Emily Harvey with husband and two daughters at Panama Central School. Submitted file photo

PANAMA – Emily Harvey is no stranger to the Panama Central School District, as she will begin her first school year as superintendent beginning today after 26 years with the district.

Harvey expressed a great deal of excitement for the new role and to hold a greater impact on the school she has called home for over two decades.

Harvey is going into this role head first with the goal of “providing our kids with a well rounded experience” and continuing to provide advancing opportunities to students despite any challenges that may arise.

She brings many positive aspects to the role of superintendent within the school district, such as her long time experience working within the school. Such long-term presence at one school district is not something any previous Panama superintendents possessed. This knowledge of the unique challenges and operation of this school district gives Harvey an inarguable one-up when dealing with struggles in comparison to past superintendents.

There was discussion of a host of goals for Harvey in her time as superintendent for the district, with one of the greatest challenges to navigate being large-scale decline in population in our local rural areas, a problem for many rural areas across the country. Harvey expressed a need to continue to attempt to provide and expand opportunities for students which are becoming more limited with lowered enrollment. Ideas included increasing distance learning efforts within the area and furthering rural school cooperation to allow for a greater pull of resources.

Harvey also discussed ways in which the school has been preparing for the return of students to facilities. She discussed ways in which administrators have been preparing for the upcoming cell phone ban, which included notifying parents of the upcoming changes and implementing a morning routine for students entering the building which will be able to collect phones in a neat and organized fashion. Harvey detailed the benefits this ban may have for students in both a social and mental aspect stating students will receive a “break from the pressure” of social media and constant online presence.

Teachers have been preparing for this upcoming school year as well. Many will continue the work to implement the Science of Reading practices with the shared goal to improve all students’ reading proficiency. The district has reportedly seen a remarkable increase in reading proficiency, and general testing scores, over the past decade, with the school posting six annual increases over nine years, according to a 2018 Buffalo Business First article entitled “Districts on the Rise.” The hope of this training is to continue to see an even greater rise in years to come and continue the momentum of this past decade.

Harvey expressed a great deal of pride for the district.

“The kids seem happy and well,” Harvey stated.

Overall she showed and expressed a great deal of excitement for her new role and seems eager to take on a position of greater impact for a community she has so much care for.