He outlined the district goals for the year:
- Student growth and achievement - "Remember the district mission 'To encourage and develop the positive potential of each student.'"
- School safety - School Resource Officers, building relationships with students and providing early intervention, and crisis preparedness. "We want to have a positive school atmosphere while increasing safety."
- Preparing for enrollment growth. "We are busting at the seams and we need to prepare for continued growth in our district."
Blitchok also shared his own personal goals for the coming year as building staff and student relations, building TK community relations, and continuing to train with professional development. He said he wants to be in the schools and in the classrooms. He also plans to build relationships in the TK community by visiting many service organizations, clubs, and community leaders.
Staff was also welcomed by long-time TK Board of Education trustee Cindy Ordway.
Ordway is a 1983 graduate of TKHS and has served on the board for 14 years. She reminded the staff of the great heritage and history of TK. She admitted after high school she never intended to come back to the Middleville area, but eventually found her way home and realized it was the perfect place to raise her family and be involved in the community and schools.
"I came to love it here. As a student and a parent, I'm very grateful for all TK Schools has done," she said. "Times change. Teachers change. But one thing remains constant - it's the human heart and the human connections. Find those kids who need that connection - who need that encouragement and be there for them. More than anything our TK kids need to know they are loved."