Matt's Monday Memo
April 22, 2019
Good morning all.
Current University of Virginia President James Ryan gave an address in 2016 when he was president of the Harvard Graduate School of Education that gained much notoriety. At the conclusion of that address he shared a poem by Raymond Carver that asked if the reader got what they sought in this life, and the affirmative answer was based on the realized desire to “feel beloved.” I will quote Ryan abundantly here as he stated it so well:
"We spend a lot of time, here and elsewhere, thinking about how we might improve student performance, which is how it should be. Yet I can’t help but think that schools, and indeed, the world, would be better places if students didn’t simply perform well but also felt beloved — beloved by their teachers and by their fellow classmates.
This comes on the heels of our EOC testing and our Top Hat Awards, which seem to be on opposite sides of the performance/beloved continuum. At the National Honor Society induction last week, Amy Rowland wisely blended the two concepts, marrying GPA and other required measures with the chance to formally imbed student champions. The program asked student-selected faculty members to greet students on stage when they were recognized. These are students that are by most measures, successfully navigating our school and yet value mentorship and care from our adults.
The junior NHS inductee, of course, leaned heavily on the teachers in the current year but undoubtedly could list many others that have helped them to feel “beloved” here at WGHS. We have over 80 students recognized by our staff on Friday morning in our Top Hat program to the same end. I am hopeful that we move toward 100% faculty and staff participation in next year’s Top Hat. The founder of Community of Schools, Bill Milliken, acknowledged that “…relationships, not programs that change children." We have many mechanisms for recognition at our school but would ask that we be even more vigilant ensuring ALL students feel beloved, especially those students that feel that most marginalized.
If you have suggestions of how that can be accomplished, please share with me. Thanks for all you do.
Best,
Matt
Our Latest Launch Awards: Dana Miller, Kyle Lockos, Marlene Willis, Kevin Cole, and Sarah Romanowski
Peek at the Week
- April 22-26: EOC Testing
- April 24: Jazz Band Concert, 7 p.m., Auditorium
- April 27: Prom
Celebrations
Congratulations to Patrick Lee and Ethan Weihl for being accepted to the 2019 Missouri Boys State!
Special thanks to Jerry Collins, Cliff Ice, Kim Edwards, and Steve Leftridge for a terrific Top Hat ceremony on Friday. Congratulations to all the students who earned a Top Hat award.
Congratulations to Dane Williams, Kevin Cole, Jill Young, and all the band students for another great Band Awards Night. Recipients will be recognized again on Senior Awards Night.
This week is Administrative Professionals week. Thanks to all the administrative assistants for all you do!
Reminders/Announcements
Teachers and staff: Please do everything we can during the last few weeks of class to minimize disruptions in the classroom. I realize that we have a lot of end-of-the-year meetings. Please be considerate detaining students, especially for issues that can wait until a later time. Thanks for your cooperation on this.
- Please become familiar with the cell phone policy during EOC week. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education does not allow cell phones to be present in the testing room. Students should leave their cell phones at home or in their lockers during the testing window. Teachers will be collecting any phones that are brought into the testing room. Per DESE regulations, if a cell phone is visible or sounds during testing, the student in question will have their EOC scores voided/canceled.
Upcoming Professional Development
- May 24: Records Day (11:05 - 3:00)