On Wednesday, Oct. 9, Lakewood students, staff, parents and community members are invited to attend the Lakewood Community Café in the high school Commons from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Over the course of the evening friends and neighbors will have the opportunity to engage in focused conversations at small tables in a relaxed café format, including a snack.

The discussions will center on three questions:

•What do we value about Lakewood?

•What opportunities and challenges define our future?

•How can Lakewood schools better serve our students and community?

The conversations that unfold will give voice to the possibilities that people in our community see for the future.

The more people who attend and the more diverse their backgrounds, the more meaningful the experience will be.

When I first entertained the idea of applying for the position of superintendent of the Lakewood School District, I saw something familiar in this community.

What I saw, and grew increasingly interested in joining, was a powerful commitment to place, to history and to communal relationships vital to making this shared space a home for all who live here.

These traits are important because schools are uniquely positioned to realize what a community, wrapped around its students, most wishes to create for itself.

There are a few principles that inform this notion and how people can expect it to be realized in Lakewood schools:

•Our programs exist to serve children, their families and our community;

•As stewards of these programs, we are only as successful as our capacity to serve the most vulnerable among us;

•Priorities, decisions and action steps should engage the people who they impact;

•All programs are part of a larger system, designed and sustained as a whole.

The Lakewood Community Café is one way that we can translate these ideas into action.

It will offer a strong foundation for the upcoming levy, facilities and strategic planning, which will shape our district for years to come.

For those who want to be a part of this experience, please RSVP by visiting the district website homepage and click on the Community Café link at the bottom.

You may also RSVP through the LWSD app on your cellphone or go to www.smore.com/w9s6n.

I look forward to seeing you Oct. 9.

Scott Peacock is superintendent of the Lakewood School District. His column runs monthly.