The TOSS Superintendent Spotlight for May is Dr. Linda Gilbert, who has served as the Director of Murfreesboro City Schools for 7 years.
Dr. Gilbert had a lot of exciting projects and successes to share with us, including her district's ACEs grant, helping them to enhance their work to development the soft skills students need and the understandings that families need to prepare students for a successful future. Other programs she spoke of included the following:
- Farm to School Program, linked to their Junior Chef program, thriving with greenhouses and gardens;
- If I Had a Hammer program, taking sixth grade field trips to build a house;
- A flourishing Leader in Me program;
- Their new emphasis on coding, drones, 3-D printing, spheros, and Lego robotics; and
- Community partnerships, connecting standards to real-world problem solving.
When we asked Dr. Gilbert what her favorite part of her job is, she stated, "First —always— are the children; there is nothing better than the smile of a child who has achieved academic and personal success. But I am also motivated when I see adults developing into leaders and using their gifts and talents to help others."
Finally, Dr. Gilbert shared her favorite memory from her superintendency thus far.
"The first time everyone associated with MCS attended the MTSU Education Day basketball game. Seeing all of the buses roll up to unload the children and experiencing all of MCS together in one place--the feelings of pride, joy, and family filled the entire arena."
Thank you for your hard work and dedication to Murfreesboro's students, Dr. Gilbert!
