Newtown High School Hopes To Foster That ‘Small Town’ Feeling

By Larissa Lytwyn

A change has been in the air this fall, and it has been more than just the change of season.

Well over a year of intensive administrative and faculty planning has facilitated a notable change in the atmosphere of Newtown High School. Over the past few years, the school has struggled with some of the negative effects of its rising student population.

“We recognized [the negative effects] the growing student population was having on both our staff and students,” said Assistant Principal Lorrie Rodrigue. “There was a greater sense of anonymity. So, we sought to create a smaller, more intimate, community feeling within our very large school.”

Ms Rodrigue initiated the Small Town Meeting concept as a way of consistently addressing policy and safety issues, many caused by the school’s ever-mounting student population.

“I was really pleased by the response we received,” Ms Rodrigue said. “At our first Small Town Meeting [last spring], we had over 60 teachers come! It was amazing!”

NEASC Accreditation

Ideas were always expressed with Newtown High School’s unique Mission and Learning Expectations, one of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) new accreditation requirements.

According to its mission statement, NHS is committed to building a community that pursues rigorous academic goals and personal responsibility. The school also encourages dignity, civility, and tolerance. Students and teachers work together so that all members of the school community can reach the highest possible level of individual potential. Within the partnership of students, teachers, parents, and community members, the school works to promote success in a challenging environment and to cultivate competent, contributing, and productive citizens.

In pursuit of their academic and personal goals, NHS students are expected to create and produce significant work, pursue learning beyond what is required, and engage in a lifelong contribution to self and society

The Small Town Meetings are continued today as a way of improving communication between faculty and administrators with the aim of implementing positive change.

The ideas formed through the Small Town Meetings has created an environment that has incorporated stronger school safety measures, including staff and student photo IDs, the Adopt-A-Hallway program, peer and teacher-student mentoring initiatives, community service leaders and monthly homeroom meetings (in which students can express their ideas regarding various school issues and policies).

“In terms of security issues, we are really just more strongly enforcing policies that were always there,” said Dean Jason Hiruo.

Teachers and other school staff members now spend rotating shifts seated at a desk adjacent to the lobby’s main entrance. All other entrances are now locked during the school day.

Students are typically not allowed to leave the building without parental permission or signing out at the attendance office.

If passing through the halls during class time, students are carefully checked to see that they are carrying passes indicating where they have come from and where they are going.

If a student has a doctor’s appointment or other obligation, a parent must contact the attendance office by phone to let the school know.

According to school administrators and school security officers, the increased monitoring has significantly reduced class-cutting rates.

Another positive measure is the Adopt-A-Hallway program. During passing time, teachers monitor the hallway area adjacent to their classrooms, ensuring that the halls are not overcrowded and the students are appropriately behaved.

“It’s not so much disciplinary as it is just being out there, accessible to the students,” said Ms Rodrigue.

 

Smoking Prohibited On Campus

Under the Board of Education, Newtown High School has a zero-tolerance substance abuse policy, including the restriction of smoking in or outside the building.

Smoking near various entrances around the school has now been clinched due to the school’s one open entrance during the school day.

In addition, said Mr Hiruo, over the past few years, he has seen student attitudes toward smoking shift.

“It’s been really great to observe the number of students [who smoke] that want to quit,” he said. “I also hear a lot of students telling their friends not to smoke.”

One problem that has persisted, however, is adult smoking on campus during school events, especially sports activities.

“We have definitely seen adults smoking during a football game or similar event,” said Mr Hiruo. “When [faculty or administrators] see them, they immediately tell them to put the cigarette out. They comply immediately. It’s kind of embarrassing for them. It’s important that people are aware [of this policy].”

To meet the goal of its personal mission and learning expectations, school administrators are in the process of building peer-adult mentoring initiatives, as well as peer-to-peer relationships.

Through mentoring programs, upperclassmen will soon be able to interact with incoming freshmen.

Community Service Leaders were first assembled last winter, said senior Danielle Iodice, who was among the dozen or so students gradewide who volunteered.

“Basically, during a free period or whenever they’re free, the community service leader helps different departments in the school with various duties,” she explained. The duties, she said, were mostly clerical in nature.

Last year she monitored the cafeteria, ensuring that students were behaving appropriately and promptly notifying an administrator when they weren’t.

“But, with all the things students have to do at the end of school year, finals and things like that, interest kind of dropped off,” said Danielle. She is now in the process of meeting with Ms Rodrigue to revive the Community Service Leader program.

Another measure to increase student-faculty interaction and improve communication is the recent implementation of monthly, schoolwide homeroom meetings has given students the opportunity to express their viewpoints on a variety of issues.

Students Critical Of New Culinary Service

Some ongoing issues students have had, said senior Paul Ashey, have included the quality of Chartwells, the district’s new culinary service.

“Students were upset with the increase in prices [for a la carte] items,” he said. “They usually just want a slice of pizza or something, so they think of buying the whole [cheaper] meal as a waste of food. But they’re spending more money, and they don’t like that.”

Though Paul characterized the quality of the food as “okay,” he said a lot of students are deeply dissatisfied with it.

“I can’t think of any particular items,” he said, “but I think, considering the prices, the food quality hasn’t been as good as it can be.”

Later in the year, Chartwells hopes to create a student “food committee” to address such issues as food pricing and quality. But one parent, Joan Piscitelli is concerned that the committee will just be another added pressure on already time-strapped students.

“I don’t know if [the committee] would work,” she said. “I don’t think it could.”

She said kids just wanted to have the food be better priced and have better quality, and they do not think they should have to form a special committee for such a goal to be accomplished.

Chartwells has been under fire since the beginning of the school year, when several disgruntled food service workers expressed concern to the Board of Education over inappropriate employee management.

Other issues being raised by students, said Paul, include cafeteria overcrowding.

“Right now we have the courtyard for the seniors,” he said. “But with the increased number of freshmen, the cafeteria is already overrun now. I can’t imagine what it will be like this winter! Students aren’t having enough room to eat.”

Another problem, he said, was the lack of guidance counselors available to help students with posthigh school planning.

“We understand how there is a limited guidance department now,” he said. But, he continued, some students feel like they have not been able to successfully navigate the college application process because of the lack of guidance.

Paul said, however, that it has been good to have an outlet. “It’s important to have a voice,” he said.

Currently, Paul is in the process of building several tables for the senior courtyard as part of his Eagle Scout project.

“Students haven’t really had a place to sit [in the courtyard], so I thought doing a project like this would be a good idea,” he said.

Paul emphasized the assistance he received from a number of student organizations, including members of student council and student government.

“It is a big group effort,” he said.

“What I have enjoyed most about the Small Town Meetings is the positive attitude,” said English department chairman Jeanetta Miller.

She is particularly excited, she said, about the future formation of small learning environments within the large school.

In addition to peer mentoring programs, Ms Miller said she is excited about providing a more inclusive environment for at-risk students, freshmen teams and the establishment of unique programs in areas such as technology and the performing arts.

“These ideas provide flexibility so we can address individual needs and innovative approaches that we can offer to students looking for an authentic challenge,” she said. “It’s all very exciting.”