There are milestones that mark the beginning and end of eras in our lives.  Births, deaths, new careers, children and retirement. They all represent some type of marker in our life journey that signify an impending change.

This week, I reached one of those milestones. I had the good fortune to announce that after 14-plus years at an amazing organization, I will retire in 2023 as President and CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation. It has been an incredible journey.

Work has never seemed like “work” no matter what I job I was doing.  My credo was “whatever I am doing, do it well for at least one year.”  I was often surprised how sticking with a job through ups and downs could turn into an adventure that led me to new skill sets and incredible opportunities.

Looking back, it is hard to believe that everything I did since a child led me to Gulf Coast Community Foundation in 2008.  It all started when I began working as a paperboy at the age of 14 years.  From there I worked as a cook, restaurant manager, steel mill worker, tutor, counselor, dean of students, researcher, lobbyist, and many more occupations that could easily fill this column.

My career introduced me to working with customers, clients, custodians, union members, scholars, business leaders, nonprofit leaders, Governors, Presidents, philanthropists, elected officials and ambassadors to name a few.

And some skills stay with you.  I can still fold a paper newspaper (if they still exist), tap a molten steel furnace, cook or prep in a kitchen, work the front line with customers, prepare a research proposal, analyze a bill or law, compose a book, scrutinize a P/L or balance sheet, raise money for great causes or lead a team of high performing professionals.  

But what lessons have I learned along the way of this wide-ranging career?

Well, here are my top three lessons plus one bonus insight.  These lessons don’t represent everything I’ve learned, but they have been essential for me to achieve a fulfilling work experience.

First, no matter what the job is, knowing how to navigate relationships has been the foundational skill for achieving success. If you positively nurture authentic relationships, then work is a fulfilling experience.  The keys to positive relationships are treating everyone with dignity, assuming the best, actively listening, empathizing, and respecting differences.

Second, it is okay to admit that you don’t know it all.  It’s a big, complex world.  One of my favorite lines from the bluegrass group Nickel Creek is, “only the curious have something to find.”  So be curious, acknowledge that you need to learn more, and you will probably make some great discoveries in everything you do.

Third, assume 100% responsibility in all that you do.  When you hold yourself accountable for a result, you empower yourself to do everything ethically possible to succeed.  Don’t build in “escape hatches” or pre-planned excuses so that it is easy to blame someone else when things go awry. That’s a lose-lose scenario which sows the seeds of mistrust within your team, organization and customers. 

Finally, a bonus from the actor turned philosopher Mickey Rooney: You always pass failure on the way to success.Fear can be debilitating.  Fear of failing can thwart innovation and future success. We will all fail sometime during our careers.  The sooner we accept failure is part of the journey, the better chance we have to succeed.

I invite you to work with our team at Gulf Coast now and into the future.  You can count on us to treat you with dignity.  You can count on us to be curious. We will always be accountable.  And together we will learn from our failures on the road to success for you and our community. 

Mark Pritchett is President and CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation. 

Florida District and School grades have been published by the Florida Department of Education for the 2021-2022 school year. We have great news and some areas that will need improvement, but overall, our teachers should be congratulated for their work and the community should be proud of the result of the investment in our kids.

Sarasota Schools have maintained their coveted ‘A’ rating. This is an important sense of pride in our community, and it should be. A community that cares about its kids, cares about its future. We have moved up one spot in the School District rankings and are in a three-way tie for 5^th with Gilchrist and Collier Counties. Ahead of us in first through fourth place are St. John’s County, Nassau County, Lafayette County and Walton County. 

According to the FLDOE website, there are up to 11 components measured in a District Grade. This column will break down those components and compare the scores to the rest of the state.

Sarasota Schools rank fourth in English Language Arts Achievement and have an “A” in that area. English Language Arts Learning Gains are a low “B.” Every district appears to be having problems in this area, no one got an “A” in the state in this category. Sarasota Schools are in a four-way tie for 4^th in the state in this category. 

The English Language Arts learning gains of the lowest 25% reveal a low “C” for Sarasota County. We are 10^th in the state in this area. There is a lot of work to be done for the bottom quartile of students in English.

Math Achievement scores were stronger than English in Sarasota Schools, but so were many of the counties in the top five. Math was an “A” for Sarasota Schools. We are in a three-way tie for 5th for Math Achievement. We just missed an “A” in Math Learning Gains by one point. We rank 7^th in Math Learning Gains. 

Our bottom quartile in math is a problem. We rank 21^st in the state for Math Learning Gains of the Lowest 25%. We have a “C” in this component.

The bottom quartile of students needs to be a focus for the School District in the upcoming year in English and Math. There should be specific goals for the Superintendent, the Board, and every school.

Science and Social Studies were both strong for the district. Both areas received “A” grades. Sarasota ranked 7^th for Science Achievement and is in a very strong tie for 3rd in Social Studies Achievement. 

Sarasota Schools ranked 15^th in the state in Middle School Acceleration. According to the FLDOE website, “This component is based on the percentage of eligible students who passed a high school level EOC assessment or industry certification.” 

There are some categories that are reported yearly, but lag behind a year in reporting due to timing. They are still factored into the District grade. Those are Graduation Rates and College and Career Acceleration. 

The Graduation Rate dropped a point from 92 to 91. We are in a twelve-way tie for 20^th in the state with our Graduation Rate. Addressing this mediocrity should also be a specific goal for the District.

We rank 8^th in the state for College and Career Acceleration. According to FLDOE, “This component is based on the percentage of graduates from the graduation cohort who earned a score on an acceleration examination (AP, IB, AICE) or a grade in a dual enrollment or clock-hour dual enrollment course that qualified students for college credit or earned an industry certification.”

More subgroup details will come with future breakdowns from FLDOE. In the meantime, the District should, in a very public way, incorporate the areas that need improvement into every measurement and goal they are able. The Argus Foundation congratulates our teachers, students, and community on maintaining an “A” District grade. 

Christine Robinson is Executive Director of The Argus Foundation.