High School To Undergo 'Redesign' Next Year



High School To Undergo 'Redesign' Next Year

Cannon County High School student Jeran Tenpenny received a Certificate of Achievement Thursday night from Cannon County Director of Schools Barbara Parker for being named Tennessee State Senior Beta Club Vice-President.
There will be a new look at Cannon County High School next year, but that doesn't mean there will be changes to the building.

Instead, students attending the school will see a new schedule in place, one designed to accommodate the new Tennessee Diploma Project.

Students will still be attending six periods per day. However, the third period will be 80 minutes long, during which students can take two courses.

The Cannon County Board of Education approved the plan for the next school year Thursday night during its regular monthly meeting at Short Mountain School. Board member Shannon Davenport made the motion to approve the plan, for a one-year trial basis, and the motion passed unanimously.

There will also be a trail run of the plan this school year, starting with spring break and continuing to school lets out for the summer.

Prior to the meeting board members received a report from a Redesign Committee at the high school outlining details of the plan and how it will be implemented. The report follows:

CCHS Redesign Committee Report

The Redesign Committee has decided by a vote of 18-0 to approve the 3rd Block and One-Hour Lunch Program Schedule option for 2010-2011 school year. This proposed plan will enable us to have an eighty-minute 3rd period for a modified block.

Students will be able to take two courses per year during 3rd period. The One-Hour Lunch Program will follow directly after 3rd period for a natural break after the longer class. The One-Hour Lunch Program will enable students to work on remediation for their classes as well as handle other academic and non-academic business during the hour.

It will also allow students to eat at their convenience during the one-hour slot. Other schools who participate in a one-hour lunch program have reported student-staff relationships have improved significantly as well due to teachers opening up their rooms for students during the one hour.

All teachers would have specific monitoring duties during the one-hour lunch which will be determined later. All teachers will also be required to open their classrooms for students during that time. We would also recommend that incoming freshmen take a study-skills course for the first semester during the first part of lunch to help boost particular academic needs. Also this will help when introducing 9th graders into the one-hour lunch the second semester.

Our plan will help with the state mandated Tennessee Diploma Project. Under the T.D.P., students entering ninth grade in 2009 will have to have 22 credits instead of the prior 20. The third period block will allow for an extra class each school year for all of our students, or a potential four more than our previous six period schedule.

The T.D.P. also states that a goal for students is to have students take more challenging courses that will prepare students for additional education after high school or for a career of their choosing. Under our new schedule, students will have an opportunity to take additional courses to meet this goal.

The One-Hour Lunch Program will meet specific goals of the T.D.P. due to students having additional opportunities to make-up test, assignments, or just to get help with a subject from their teacher which maybe they could not do after school. Also, it gives us the opportunity to have a class that will benefit the freshman by teaching them study skills and strategies that we believe is very lacking for most incoming freshmen.

The new schedule will also help increase the graduation rate for our school. By having an additional opportunity to earn four credits more, students will now have time to re-take a course they failed, but also have more opportunities to earn the extra year of math required as well as the additional wellness and personal finance half credit.

The One-Hour Lunch Program will also assist with improving our graduation rate because of the additional time students will have to meet with their instructors. Some students who are struggling may be required to go see the teacher during this time period, but others will simply seek out the teacher on their own for remediation. This benefits all students.

The majority of our students currently have real issues that prohibit them from meeting with teachers after school hours. Also, several teachers are often involved in after school activities that prohibit them from being consistently available to meet with students after school hours.

We are very excited about the possibilities of the new schedule, but also realize the work cut out for us to implement it and the challenges of implementation and sustaining the program. We will need the support of our CCHS staff, but also from the Central Office staff as well as our Board of Education.

This is a risk, but one we are willing to take because of its benefits to our students. We also are proud to implement something possibly very unique to many schools…..a 3rd period modified block with a one-hour lunch!!!!

Thanks for your consideration and support, Tim Knox<.b>

Cannon County High School
Public Relations Plan
Redesign for the Future


Goal:

Our goal is to increase public awareness of the new schedule that will be implemented in the fall for Cannon County High School. It is the goal of the school to increase public confidence in the school by educating stakeholders in the community on the changes that will transpire and how it will affect students. Cannon County High School sees the need of evaluating our performance to help make needed continual improvements.

Objectives:

To create a new image of Cannon County High School and to address issues relating to the new graduation requirements mandated through the Diploma Project.

To make the community aware of the new standards facing students graduating from high school starting with the class of 2013.

To help the student understand the new schedule and class offerings.

Stakeholders:

1. School officials

Director of Schools

Supervisor of Instruction

Principal

Teachers

Support Staff

2. Parents

3. Students

4. Business and Community Leaders

5. Media

6. General Public

Positioning Strategies:

Cannon County High School will strive to provide opportunities which allow all students to master skills, both academic and social, that will assist them to become lifelong learners and responsible citizens.
Each student is a respected individual with unique physical, social, emotional, and intellectual needs.

Education is the collaborative responsibility of students, staff, parents, and the community.

Mutual respect and positive relationships among students and staff enhance a student’s self-esteem.

Each student will demonstrate personal integrity through morally motivated behavior.

Students should be offered a variety of academic and extracurricular activities and be expected to perform at their maximum potential.

Prior to graduation each student will master basic skills and apply critical and creative thinking to solve problems and seek solutions.

A variety of assessment tools should be provided for students to demonstrate their achievement of successful learning.

Student’s learning needs, determined in part by academic data, should be the primary focus of all decisions at Cannon County High School.

Cannon County High School is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for student educational success as consistent with school board policy.

Methods of Implementation:

1. Administrators/Principals:

Possible county wide in-service program

School Newsletter

School Web-site

Consistent communication from Superintendent

School-board Retreat Leadership Program

Technology advancements and training

2. Teachers:

School In-service Training

Staff Development

Departmental meetings

Consistent communication from Principal

School Web-site

School email

Build community relationships among teachers and support staff

Parents:

Parent Lion Camp - Parents of in-coming freshmen will participate in a program similar to the student Lion Camp program. This is designed to introduce the parent to the high school and the course offerings of the school.

Counseling Night - Parents will have the opportunity to talk with guidance counselors about their child’s needs for the up-coming year and be a part of their child’s academic scheduling.

Handbooks - Parents will be given a packet to sign at the beginning of the school year to insure receipt of this handbook and other pertinent information pertaining to the schedule and all functions of school life at Cannon County High School.

Course Description Handbooks - Parents will have access to course description handbooks that outline courses for the year. This will include descriptions of courses offered, entry level of course, and any prerequisite that might be needed for a course.

Students:

Web-site - The school and district web-site will have all important information pertaining to the changes of the school schedule and the affect on students.

Newsletters - The school will mail quarterly newsletters to stakeholders. These newsletters will include our mission and information about progress and successes toward school goals.

School Messenger - Phone system will call all parents with important up-dates of the new schedule changes for the new school year.

Lion Camp - New in-coming students will participate in Lion Camp 2014. This is a freshmen orientation activity design to introduce the student to the high school. Students will tour the building; talk with teachers, and tour booths that are designed to show the student all of the opportunities available.

Counseling Night - Incoming freshmen will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with guidance counselors at the “Counseling Night”. “Counseling Night” is a time set aside for each 8th grade students, along with their parents, to have individual counseling to determine the classes that will benefit the student for next year.

Student Handbooks - Students will be provided with handbooks to gain information about the new school policies, programs, and procedures. The yearly calendar of events will also be included in the handbook. Parents will be given a packet to sign at the beginning of the school year to insure receipt of this handbook and other pertinent information.

Student conferences - Guidance will talk to individual 9th, 10th, and 11th grade English classes about the new changes for next school year. During the student’s individual guidance session, counselors will become more specific about what the changes will mean for the individual student.

School message board - Important up-dates will be posted on the school message board in the front school lobby

General Public:

Print - Newspapers will be notified about the new changes.

Broadcast- (radio, television, and internet news outlets)

Internet- (school Web pages, district Web pages, email)

School or district publications and broadcasts- (school newsletters, handbooks, policy manuals, school broadcasts, and school phone message programs)

Public forums- (open forums on school issues)

Open houses- (Parent orientation, freshmen orientation, and career-technical open houses)

Extracurricular events- (athletic events, plays, band recitals, art shows, club contest)

Academic programs- (awards night, graduation, financial aid nights)

Parent groups- (Booster clubs, parent advisory boards)

Partnership programs- (work-based learning groups)

Conferences- (parent-teacher conferences, school board workshops)

Community Leaders:

Community and School Relations Partners will:

1. Participate in High School Design committees in helping to determine new schedule.
2. Use community leaders as speakers within content areas.

3. Provide student ambassadors for Leadership Cannon a leadership program developed by the Chamber of Commerce.

4. Generate a brochure that will be placed in the Chamber of Commerce to help new citizens to our community understand programs available at Cannon County High School.

5. Continue to work with businesses in providing placement for work-based learning.

6. Include community leaders on SACS and SIP leadership teams.

Media:

Meetings with the Media

Local media outlets will be contacted to introduce the public to the new schedule that will be implemented for the school year 2010. WBRY, local radio station, Cannon Wire (online news outlet), Cannon Courier (local newspaper) will be invited to a meeting to introduce the changes for next year and will be invited to Lion Camp and Freshman Orientation to see the plan in place.

Milestone Reports

We will report our progress through the media outlets as well as school messenger and our web-site. Up-dates will be reported monthly leading up to the first day of implementation.

Miscellaneous Tactics:

Communications Audit

Cannon County High School will inventory and audit all communications vehicles currently being used by the system to communicate with the target audiences. It is the goal of the audit to limit the amount of information that is repeated to media.

Communications with Teacher Organizations:

Cannon County High School will plan to meet with the Cannon County Teacher Association to go over the new High School Design program to build a relationship between the elementary schools and the high school. It is important to have an atmosphere of unity and provide a forum so that further collaboration may occur.

Media Training for the System

A media training session will be held for all those responsible who will communicate to the media. Possible strategies on answering questions and laws pertaining to new degree requirements will be addressed. Session participants will include: Director of Schools, Principal, Assistant Principal, and School Board Members.

Message Strategy for Board Meetings

School Board meetings should provide a positive environment for all stakeholders to gain important information about the up-coming changes to the high school schedule. Making sure that formal rules are in order and proper notification is given to the board before being placed on the agenda allows for a more positive and informational meeting.

Budget

$ 444.00- Printing/mailing of newsletters 1000 students (800 high school students and 200 8th grade students).

$ 2400.00 - Printing of student handbooks

$ 900.00- T-shirts for lion camp