Over the last several years administration has created engaging programs to encourage school attendance, from college and career planning to a mentorship program between high school and elementary students. Any improvements have been slow. Justin Coup reports that while there is a goal to see a decrease in absenteeism, “sometimes results aren’t always what we want but sometimes you can get a positive and a negative and I think that’s where we’re at. Our Pre-k through middle school students are seeing very positive results but there is a disconnect among the high school students and we need to get to the root cause, which leads to the next five year’s strategic goals.”
Our staff are empathetic to the issue and how best to support our students. College and Career Counselor, Jodi Howard, feels that it is important to “alleviate the barriers for learning and to meet the basic needs before success.” Students have support within the school through our counselors, gorilla guidance teachers, and various mentors. Many times, these interactions with staff can lead to meaningful opportunities to get the students to engage. Kjell Nordgran states that, “when you find a niche you can pair these students with experiences that will reach them in a way that was unexpected.” We recognize that every student is unique. Coup states, “we look for any kind of hook on a student that’s not loving school and match them with something that they can build skills off of.” Which is why there has been an uptick in sporting opportunities and a push for more niche career paths. For example, the bowling team was created five years ago and the wrestling team, only two years ago. There are continued efforts to engage them academically or through events like Opportunity Night.
The community is encouraged to stay engaged with the education of its youth. We are striving to build better leaders. When they see active community participation, they can model that behavior now and into the future.