Standard 3: Cultural Leadership
Principals will understand and act on the understanding of the important role a school’s culture plays in contributing to the exemplary performance of the school. Principals must support and value the traditions, artifacts, symbols and positive values and norms of the school and community that result in a sense of identity and pride upon which to build a positive future. A principal must be able to “re-culture” the school if needed to align with school’s goals of improving student and adult learning and to infuse the work of the adults and students with passion, meaning and purpose. Cultural leadership implies understanding the school and the people in it each day, how they came to their current state, and how to connect with their traditions in order to move them forward to support the school’s efforts to achieve individual and collective goals.
Principals will understand and act on the understanding of the important role a school’s culture plays in contributing to the exemplary performance of the school. Principals must support and value the traditions, artifacts, symbols and positive values and norms of the school and community that result in a sense of identity and pride upon which to build a positive future. A principal must be able to “re-culture” the school if needed to align with school’s goals of improving student and adult learning and to infuse the work of the adults and students with passion, meaning and purpose. Cultural leadership implies understanding the school and the people in it each day, how they came to their current state, and how to connect with their traditions in order to move them forward to support the school’s efforts to achieve individual and collective goals.
Element 3a. Focus on Collaborative Work Environment: The principal understands and acts on the understanding of the positive role that a collaborative work environment can play in the schools culture.
As part of the administrative team, I worked to ensure that the School Leadership Team was established before the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year. I worked with the School Leadership Team at Southern Nash High School to assure that staff was implementing the district instructional framework, committees were following the school's vision, weekly PLCs were being implemented with fidelity, followed throughout the duration of the school year, and deeply embedded in the culture of the school. Being a part of the leadership team afforded me the opportunity to be a contributor to issues that needed to be focused on and work closely with the team to make decisions that were best for the school.
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Element 3b. School Culture and Identity: The principal develops and uses shared vision, values and goals to define the identity and culture of the school.
Southern Nash High School takes PRIDE in making sure that all students know the expectations of the school. The PRIDE posters are posted throughout the school and announced each morning during the announcements. The school's motto is also reiterated daily. The motto is a huge part of the SNHS culture. It is etched in every aspect of the school...academics, arts, and athletics. My goal has been to ensure that all students remembered and internalized our PRIDE mantra. I worked to accomplish this goal through individual contacts and conferences with students. When I met with individual students during our tardy conferences, I would make sure they knew the PRIDE mantra by having them repeat it to me and tell me what it meant.
Element 3c. Acknowledges Failures; Celebrates Accomplishments and Rewards: The principal acknowledges failures and celebrates accomplishments of the school in order to define the identity, culture and performance of the school.
Acknowledging and celebrating accomplishments and failures is important in defining our culture and performance. I worked to accomplish this in two ways: by acknowledging teachers who were using best practices and/or going over and beyond by emailing them or talking with them about what I saw in their classes. Southern Nash is well known for creating great athletes. It is a huge part of the culture. On February 1, 2017, National Signing Day, some of our students took part in officially announcing what schools they would attend in the Fall after graduation. Each student received a full scholarship in football and cheerleading. Each month we celebrated students who exhibited the traits of PRIDE.
We are very proud of our Firebirds on such a massive accomplishment!
During the month of December, I initiated a small gift giving event to keep staff in the holiday spirit. Each person was given a small sock filled with goodies. If they were "socked", they were to pass the sock on to another member. We did this until holiday break began. I felt like I needed to do a small project to keep staff spirits up.
We are very proud of our Firebirds on such a massive accomplishment!
During the month of December, I initiated a small gift giving event to keep staff in the holiday spirit. Each person was given a small sock filled with goodies. If they were "socked", they were to pass the sock on to another member. We did this until holiday break began. I felt like I needed to do a small project to keep staff spirits up.
Element 3d. Efficacy and Empowerment: The principal develops a sense of efficacy and empowerment among staff which influences the school's identity, culture and performance.
Club Days were created to give students the opportunity to participate in a club of their choice. By joining theses clubs, students learned about community service, working with others, and participating in community service projects while earning volunteer hours. Clubs met monthly for the last thirty minutes of first, second, and fourth periods. This ensured that they had enough time for clubs, but that they did not miss a substantial amount of instructional time. Many students were involved in multiple clubs during the school year. Clubs gave students a chance to belong to something that they would like to find out more about. Teachers were sponsors of the clubs. I made sure that I was present at various clubs during club days. The students always led the discussions, but it was always nice to be present in the event that if questions would arise I could be there to answer them from the administrative point of view.