First impressions

Last night, we held our annual Eighth Grade Parent Night which our Parent Teacher Group (PTG) has sponsored over the past three years to provide interested parents with information about SKHS. The night is always a positive one; each department sets up a table which provides their program of study as well as samples of student work ranging from robotics demonstrations to artwork to science projects. Parents can listen to the jazz band play as well as hear from parents, alumnae and current students. I have found over the past three years that the tone and content of the remarks have changed a bit. When the PTG first suggested the evening, it was in an effort to shine a more positive light on what was perceived as a diminishing reputation in the community. It was as if we were saying, “We’re South Kingstown High School: We’re really not that bad!” We felt compelled to talk about school safety and support programs. Last year, I think we may have gone over the top regarding all of the positives. I would say that some of that was a reaction to feedback we got from parents from the previous year’s presentation and partly because we were moving forward regarding how we perceive ourselves as a school and how the community views us.

I live in South Kingstown so at this time of year I end up having a few private conversations with anxious 8th grade parents. For those who are trying to decide if SKHS is the best fit for their child, I don’t tell them that SKHS is a superior school to any other local private or public school. All schools have strengths and weaknesses. Each set of parents knows their child best and each family has to make the best decision based on the child’s interests and needs. While in past years we have felt that we’ve had to go out of our way to de-mystify or debunk certain community attitudes about SKHS, each year that becomes less and less of an issue. Now, we simply encourage each eighth grader to shadow a freshman for the day, and for parents to check out our college admissions results, our special needs programs, co-curriculars and mechanisms to make sure each student is known well by at least one adult in the building. The merits of South Kingstown High School speak for itself. It is an excellent high school which is only getting better, in large part because the kids and teachers in the school see the improvement and know they are part of that positive change. We hope the information we provided for parents last night will serve as one part of their examination of who we are as an educational community.

Vaccination Day

There are many aspects of the principalship where the lesson is learned as you are in the midst of the event. Monday, when we vaccinated 900 students in less than 4 hours, was one of those occasions. While we thought we had a comprehensive plan in place to have the day run smoothly, within the first five minutes of the freshmen arriving in the auditorium, we quickly realized we had to make some adjustments on the fly. Fortunately, due to the efforts of clerical staff, school counselors, support staff and administrators, the problems were addressed and the day went as planned. While these events are unpredictable, I know that I can depend on the students here working with us and I can count on staff to take responsibility when there is a void that needs to be filled. There were multiple examples of the students and staff making the best of a potentially stressful morning. It is a comfort to know that no matter the best laid plans, there are adults and kids here who are flexible and responsible enough to improve the process for the good of the school. It is one more reason why high schools – and SKHS in particular – are such a great place to work.