On Oct. 4 yearbook students together with communications and PR specialist David Coy and members of the SHS Shared Leadership Team wrapped up a video underlining the importance of student values for the school’s Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) .

These developers pulled many students from several different school communities to ask them how their specific communities made them feel as a member of the school community. 

“I think it’s important to understand how students feel at school and just kinda get an insight to their feelings and if they’re feeling safe or feeling accepted. I think that’s just a really big thing these days and I feel like the schools are doing a really good job about making sure that everyone is equal and included in a lot of things at school,” senior Cassandra Aiken said.

Aiken, a yearbook student, is featured in the video interviewing the other students as they give their perspectives.

A message in the video is that students feel like they belong to this school as they express gratitude toward teachers that make acceptance possible. Nearly all students interviewed all shared the similarity that certain teachers and staff are the main contributors to making our school a more welcoming place. Coy found these views encouraging as he watched the kids talk while he filmed them. 

“Staff members made them feel welcomed. It made them feel like they were a part of a community and felt valued,” Coy said.

Teachers and the administration team along with Instructional Coach Andy Wolfe met July 20 with a diverse group of students to ask what improvements the students wished to see. Nearly all the students agreed that a stronger community within our school was needed. The Shared Leadership team of teachers and administration decided to adopt the students’ goal as a school-wide goal and create a video featuring students’ voices as a first step toward that goal.

Although this video will be very beneficial to students from all backgrounds it is only the first step in the CIP to fulfilling the goal of increasing student community. 

Another goal is academic success, every student passing every class.

“Students not feeling a part of a community is a problem. And there’s always a way to solve a problem,” Wolfe said.

The Shared Leadership Team also plans on making a follow-up video towards the end of the semester or at the end of the school year similar to the one posted in October to detail what changes occur  over the remainder of the school year.