Your personal invitation

TTen years ago Hartselle City Schools gathered feedback from across the community to develop its first strategic plan. Five years ago those goals were revisited to ensure that they continued to reflect the overarching educational vision of the Hartselle community.

The time has again come for Hartselle to look at the strategic plan and its goals.

Hartselle City Schools’ employees were surveyed in May. Hartselle community members are being surveyed now and will continue to be surveyed through midOctober. Several groups of students will be surveyed through the end of October.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, detailed and deveined

• 1 pound Conecuh sausage

• 1 cup old fashioned grits

• 2 cups chicken broth

• 2 cups milk

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1 red onion

• 1 each red, yellow and green bell pepper

• 10 ounces cherry tomatoes

• 1 stick butter, 2 more tbsp for grits

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 cup flour

• 3 tbsp tomato paste

• 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

• 2 tbsp. minced garlic

• 2 tsp. red pepper flakes (if you like spice)

• 1 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Green onions or chives (optional for garnish)

1. In a pot, bring milk and chicken broth to a boil. Add in grits and cook according to packaging. Just before they are done, add in cream cheese, butter and a pinch of salt and pepper.

2. In a skillet, heat olive oil and sauté shrimp. Be careful not to overcook. Set aside.

3. Add sliced Conecuh sausage to same pan and sear on both sides. Set aside.

4. To same skillet, add diced onion, diced peppers, garlic and halved cherry tomatoes. Cover and let them sweat down a little over medium low heat. This takes about 5 minutes. You don’t want them fully cooked, just softened and not raw. Set aside and cover with foil.

5. With oil from shrimp, grease from sausage and juices from veggies, turn heat to medium and melt one stick of butter in same skillet.

6. Once completely melted, start adding flour, little by little. This step is the trickiest, just be patient. Keep adding flour and stir constantly until your roux turns dark brown. It will take about 30 minutes, give or take, and you want it to look like melted chocolate or brown gravy.

7. Add in can of tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix well and let this cook for about 5 minutes.

8. Turn heat to low and add in peppers, onion, tomatoes and garlic mixture. Add seasonings and mix well. Cover and let simmer for another 5 minutes.

9. This step is up to you. This is where you would add in your shrimp and sausage. Let them heat up. I add sausage but do not add the shrimp. I keep it separate and add them to my plate at the end. This works best for us because we have leftovers and I like to keep my shrimp separate.

10. Add grits to your plate, spread them across the plate and layer your shrimp and sausage mixture on top so you get grits in every bite.

11. Garnish with green onions or chives. This is a long recipe but worth the work it takes. When you finish, you will feel like a 5-star chef.

If you wanted to make this easier at dinner time, you can pre-make your grits and heat them just before shrimp mixture is ready. Just add a splash of milk and a pat of butter. You can also precook your shrimp and sausage and dice your veggies. Be sure to be patient with step 6. It does take time. Always err on the side of caution when it comes to your stove temperature in this step. It is better to cook lower and slower here than hotter and faster. You absolutely do not want your roux to burn – it will ruin your dish. Keep the faith and keep stirring.

BY SUSAN HAYES FEDERAL PROGRAMS COORDINATOR HARTSELLE CITY SCHOOLS

You are invited to take the community survey. A visit to the Hartselle City Schools website at www.hartselletigers.org will direct you to a summary sheet of the current plan and to the survey itself.

“I hope Hartselle’s families will respond to the survey,” Superintendent Brian Clayton said. “The primary goal of the survey is to collect information regarding our overarching goals and priorities, but the survey’s response field allows parents to share a little more if they choose.”

Clayton and other administrators analyzed the HCS employee survey results during a July staff meeting. “I have already spoken with my team, and we will read every submitted parent and citizen response so that we are certain to understand the perspectives of all who respond.”

The survey questions tie directly to the already-established goals and priorities of the strategic plan. For example, the first question reads:

The HCS Strategic Plan asserts that successful HCS graduates are:

● Academically well-grounded

● Organized

● Problem solvers

● Innovators

● Good communicators and collaborators at all organizational levels

● Fully equipped with skills for success in both college and/ or chosen careers

Keep the same? Add? Revise? Clarify?

It’s here that you are invited to share your thoughts. Again, you can find the survey on the Hartselle City Schools website. Thank you for helping us grow!