There's an image I keep coming back to when I think about Martinsville: an aspen grove. Above ground, each tree stands distinct—its own trunk, its own branches, its own leaves catching light. But below the surface, the roots intertwine completely. What looks like a forest of individuals is actually a single organism, joined at the foundation, drawing strength from shared soil.

That's us. That's Martinsville.

In this issue of TrueBlue, you'll meet teachers like Lora Parcel, who once sat in Mrs. Neidigh's classroom and now stands in her own room teaching the next generation—baking cookies for the elementary school, running the eighth-grade etiquette dinner, and leading students to Lincoln School for the one-room schoolhouse simulation that's become a regional celebration. You'll meet Linda Carpenter, who grew up playing in our band and now leads it, watching thirteen students grow to twenty-two, creating space where kids say, "This is my home."

You'll read about Jenny Williams, who has spent twenty-five years as our librarian and tech coordinator, seeing students from kindergarten through graduation and still lighting up when former BlueStreaks come home and seek her out. You'll discover Josh Stowers' shop, where students learn far more than trades—they learn pride, problem-solving, and the belief that their work matters. You'll feel the care radiating from counselors Teresa Carver and Alisha Lowry, who remind us daily of Martinsville's defining truth: "We take care of kids here."

You'll see the beautiful continuity in Emily and Paul Penrod's classrooms and in Emily Penrod and Jordan Maxwell's long handoff—special education teachers who build foundations in elementary school and carry students forward through high school with dignity and devotion. You'll meet Kaitlyn Stephens bringing joy and motion to PE, health, driver's ed, and volleyball, teaching students that movement is freedom and belonging matters.

What holds all these stories together isn't just geography or a mascot. It's roots. Deep ones. The kind that connect a grandmother who taught in the 1940s to a granddaughter teaching today. The kind that bring graduates back—class of '87, '96, '97, '99, '08—to pour themselves into the place that raised them. The kind that make Changing Hands donate shoes without hesitation, Backpack Blessings feed hungry students, and community members show up to celebrate kids who aren't even theirs anymore.

Once a BlueStreak, always a BlueStreak. We mean that. And we live it.

Thank you for being part of this remarkable community. Thank you for supporting our students, our teachers, and the shared work of building futures. And thank you for reminding us, every single day, that we're all connected somewhere down the line.

With pride and gratitude,

Robert Waggoner

Superintendent, Martinsville Schools