Clarkston Junior High School Principal Shawn Ryan accepts the Ready, Set, Success Award on behalf of his entire school.
‘Although the award was presented to me, it’s an absolute reflection of every staff member in this building,? said Ryan at the Clarkston Board of Education meeting, Nov. 9. ‘It’s not a definite person by far. The whole process to be recognized is because it involves lots of people attached to our building.?
The award is given by Michigan Association of Secondary Principals (MASSP) and MEEMIC Insurance Company to recognize schools striving for improvement and working as a team.
MASSP reviews different schools and how they carry out improvement throughout the school.
‘They thought some of the ideas we had were pretty novel and we had some pretty strong values built into it,? said Ryan.
He explained the junior high took a multi-level approach by dividing staff into different teams while simultaneously building academic improvement within departments.
‘What added novelty to it is it’s an ongoing process,? he continued. ‘It’s not in cycles because most schools do a one, two or three year cycle.?
Clarkston Junior High’s process revolves around needs of particular goals, and most goals are accomplished within a year.
‘The teachers and staff work together on different teams,? Ryan explained. ‘We organize them in a way that’s functional.?
The groups work on improving the interior of the school by brightening hallways, making a more appealing learning environment for students.
Some goals are ongoing, such as constant revaluation of assessments and using the best educational research practices. They apply practices to specific areas the departments identify as weak, where students aren’t performing as strongly as other topics.
‘The big part is they get information from all the students involved then they prioritize where the students are weakest at. Then, create goals to address at the classroom level what those weaknesses are,? said Ryan.
Past goals include creating mentoring programs involving new students and the counseling staff.
Events included scavenger hunts and Cider Days to not only make them feel welcomed to the school, but also the community.
‘We build a sense of community,? said Ryan.
The sense of belonging also extends to middle school students and bringing them into the school during the spring. The students have a hands-on experience with some of the classes they can take, instead of only reading descriptions in the course guide.
Another goal is having students mingle with other groups during lunch on certain days.
The reason behind it is to make sure students don’t fall into cliques, and take the opportunity to talk and get to know all of their classmates.
‘It’s good because when people classically think of junior high schools, they think back to a cliche junior high that students fall into the mentality they have a specific group of friends,? said Ryan. ‘With over 1,300 students, we have more opportunity to mix them up where we can create broadening relationships and experiences for the kids.?
The junior high created more clubs since the teaching staff began surveying students. They found out what the students wanted to see and built it into the school’s programs.
Also, if a group of students wants to start a club, the staff tries to add it.
Some recent clubs added were World Language, Japanese Animation and a school newspaper.
‘The main recognition from MASSP wasn’t for one program or one goal, it was for the capacity the school built to address its needs directly,? said Ryan.
The plan has been ongoing for four years and started as a combination of administration and teaching staff, getting together to work on Professional Working Community.
MASSP honors four middle schools, along with eight high schools and one regional career technical education school every year.
The schools chosen receive recognition and a check for $500 to be used by the team.