Linden school leaders urge staff to ‘remember your why’ ahead of opening day

Superintendent Perkins, Louis and Dr. Lott emphasize purpose, relationships and educators’ power to shape students’ lives before 6,337 students return

LINDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NJ (Sept. 1) — Before the first bell. Before the buses roll. Before 6,337 students stream through the doors Wednesday morning, Linden Public Schools’ top leaders had one more group they wanted to welcome back.

 The people waiting for them.

And the students those educators will welcome Wednesday reflect the breadth of the Linden community itself.

Of the district’s 6,337 students, approximately 55% are Hispanic and 28% are Black, with students also identifying as White, multiracial, Asian, American Indian and Pacific Islander. They will arrive from different cultures and backgrounds, speaking from different experiences and carrying different strengths, needs, expectations, and stories. One district. Thousands of students. No two arriving quite the same.

 The trio started at School No. 4 at 8 a.m. and kept moving until about 2 p.m., bringing energy, encouragement and one consistent challenge from building to building: Remember your why.

At each high-energy stop, Superintendent Perkins, Louis and Dr. Lott reinforced the district’s “Back to the Basics” with a future-focused vision theme -- staying grounded in the fundamentals of education while preparing students for a rapidly changing world.

The theme grew out of the district leadership team’s four-day Administrative Retreat, held Aug. 10-13, where administrators recommitted to the district’s mission, vision and core beliefs and reaffirmed reading and writing as non-negotiable priorities in every classroom, every day.

Tuesday, they took that message directly to staff. Why did you choose education? Why do you keep showing up? And on the difficult days, what will keep you coming back?

Those questions were anchored in the districts ROAR -- Resilience, Opportunities, Achievement and Relationships – framework and a reminder that educators may never fully know how far their influence travels.

Together, Back to the Basics, ROAR and Future-Focused Innovation carry a shared idea: Prepare students for what comes next without losing sight of what has always mattered most -- strong instruction, meaningful relationships and educators who understand their power to change a child’s trajectory.

From Year 1 to Year 42

At every school came another ritual. A show of hands. First year? Ten? Twenty? Thirty?

 Hands rose and fell as district leaders celebrated newcomers alongside veterans who have spent decades educating generations of Linden children.

At School No. 10, the exercise produced perhaps the most striking contrast of the day.

 LoriAnn DeMarzo, a third-grade science teacher, was beginning her 42nd year. Charleee Hannah, a special education kindergarten teacher, was beginning her first.

 Year 42. Year 1. Two educators at opposite ends of their careers. One opening day. The same mission.

 “When I think of back to the basics, I think about my why,” Superintendent Perkins told the staff. “Why I chose this profession intentionally.”

 She reminded them that choosing education was no accident. “You intentionally chose the profession. You intentionally choose to say yes each and every day,” Dr. Perkins said. “So, I encourage you during the entire school year, think about your why.”

 At each stop, Assistant Superintendent Annabell Louis reminded staff that students would arrive on the first day, and every day after, carrying far more than backpacks. They would come with different emotions, expectations and experiences. Some would burst through the doors excited, backpacks packed with fresh supplies and ready for a new beginning. Others might arrive nervous. Anxious. Unsure. Whatever they carried with them, Louis stressed, all would be looking to the adults waiting on the other side of those doors.

 ‘Do Not Forget the Power That You Have’

Louis picked up the message from there -- moving from why educators do the work to the extraordinary influence that comes with it.

 “Please don’t forget the power that we have over these students,” Louis said. “The power that we have over these families.”

 Children, she reminded staff, do not leave life at the schoolhouse door. Some come from single-parent households. Some families are confronting homelessness. Others have faced fires, flooding and other hardships.

 “Do not forget the power that you have when you’re coming to school every single day,” Louis said.

 Throughout the tour, she returned to that responsibility, reminding educators that they can help change the trajectory of a child’s life through the relationships they build, the opportunities they create and the expectations they set.

 At all the schools, Dr. Lott School tied that responsibility directly to ROAR.

 “Remember to continue to be resilient,” she said. “Have those opportunities for our students and make sure they’re achieving as well as they can. And build those relationships.”

 578 Students. 578 Opportunities.

At School No. 2, Linden’s largest elementary school, the message became even more tangible. On Sept. 2, 578 students would walk through its doors.

The conversation there touched on not simply how many children Linden serves, but who they are.

A Packed Auditorium. The Same Question.

At Linden High School, Perkins, Louis and Lott stepped into a packed auditorium where Principal Charles Koonce and his team had gathered faculty and staff. Different building. Older students. Same question.

Why?

 “On the challenging days, because you will have some … think about your why,” Perkins said. And don’t underestimate the moments that can follow.

A conversation. A word of encouragement.

“Do not forget the power that you have to make these students the best they can be,” Perkins said.

That, ultimately, is what Back to the Basics meant throughout Tuesday’s tour. Not going backward.

Going deeper.

Back to purpose. Back to relationships. Back to strong teaching and learning. Back to the belief that what happens between an educator and a student today can reverberate far beyond tomorrow.

Final Stop: Liftoff

By about 2 p.m., the Tiger-orange trio reached its 13th and final stop: School No. 1. Principal Dave Walker and Vice Principal Rosalia Kolibas were waiting.

And they were dressed for the mission.

Walker and Kolibas greeted the district leaders in bright orange NASA-style flight suits -- a playful, picture-perfect nod to a district preparing for liftoff.

The flight suits also captured the spirit of Mission Possible: purpose, teamwork and a shared responsibility to prepare every child for the future.

It was a fitting final image for a journey that had started six hours earlier.