There is a familiar tune that says

“Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and old lang syne (times gone by)?”

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne (times gone by),

we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne (times gone by).

2022-2023 was a year of new beginnings and joyful but somber endings. It was a year that we welcomed new Falcons, such as our new Football Coach, Kenny Morson, and we joyfully and somberly accepted the retirement and departure of longtime Falcons, such as Dr. Lynne Hice. We saw the diminishing of the impact of COVID, and we saw the end of an era, as our longest serving principal, Dr. Roderick Sheppard left Florence High School to work at the district office, yet “Hard Work Pays Off” lives on.

We began the year by trying to Make Your Mondays great and ended it with a bang on graduation night at Braly Stadium. And through it all, we Putted Fore the Falcons and celebrated ten years of the Florence Academy of Fine Arts. Five Falcons took flight with both an associate degree from Northwest-Shoals Community College and their high school diploma on the same night. Harlan CLAS Bannered, and Weeden dressed well on Wednesdays. Forest Hills shared their virtues with the world via video, and the Rotary Club helped Florence High School students STRIVE for greatness. Florence Middle School’s Technology Student Association (TSA) won the state championship, and W.C. Handy Farm Dayed with the Future Farmers of America (FFA).

We met with community leaders, members, teachers, students, faculty, and staff to begin to create a new Strategic Plan to help guide our plans, and we celebrated the Assistant Principal of the Year at Hibbett Intermediate School. We celebrated the district’s first-ever Under Armour All-American, Jahlil Hurley. The Freshman Center Sparked our imagination for what Falcons could do, and the Kilby Lions celebrated 151 years of existence. And through the new beginning, we should never forget the times gone by. The past of Coffee, Bradshaw, and Burrell-Slater should not be forgotten because those times gone by have created the launch pad for our Falcons to take flight. 2022-2023 is a year to remember; it is a year that we reminisce the old and embrace the new, for auld lang syne.

We are Your System. You are Our Community. And never forget, should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Remember, from the past to the present and forever more, we are One Florence. Go Falcons!

Dr. Jimmy D. Shaw, Jr.
Superintendent
Florence City Schools