Pinal Today

A Casa Grande area school district employee was honored after he was murdered.

Richard Wilson, Sr. and his wife were shot and killed by their son, Richard Wilson, Jr., according to Casa Grande Dispatch. Wilson, Jr., 21, was charged with murdering his father, Richard, 47; his mother, Ellen Otterman, 50; his sister, Rudy Wilson, 16; and his niece, ReNaya White, 5, in their home on Sept. 4.

Adam Leckie, superintendent for the Casa Grande Elementary School District (CGESD), led a moment of silence and remembrance during a meeting on Sept. 13, Casa Grande Dispatch reported. Wilson, Sr. was a maintenance employee at the school district and White was a kindergarten student. 

"I would just like to take one more moment of silence for us to remember those who were lost and that they were important to our CGESD family and they will be missed," Leckie said. 

He credited faculty and staff for coming together during a difficult time.

"It's times of tragedy that really highlight the character of people in organizations," Leckie said. "I have to say, I was moved by the connection that our district has to one another. The way that we rallied around not only the family, the teachers, the school, but the district, in general, to support what we needed to while those individuals were going through a very difficult time.

"In the midst of sometimes our most challenging moments, there are silver linings, and that was certainly one of them, and it forges bonds that last a lifetime. I appreciate everybody's thoughts and consideration on that as we move forward."

In addition to remembering Wilson, Sr. and his family, board members discussed school staffing and Constitution Day.

"I can't believe we're already in our eighth week of the school," Leckie said. "Great things are happening. I've been in classrooms throughout the district. For example, I was in a fourth-grade classroom over at Mesquite [Elementary School] and it was clear that those teachers in each of those classrooms collaborated to provide really great learning opportunities for students that were doing similar things. Each of their classrooms really showed to me that work. They work together as a team, which is really important."

Bonding and building a strong family-themed culture is important to any school district, especially during turmoil, Leckie said.

“I will say that the one word that continually comes up every time I meet with staff is the word 'family,'" he said. "We say 'CGESD family' often. If you follow me on Twitter, I use it as a hashtag. It's not just a hashtag; it's a way of life for this community. The staff members connect to their school, their students, in a way that I have rarely seen before. It's so encouraging to be a part of this district and what they really, truly hold in this value."

Also during the meeting, school officials ratified a memorandum of understanding between the district and the Pinal Alliance for Economic Growth, according to Casa Grande Dispatch. The agreement focuses on the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) volunteer reading program, which aims to improve students' skills. The program uses one-on-one tutors to help, guide, and encourage students to read using a variety of techniques.

Jan Draper, director of teaching and learning for CGESD, shared more about the AARP reading program and said it will expand in the future, Casa Grande Dispatch reported.

"This is a continuance of a partnership that we've had with our AARP reading volunteers," Draper said. "We service through this volunteerism five schools. They're growing their program just a little bit this year. Previously, this was second-grade readers that were targeted for this one-on-one additional reading time, and this year we'll have some third-graders who will get a continuing service of what they started last year. It's pretty exciting that the program and the services continue to grow, and we look forward to this partnership growing and getting stronger every year."