(Editor’s Note: This letter, from Schools Superintendent Theresa Axford, was added to the carved stone time capsule that was filled and sealed on Friday, March 25 at Key West’s Mallory Square).
Dear future students, educators, parents and community supporters of the Monroe County School District,
I bid you greetings from Key West and the Florida Keys on March 25, 2022. We have a great
school system, which puts students first, and we feel like a family at each school in our district. We are an A-rated school district and put great emphasis on student success in our schools.
We have just succeeded in defeating a global pandemic, which began in March 2020 and ended
this year in January 2022. It has been a time fraught with ambiguity, fear and distrust. However, the school district was able to survive and flourish because we incorporated two very important qualities, which we recommend to future generations as well: Compassion and grace.
We learned how very important it is to show love and caring to each other during difficult times. We also learned that grace, or understanding the importance of “courteous goodwill,” can help pilot us through contentious times.
Both those qualities came out on our playing fields as our student athletes took to the fields encumbered by a great number of COVID-19 precautions, but nevertheless went out and played. Our other performing groups like bands, cheerleaders and dance teams also inspired us with memories of a more normal time. Athletics and other activities were the beacon of hope in confusing and trying times, and our athletes and coaches performed with great compassion and grace.
We recommend to the future that you hold to these qualities and continue the great traditions
embraced in Monroe County schools: value the opinions of others; be inclusive of
everyone; understand that human dignity, happiness and love of country are the most important
values to embrace; and, above all, that compassion and grace will help you deal with any circumstances.
Yours in education,
Theresa Axford
Superintendent
