturing environment for our kids, and our award-winning school system.
I asked and was told members of the Class of 2018 have already been accepted into schools such as Harvard, Syracuse and Williams, with acceptance letters still coming in. Just six months ago, U.S. News and World Report listed Granby Memorial High School as number 11 in our state—higher than Glastonbury (15th) and Avon (18th). To me, beyond impressive.
As a longtime and proud Granby resident, I ask that folks please stop hurting our great school system and start celebrating our successes instead.