Sam Miller
 CCSA Board of Directors
sammiller@tds.net
Sam Miller
It has been a remarkable journey to get Classical School started and now in its seventh year.  I became involved with the start-up effort in May 1998.  I recall a determined search for a site, committees working on everything from dress code to report cards to fund raising.  A starting date for the school seemed indeed a long way off.  The hard work of many dedicated parents, the board, staff, and school district has brought the school to its first steps. The school has evolved in a number of ways from this early beginning:  students have gained confidence and benefited from the curriculum, their efforts and the hard work of the teaching staff; the facilities have gone from three to two to an addition being constructed to consolidate in to one building as was the vision from the beginning and; students, parents, staff, administration and board have developed a culture of its own with an emphasis on learning and excellence.

While great progress has been made to date, the work ahead includes: the continued growth for two classes per grade; continue to fine tune the curriculum in line with our charter and; evaluate the best way to operate the school from an academic and administrative standpoint.  Parents, staff, the board and the Appleton Area School District administration are all working to make Classical a positive and successful learning experience for our children.

I am the treasurer of the Classical Charter School Association board.  I have one child attending the school - a sixth grader and a graduate of the school, currently a high school sophomore.  I became involved in the school to provide a strong core knowledge learning environment for my children with the Spanish instruction as an added benefit.  I believe the Direct Instruction technique will allow students to progress at their ability level rather than at the level of the average of students in a given class. Watching the confidence and desire to learn and excel which my older child is experiencing confirms the decision we made as a family years ago to enter this school.

I work at M&I Bank as the head of Agricultural Banking.  I grew up on a farm in southern Wisconsin, as did my wife.  We have lived in Appleton for fourteen years.  I have a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and a Masters of Business Administration degree from UW-Oshkosh.  I enjoy working with farm business and investing in agriculture.  I believe it is important for people to know where their food comes from and the great care farmers take of the land, the animals, and the natural resources they use and control.

Lifelong learning continues each day of your life.  Good luck with your learning journey.  [Photo: Grade 2]

Sam, Grade 2

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