Ida B. Wells High School

Dear PPS students and families,

I want to share with you a very enthusiastic “Welcome Back!” I hope you enjoyed your summer break and are eager and energized for a fantastic school year.

At PPS, we remain guided by our ambitious vision, which outlines a portrait of the ways we want our graduates to enter the world: confident, optimistic, and prepared for a thriving future. This vision describes how we as educators, and the school system, must continue to nurture our students’ brilliance. Across every campus this school year, our focus will be to create and foster a joyful, inclusive, and high-quality teaching and learning experience for every student, each and every day. This is our renewed focus, and I am excited for the year ahead.

As I start my sixth year at PPS, and almost my thirtieth in public education, every first day of school has always brought a sense of excitement and optimism. I am hopeful for another year of fresh opportunities for our students: new friendships, challenging academic courses, activities that spark their interests: athletics, student clubs, arts education, and career technical education program, and endless memories.

Many of our students and staff have already been busy this summer, participating in our wide selection of summer programs and learning opportunities. More than one in five of our students participated in a PPS-sponsored summer program; hundreds of PPS educators and school leaders participated in professional learning aligned to our new instructional framework, which defines what standards-based, culturally affirming and high-quality teaching and learning looks like at PPS. We believe these essentials will strengthen and create learning environments where our students feel cared about, where high expectations are visible, and where rigorous teaching and learning are the norms every day. 

As you prepare for the start of school tomorrow, I am confident that we are ready! Our school leaders, teachers, and school staff are excited to meet you and start the school year strong.

Wishing you a great school year,

Guadalupe Guerrero
Superintendent