Following on the heels of another beautiful Homecoming weekend in the Manhasset School District, I was reminded how critical teamwork is to the success of any organization, whether it is a Fortune 500 company or the local Girl Scout troop. The hard work put in by our students, staff and community members in preparation for our annual Homecoming Parade, and the effort by both football teams during the inaugural game on the recently renovated Ed Walsh Field, are perfect examples of what we can achieve working cooperatively.

Just as a quarterback needs his offensive lineman to work as one cohesive unit in order to give him time to successfully complete a pass to his receiver downfield, our teachers must work cohesively to provide our students with proper educational instruction in the classroom. While the head coach works closely with his team of assistant coaches to prepare the players for next week's opponent, I, as the superintendent, must work closely with my exceptional team of administrators to ensure we are giving the direction and leadership necessary for our school district to reach its peak performance.

Parents and community residents are just as important to the success of our school district, as was evident during the dedication ceremony for our new stadium field. When our student-athletes needed an assist, Manhasset's Sports Booster Club was right there to lend a hand. Thanks to the extraordinary teamwork of the Sports Booster Club, our athletic teams are fortunate to be playing their home games on a state-of-the-art artificial turf field.

Concerned about the wear and tear of the high school's stadium field, the Sports Booster Club approached the district's board of education with the notion of replacing the field with a more durable field surface that could handle increased traffic and would need less maintenance. Under an austerity budget, the board was unable to consider replacing the existing field with the turf field. Undeterred by this setback, the Sports Booster Club organized a fund-raiser to raise the money necessary to purchase and install the turf field. With 200 Manhasset residents donating money, the district was allowed to accept the turf field as a gift from the Sports Booster Club and our student-athletes are now reaping the benefits.

As with every organization, there will always be differences of opinion. However, it is the most successful organizations that utilize these differences as a strength, not as a weakness. Input from all of our stakeholders - students, parents, community residents and staff - is an integral component to our success. That is why the Manhasset School District puts a lot of stock in the shared decision making process. In a few weeks, you will receive the latest edition of the district's newsletter, in which we will highlight the shared decision making teams at each of our schools and review some of the issues they have tackled over the past several years.

Those fortunate enough to attend the district's Homecoming festivities on Saturday, October 2, witnessed example after example of the quality of teamwork in the Manhasset School District. Working together, we can achieve anything.

If you have any questions, would like me to address any specific school district topics, or would like to express an opinion about the district, its programs, services, successes, etc., please contact me by mail, by telephone at 267-7705, or via e-mail at lbozzomomp@manhasset.k12.ny.us.