How Do I Get In This Place?

We finally have our new security system in place, much like other buildings in the district. We will implement this plan when students return from the Holiday break on January 4th. The change concerns exterior doors and when they will be locked or unlocked.

Expect the doors to be unlocked in the morning until 8:15, or 15 minutes after the day begins. Obviously, PLC Mondays will be treated differently, but doors will still lock 15 minutes after school begins.

After that time, anyone wishing to enter the building will have to “buzz in” at one of three entrances. There are three spots where there are buzzers and cameras:
1) entrance A, which is the door to the main building under the bridge from the I.A. building
2) entrance E, the door near the old greenhouse closest to Grosse Pointe Blvd.
3) entrance S, the door to the Boll Center or new pool building.

These will be the only doors to enter once school has started and when classes are in session.

Other doors between buildings will be programmed to unlock one minute before class is dismissed, and up until two minutes after class starts. In other words, students will be able to go outside between buildings during regularly scheduled passing times.

The same will be true at lunch. The exterior doors will be unlocked during lunch, but only until two minutes after 5th period begins. If students are still outside after that time, they will have to “buzz” the office to be allowed back into the building.

There are two other changes…one temporary and one more permanent. The front doors to the building will remain locked until we get back to spring-time weather. We just cannot handle all of the snow and slush being dragged into the front entrances during the winter. That is the temporary change.

The permanent change is that entrance Q, the door nearest the choir room, will remain locked during the school day, including lunch periods. If students are moving from the I.A. building to the main building or S-building, they will have to use the bridge between buildings or enter through entrance A, located right below the bridge crossover.

If students arrive after classes are in session, and have to “buzz in” for entrance, they are to identify themselves giving name and grade. One of the secretaries will be able to allow entrance at that time. They are to then go to the Attendance office and sign in.

At the end of the day, all doors will lock at 4:00 except for students with practice schedules.

In short order, all of us will be used to these changes. In reality, we are one of the last schools to limit access in this manner so it’s probably long overdue.

In closing, I hope you are able to enjoy your time with friends and family while school is not in session, and wish you the best of the Holiday Season!

And Now, A Word From Our Parents

With the onset of the Holiday Season, we are getting very close to a full release of the parent data from the school survey. Although there isn't room in this spot for all of the details, I will provide a few of the highlights.

The Basics:
- 402 parent responses overall, with 72% being female
- 91% of those responding were white in regard to ethnicity
- the largest portion (33%) of those responding listed a senior as the oldest child
- when asked what they liked best, the most popular narrative responses were the curriculum, teachers, and high standards

The Good:
- 92% feel the school has a positive impact on property values
- 92% feel the education offered to students is of high quality
- 92% feel the school is clean and the grounds are well maintained
- 92% feel we have good textbooks and adequate supplies
- 89% believe the quality of schools influenced their decision to live in this community

The Bad:
- only 10% feel that substance abuse is NOT a problem, while 64% believe it IS a problem
- only 15% feel there are NO problems with bullies at school, however, 24% claim they do not know if it is a problem
- only 26% feel we are doing a good job teaching career/vocational courses, while 40% either did not know or the question did not apply to them
- only 45% of parents are confident students see a relationship between what they are studying and their everyday lives
- only 46% feel we are preparing students to deal with issues or problems they will deal with in the future

Our hope is to have the results ready to post on the website shortly after the Holiday break. We have been pleased with the number of responses as more than a third of our parents, well over half of our students, and nearly all of our staff members responded to the survey.

We thank you for taking the time to complete the survey and wish everyone the best of the Holiday Season!

The Results Are In

Well, the results aren't completely in yet. I'm speaking of the data from the surveys that were administered earlier this month. We surveyed students (877 responses), parents (433), teachers (93), and support staff (44). And although the program quickly tabulates percentages of responses, it takes a while to put the data in a useful format. My secretary is putting the data in bar graph form so that it is easier to absorb and understand.

So far, all efforts have been dedicated to compiling data from the students. In some respects, we believe this data to be most critical to our needs and should have priority. Earlier today, I was able to take a quick look at the bar graph representations. All in all, it looks pretty good.

Here are a few of the highlights:
- 71% of our students have been here since elementary school, while 21% entered while in high school
- 86% participate in after-school activities
- 76% have participated on at least one sports team
- 93% rate the overall education at South as good or excellent
- the highest ratings were for the English (90%) and science departments (81%)
- 91% feel that classes "required for graduation" are either good or excellent
- 90% feel that classes at South are "challenging"
- regarding class size, 15% feel classes are too big, 40% big, and 43% just right
- 62% feel they get individual attention in their classes
- 91% feel they are safe or very safe while at South
- 85% plan to attend a four-year college, with the highest percentage (31%) pursuing a career in science or technology

The data above is just a quick view. Students were also able to provide an open-ended response regarding each of the categories listed. One constant...they don't like wearing ID badges, but I could have told you that before the survey.

When we have a more complete picture, we will share it with you. I wish everyone out there a Happy Thanksgiving and hope the break away from work or school is rejuvenating for you.

It's Long Overdue

For several years now, we have been discussing the concept of bringing drug dogs into the school. It has been discussed in meetings with parents, among staff, and at the Board of Education level. Here at South, we have decided it's time to act.

Let me be clear, the major purpose is to serve as a deterrent to behavior that is illegal in the eyes of the court, let alone school officials. Our goal is not to "bust" students.

I hope we find nothing, and wish we didn't even see the need for such action. However, our instincts tell us otherwise. We have found several students this fall in possession of illegal substances. We also hear rumors, unfounded or not, of more students engaging in similar behavior.

I can't really tell you that use or abuse among students is on the upswing. Sometimes, we just stumble upon illegal substances or students that engage in illegal activities.

I have often said that here in Grosse Pointe we have a volatile mix--we have many affluent families living adjacent to a city where access to drugs is readily available. That is a bad combination, and puts our students in great danger.

At some point in the near future, we will undergo a search of the building and grounds with a cadre of officers and narcotics dogs. In all likelihood, there will be regular searches in the future.

Again, I hope we find nothing. But I also hope our students understand there is zero tolerance at our school.

A Few Minutes Of Your Time

Just short of one year ago, we hosted an important aspect of our accreditation process, the Quality Assurance Review. The process calls for a team of educators to visit South High School to evaluate all aspects of our program. One area of deficit that was noted in the final report had to do with "input from stakeholders". In this case, the visiting team determined that we did not receive enough two-way communication. In other words, we provided a great deal of information to parents and students, but did not seek enough information from them.

We are attempting to rectify that deficiency. In the recent issue of "High Pointes", on p. 5 were instructions for parents and students to participate in a survey regarding South High School. We used sample surveys from the accreditation program (AdvancEd) and tailor-made them for our needs. There are separate surveys for students and parents.

When you go to the South webpage, right in the middle near the bottom is information about the survey. Just follow the directions, give us a few minutes of your time, and we will have the input we need. The information from students and parents can go a long way toward shaping our programs in the future.

Thank you for your time.

A Disappointing Ending

After a few days of reflection, I can tell you that nearly all of the Homecoming events were deemed a success. The remainder of the "spirit days" were lively and appropriate. The pep assembly consisted of new and different activities and kept the students engaged and excited. And although the weather was cool, the parade was very well attended by both students and community members. To top it off, the outcome of the game proved to be the stimulus that would propel the football team into the playoffs. All in all, nearly everything was perfect.

Unfortunately, we did have a slip-up at the dance. A handful of the more than 1300 students in attendance used alcohol prior to coming to the dance. In this case, the driver of a bus limousine could smell alcohol after the students exited the bus. Upon further investigation, he found numerous containers with alcohol.

We had no choice but to seek out the passengers on the bus. And unfortunately, most of the passengers registered a positive result for alcohol on a PBT when administered by police. This was disheartening.

I have to tell you that I am glad that our nation has taken such a strict stance on drinking and driving. We have benefited from that emphasis over the years. However, renting a limo should not be license for underage youths to drink alcohol. It's still illegal.

I wish I could wave a magic wand and eliminate the use of limousines for dances, especially something like Homecoming. It's not necessary, costs far more than it's worth, and creates a false sense of entitlement.

In a couple of weeks I'll probably look back at the Homecoming dance with less regret, however, right now it's still too fresh and I wish it had been different. Maybe next year...

Let's Hope For A Good Week

Last Sunday-Tuesday, I attended our annual convention for Michigan's secondary principals. While I was there, many conversations centered around discussions of the various Homecoming festivities. Nearly everyone in attendance had just completed their Spirit Week, were in the midst of it, or were awaiting it just like we were. Today, we celebrated the first day of our Homecoming Week, a week that is too often dreaded by high school administrators.

So far, we appear to be off to a good start. The first day of Spirit Week belongs to the junior class. From my observations today, they were very spirited but also very appropriate. Their hallway signs were most creative and should serve as strong role modeling for the classes to follow. Tomorrow will be the sophomores turn, with the freshman class slated for Wednesday. On Thursday, the seniors finally get their chance to show the entire school what senior spirit can be like.

At South, the students are typically well behaved. The activities create many fond memories, as evidenced by the student speeches at Commencement. Invariably, most of the students that audition to speak at Graduation make several references to Spirit Week and everything that comes with South's Homecoming. I guess that's the way it should be if the event was a success.

Thursday evening consists of the float parties, where many members of the respective classes gather to celebrate putting the final touches on the float. Friday is the official whole-school Spirit Day, complete with the pep assembly, parade and game. It makes for a full day for everyone, and the "worker bees" are often exhausted by the time the game is over.

Of course, the entire week culminates with the Homecoming Dance on Saturday night. We usually have more that 1200 students in attendance, not bad considering we have enrollment just under 1600 students this year.

I am hopeful the week will continue as it began. Spirited kids having fun, but all of it good natured. Now if the weather will just cooperate, the entire week can be deemed a success.