Anyone who was in our building yesterday got a sense of what our school culture is truly like. In many ways it was a typical Friday and in other ways it was quite extraordinary. Driven by student initiative, especially those involved in the Young Women's Club, the day was dedicated to one of our faculty who is out of school this term valiantly and successfully battling breast cancer. Because she has devoted so much energy, passion and support to our students over the years, they wanted to dedicate the day to her and demonstrate their love and support for her, now when she needs it most. So they planned the day and put up posters exhorting the student body to emulate this somewhat eccentric, quirky teacher by dressing like her or by wearing pink in her honor. Students and faculty showed up wearing bandanas, crocs, hoop earrings, mismatched socks, and New York Yankee apparel. They wore home-made buttons proclaiming that Reading is Sexy and, during lunch, when one looked out over the assembled student body in the cafeteria one had to be impressed by the amazing sea of pink that was on display. The young women who engineered the whole day also encouraged students and faculty members to lend their faces and voices to a video card they were creating to send to their teacher. And capping off the day, the boys' soccer game that afternoon was dedicated to her and the team wore white soccer socks emblazoned with dozens of pink ribbons. The whole day was a tremendous and spontaneous expression of caring and support for a much-loved teacher and was a true testament to the wonderful adolescents who inhabit our building and enlighten and enrich our lives every single day.
Another less dramatic example of the maturity and responsibility demonstrated by our students can be seen in their involvement in and response to our annual Club Fair which was held during our advisory period yesterday. With only minimal guidance from adult advisers, students in the various clubs developed displays and manned tables in the cafeteria in an attempt to make all members of the student body, especially freshmen, aware of the large number of clubs and activities our school has to offer students who want to pursue a particular interest. More significantly, for the 30 or so minutes allotted to the fair, the students stayed in the cafeteria visiting the various club displays and some signed up to become members. Once again, this student-led activity was carried out with minimal supervision and, more amazingly, when the time arrived for the fair to end and the students needed to move on to their block 2 class, everyone did so without prompting from either the bell or any staff member. I stood and watched as the cafeteria emptied out in less than a minute and everyone got back to learning. That is maturity, responsibility, and most of all respect. Apparently that was the theme of the day and it left many of us who work here acknowledging, once again, what a truly special place is Chatham High School.
And in closing, since I am honored to know she reads this blog, I would like to add my voice to the many wishing my colleague a timely return to full health and her classroom full of eager learners who anxiously await her return. This school is way too quiet and not quite complete without your presence. We miss you and pray for your full recovery and speedy return.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Regionalization...Its Time Has Come.
OK. I am finally there! For months I have been part of the development of the emerging regionalization plan, all the while hedging my bet, knowing that ultimately it is the right thing to do for our students. I have had a difficult time reconciling the future reality with the perceived potential loss of the wonderful small school culture we have here at Chatham High School. However, the more I rationally analyzed the issue, the more I have come to the conclusion that regionalization is the way to go. The increased educational opportunities for our students that will accrue from a merger of two very good schools are amazing and, as for the positive school culture, that most certainly can and will be developed in a new state of the art facility and nurtured by a reinvigorated, combined faculty and staff. I am convinced that regionalization will not only be beneficial but, more importantly, is absolutely essential to our educational survival and that is why I am able to comfortably state that I am totally in favor of the effort to create a new regional school district by merging with Harwich.
I have spent the past year working with my counterpart, Harwich High School Principal Kevin Turner, on the development of a regional educational plan. We spent a great deal of time examining what a merger would do for our students and determined that it would be a definite win-win situation for all of our students with new opportunities opening up by bringing the best of both schools to the new regional entity. For Harwich students, there would be opportunities like We The People, the Community Internship program, Forensics, and Marine Science; for our students, Anatomy and Physiology, Engineering, and a thriving Community Service program. For all there would be a significant expansion of the Advanced Placement program and enhanced opportunities for interscholastic sports. All of which would take place in a new state of the art facility.
I have attended the presentations by the regionalization board, looked at all of the numbers, including the proposed savings to our town, and have seen the handwriting on the wall. We need to act now because we are rapidly approaching a point where we will be in danger of losing our sustainability. I think it is clear to most who have been following the process that Harwich has a very obvious and immediate need to upgrade its facilities. No one can argue that. For Chatham, the problem is far less clear or immediate, but the problem is very real. Within a short time, possibly in only a few years, faced with a predicted decline in enrollment, continued budget woes causing an elimination of programs, a resulting diminution of school choice applicants and increased out migration of students seeking greater educational opportunities elsewhere, our school system could quickly reach that tipping point between sustainability and decline. My fear is that when that point is reached the demise of the school system could follow rapidly down a very steep and slippery slope. I just returned from an NEASC school evaluation visit to a school in the western part of the state which is perhaps 20 students larger than CHS. The principal and I had a rather grim discussion one day about the constant struggle we both face trying to keep our enrollment and educational and co-curricular programs viable in order to avoid that tipping point and the inevitable consequences that would ensue. We agreed that that one issue is what gives both of us nightmares. Clearly regionalization would end that threat and give those of us who work in this system and who are so dedicated to our students an opportunity to truly be part of the solution; to have a hand in crafting a new and exciting educational environment for our students that, ultimately, would be second to none on Cape Cod and beyond. The sad alternative would be to pass up this opportunity and then five or six years hence, be forced to be absorbed by a neighboring school district or worse, tuition our students out to another district. Both are costly, educationally unsound, and unacceptable alternatives I believe.
I think that the regionalization board deserves a great deal of praise for all of their diligence and hard work. As a veteran of two previous regionalization attempts between these two towns, I can state unequivocally that this board has done it right this time. They have been both inclusive in their approach and dogged in their pursuit of information and have come to the only reasonable conclusion possible. It is now time to do the right thing by our kids and merge our two school systems to ensure a sound educational future for all students.
I hope that citizens of both towns will look long and hard at all of the data and come to the same conclusion.
I have spent the past year working with my counterpart, Harwich High School Principal Kevin Turner, on the development of a regional educational plan. We spent a great deal of time examining what a merger would do for our students and determined that it would be a definite win-win situation for all of our students with new opportunities opening up by bringing the best of both schools to the new regional entity. For Harwich students, there would be opportunities like We The People, the Community Internship program, Forensics, and Marine Science; for our students, Anatomy and Physiology, Engineering, and a thriving Community Service program. For all there would be a significant expansion of the Advanced Placement program and enhanced opportunities for interscholastic sports. All of which would take place in a new state of the art facility.
I have attended the presentations by the regionalization board, looked at all of the numbers, including the proposed savings to our town, and have seen the handwriting on the wall. We need to act now because we are rapidly approaching a point where we will be in danger of losing our sustainability. I think it is clear to most who have been following the process that Harwich has a very obvious and immediate need to upgrade its facilities. No one can argue that. For Chatham, the problem is far less clear or immediate, but the problem is very real. Within a short time, possibly in only a few years, faced with a predicted decline in enrollment, continued budget woes causing an elimination of programs, a resulting diminution of school choice applicants and increased out migration of students seeking greater educational opportunities elsewhere, our school system could quickly reach that tipping point between sustainability and decline. My fear is that when that point is reached the demise of the school system could follow rapidly down a very steep and slippery slope. I just returned from an NEASC school evaluation visit to a school in the western part of the state which is perhaps 20 students larger than CHS. The principal and I had a rather grim discussion one day about the constant struggle we both face trying to keep our enrollment and educational and co-curricular programs viable in order to avoid that tipping point and the inevitable consequences that would ensue. We agreed that that one issue is what gives both of us nightmares. Clearly regionalization would end that threat and give those of us who work in this system and who are so dedicated to our students an opportunity to truly be part of the solution; to have a hand in crafting a new and exciting educational environment for our students that, ultimately, would be second to none on Cape Cod and beyond. The sad alternative would be to pass up this opportunity and then five or six years hence, be forced to be absorbed by a neighboring school district or worse, tuition our students out to another district. Both are costly, educationally unsound, and unacceptable alternatives I believe.
I think that the regionalization board deserves a great deal of praise for all of their diligence and hard work. As a veteran of two previous regionalization attempts between these two towns, I can state unequivocally that this board has done it right this time. They have been both inclusive in their approach and dogged in their pursuit of information and have come to the only reasonable conclusion possible. It is now time to do the right thing by our kids and merge our two school systems to ensure a sound educational future for all students.
I hope that citizens of both towns will look long and hard at all of the data and come to the same conclusion.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Celebrating Student Success...
Principally Speaking is back! I did not intend to "take the summer off." It just happened. But now that school is back in session the motivation has returned and there is no scarcity of subjects on which I can expound. So, in the coming months I expect to have a lot to say about regionalization, bullying legislation, MCAS and national standards, school culture, reporting student progress, and a host of other topics. Be sure to check in frequently and feel free to comment on anything I write. I welcome the feedback.
I just returned from serving as the Assistant Chair of a NEASC visiting team conducting an evaluation of another school. I brought two things back with me; a really bad cold, and a new found appreciation for the benefits of being a small school. While I was at this school I witnessed many examples of how they celebrated student success and the profound impact that has on the culture of the school.
Yesterday we had the opportunity to do some celebrating of our own at CHS. Our current junior class did very well on the 2010 MCAS exam this past spring, however one set of scores stand out. We had 69% of our students score in the Advanced category on the MCAS Biology exam which puts Chatham High School in first place among 340 high schools in the state by 11 percentage points. The state average for the science test was 18%! Being one of the smallest schools in the state makes this a big deal for us so we celebrated the hard work and dedication of the students and the excellent teaching of our two science teachers, Gina Kelly and Luke Simpson, at a lunch time presentation. We also recognized three students who earned perfect scores on their MCAS tests. We were honored to have several guests join us - Representative Sarah Peake and our superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Lanzo, both of whom spoke and congratulated the students and teachers. And we had cake! Celebrations always go better with cake. Unfortunately, other than the Cape Cod Chronicle, no other media outlets seemed interested in recognizing our accomplishment, preferring to report on everything that is "wrong" with schools today which appears to be a popular theme lately. It's sad, but that will not stop us from recognizing and celebrating our successes whenever we can.
To that end, I will be looking to find a way to gather students at least once a month from now on to celebrate student success and recognize student acomplishments. Even if others do not seem interested in our good news, we certainly are and will continue to try to get it out to the public in whatever way we can.
I just returned from serving as the Assistant Chair of a NEASC visiting team conducting an evaluation of another school. I brought two things back with me; a really bad cold, and a new found appreciation for the benefits of being a small school. While I was at this school I witnessed many examples of how they celebrated student success and the profound impact that has on the culture of the school.
Yesterday we had the opportunity to do some celebrating of our own at CHS. Our current junior class did very well on the 2010 MCAS exam this past spring, however one set of scores stand out. We had 69% of our students score in the Advanced category on the MCAS Biology exam which puts Chatham High School in first place among 340 high schools in the state by 11 percentage points. The state average for the science test was 18%! Being one of the smallest schools in the state makes this a big deal for us so we celebrated the hard work and dedication of the students and the excellent teaching of our two science teachers, Gina Kelly and Luke Simpson, at a lunch time presentation. We also recognized three students who earned perfect scores on their MCAS tests. We were honored to have several guests join us - Representative Sarah Peake and our superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Lanzo, both of whom spoke and congratulated the students and teachers. And we had cake! Celebrations always go better with cake. Unfortunately, other than the Cape Cod Chronicle, no other media outlets seemed interested in recognizing our accomplishment, preferring to report on everything that is "wrong" with schools today which appears to be a popular theme lately. It's sad, but that will not stop us from recognizing and celebrating our successes whenever we can.
To that end, I will be looking to find a way to gather students at least once a month from now on to celebrate student success and recognize student acomplishments. Even if others do not seem interested in our good news, we certainly are and will continue to try to get it out to the public in whatever way we can.
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