Letter From The Principal: Changing The Language, Changing The Conversation At Parkway North

Dear North High Families,

One of the most interesting parts of being an adult in a school filled with teens is overhearing conversations in the hall. I can learn about the latest slang, fashion and relationships in a five minute passing period. I also often hear students having more serious conversations regarding their classes, teachers, parents and classmates. The other day in the lunch line, I overheard two students making plans to sit outside in the Peace Garden to eat lunch. I was delighted to hear students making a reference to that area of our school because it helped me see that over time, the vocabulary of the students has changed to call it “Peace Garden” rather than simply “courtyard.” To others this might not seem like such a big deal, but when I look for ways of knowing whether or not messages are being internalized, the transfer of language from adults to students is an indicator that the students are seeing the value of the message. I am not naïve enough to believe that this one conversation I overheard is an indication that all students now value this space we named the “Peace Garden,” but it is clear that the language has transferred to a few of our students and I would suggest it is more than a few.

The purpose of the “Peace Garden” is to acknowledge that every member of the school community has special talents and makes unique contributions. Students who complete their government class service hours can be found each semester trimming plants or spreading mulch in the area and I take time to explain to them how the “Peace Garden” came to be. As I mentioned before, to have a student use the title of that garden area in a conversation with another student makes me think we have finally come to a point where students value the garden area as a place that is different from the other courtyard areas and that it represents something very special about our school.

This is our goal with the conversations we have intentionally had frequently this year about the climate of our school. We have made efforts to engage students in conversation about bullying and being an inclusive, caring community so that they would become more comfortable having these important conversations. Students have participated and led activities to help raise awareness and develop common language so that all students are clear about what we want for all members of our school community—a physically and emotionally safe learning environment. When students use this language because they have heard it enough and truly understand the message, we will have succeeded in our goal. 

We have several ways for parents to become involved in these conversations as well. and are joining efforts to host a speaker from the Rachel’s Challenge organization on Tuesday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m. in the North High Commons. You can find more information about Rachel’s Challenge on their website:  http://www.rachelschallenge.org/.  and Rockwood School District are sponsoring a Town Hall Forum in conjunction with St. Luke’s Hospital, “Breaking Thru Barriers: The Power of Parents” from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, at St. Luke’s Hospital Auditorium.

We hope you will be able to join us for all of these parent events so that we can develop common language and a shared understanding of how we can help our teens be physically and emotionally safe as they go through these tumultuous years of high school.

This spring parents will be receiving surveys about administrators and about our school program in general. Please take time to give us feedback so that we can grow as individuals and continue to improve our school. I appreciate the strong community connection we have at North High and look forward to your feedback.

Sincerely,

Jenny Marquart