With Pirate Pride

This morning, I had the honor and privilege to speak to our staff to kick off the 2025-2026 school year. Convocation is one of the few times all year we can come together as a school district. Our theme for the year is “OuRr Impact”. I was humbled to share the stage with Megan Rose, Jamey Pfahl, and Allison Paetz. 

Here is the message I shared heading into the start of school: 

“As you’ll learn about me over time, I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to leadership and coaching. And one of my favorite practices? Themes for the school year. Themes give us alignment, focus, and an anchor to come back to all year long. And I’ll admit — I get way too excited about them.

Over the past several months, as I’ve been learning more about Rocky River — its history, its pride, its deep tradition — I kept trying to land on the right theme. I had a few ideas, but nothing quite stuck.

Then one detail changed everything. I was reading about our district and noticed a number that jumped off the page: 4.9 square miles. That’s it — the size of our entire district. To put it in perspective, my last district covered 133 square miles. Yet within our 4.9 square miles, we have almost 500 employees, 2,650 students, and more than 20,000 residents.

And I thought — what an incredible opportunity. Each of us may only “own” about 1/100th of a square mile, but together we get to make an exponential impact inside these boundaries. That impact is something we share, influence, and can focus on everyday we get to serve together. And that’s how our theme was born: OuRr Impact.

I would like to welcome to the stage Allison Paetz, Megan Rose, and Jamey Pfahl who will help me share our theme – “OuRr Impact”

When I think about impact, I think about my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Nealer. Now, before the school year started, I was terrified of her. The older kids had warned us — including Andy Katzenmoyer, who went on to play linebacker for Ohio State and the NFL. Andy told me her class was basically boot camp. When I saw my name on her class list, I thought my life was over. (Turns out, my mom — who worked in the district — had requested Mrs. Nealer. Thanks, Mom.)

Sure enough, Mrs. Nealer took the “no smiling before Christmas” rule very seriously. But something happened early on. She believed in me. She told me what I needed to hear, not just what I wanted to hear. She pushed me with high expectations and walked alongside me as I grew. She connected us with high school pen pals — her former students — so we could see what we were capable of becoming.

To this day, she still checks in on me. In fact, here’s a recent comment she left on my wife’s Facebook page — because, apparently, once you’re her student, you’re always her student.

Mrs. Nealer made an impact on me that I’ll carry for life. And I know each of you can name your own “Mrs. Nealer.” Someone who made a difference not by doing something flashy, but by believing in you and investing in you.

That’s our challenge and our privilege this year. Every bus ride. Every hallway conversation. Every lesson. Every smile. Inside 4.9 square miles, OuRr Impact is powerful — and it’s why we choose to serve in River.” 

It will be a great year in River. Let’s make an Impact together!

With Pirate Pride,

Adham