PUTNAM VALLEY – Six years ago next month, Dr. Fran Wills hit the ground running when arriving as Putnam Valley superintendent of schools.
Days from now the career educator will leave her office for the final time as chief school administrator and Wills admitted her Putnam Valley experience has been sheer joy.
During a recent interview, Wills recalled her motto in life that comes from a poem by Emily Dickinson: “I dwell in possibility.”
“This,” she said, “has been my mantra because hope is always there. The present as well as the future are filled with many doors to open. We can’t get stuck thinking there is only one exit because when one door closes, another opens. This is so true of Putnam Valley. Many doors have been opened. More windows exist for students to explore the world and be part of something bigger than them, realizing that they can make a difference. This is why I do what I do and have been doing my entire life. Students must realize there is a place for their voice to make a better world.”
Wills described Putnam Valley as a “unique and close knit community that cares about its kids while being committed toward creating a great place for children to grow. Parents and school work together resulting in unique and special relationships.”
Wills, who served for 16 years as superintendent of the Briarcliff School District in Westchester and prior to that assignment as a teacher and administrator in Maine, has no intention of sitting still once her official retirement takes place on July 1.
“I can’t sit still,” she said with a grin, adding, “I will continue teaching for doctoral students who are involved in leadership positions while mentoring others. I want to do things that I truly believe will make a difference. Isn’t that what life is all about? I want my legacy in life to be meaningful–not a eulogy now–but a legacy. We can make a difference in someone’s life each and every day and that’s where my real joy comes from.”
Wills will be succeeded by Jeremy Luft on July 1.
