The beginning of another school year is always an exciting time, filled with high expectations and great anticipation. I am looking forward to another great year for our Association as we provide school activities for our students. It is a tremendous honor for me to serve as President of the AAA Board of Directors. On behalf of the Board, let me assure you that we are committed to serving our member schools to the best of our ability and we are aware of the tremendous responsibility we have been given.
Jimmy Coats has retired from the AAA staff after 22 years of exemplary service to this organization. Jimmy has worked with fairness, integrity, and honesty and the AAA has been greatly enhanced by his leadership. We wish he and Sandy the very best as they begin this new chapter of their lives. Lance Taylor has already begun providing great leadership and I am confident that he will be an outstanding Executive Director. I want to welcome Dr. Joey Walters to the AAA staff as an Associate Director and I know that he will be a valuable addition to our staff. All of the AAA staff are extremely dedicated and hard-working educators and they are to be commended for their efforts.
The AAA has been in existence since 1912 and has faced many challenges since its inception and I am sure that there will be some additional challenges during the upcoming year. Activities are a vital part of the total educational process and it is our responsibility to provide the very best opportunities for our students possible. The activities that the AAA promotes help our young people develop skills such as commitment, hard work, teamwork, dealing with successes and failures, responsibility, respect, and many others that will equip them to be successful adults. Thank you for all you have done for the students of our state and thank for your support of the AAA. I hope all of you have a great school year.