Q: Are there any future plans or modifications to improve the quality and variety of the food?
A: That’s a completely separate program. We have a Director of Food Nutrition for the district, (and) because Perry Township is part of a federal grant that gives all of our schools free breakfast, lunch and supper, we are held to certain expectations about what we can or cannot serve, and what is in the food, how many carbs, sugars or salts. All the things that are in there that you have to follow and comply with. The person who helps manage that at the district level, her name is Erin Coleman, and then for SHS, our Cafeteria Manager is Lynette Jenkins. So, they try to work with what food is available, build menus that align with those expectations and with what kids like … So I know they’re trying, but there are certain limitations they have to follow.
Q: Are there any ways for students to have more participation and engagement throughout the school day?
A: What I would suggest or push is think of ways to get involved and to have that voice and to feel connected. I think sometimes students, if they’re not involved, don’t feel or sometimes know all the things going on behind the scenes, or ways that we can connect a little bit better. There’s always room for improvement, and as much as we want to drive the most successful programs, there are always the ones that are student-led and student-driven, and there’s a passion with that. What I would say is we constantly try to connect kids and get them involved in school, in class and things like that. As we’re looking at even scheduling classes for next year, think about ‘What are some classes that are exciting or engaging?’ like elective classes that we have available. We have an amazing theater and performing arts department. Our art department is fantastic. If there’s other creative ways to branch out and look at what is also available outside of the traditional math, science, english and social studies, which you’ve had for a long time, (there are) different ways to connect. I think those would be two suggestions. And then I think if people are looking for other ways to get engaged, we’ve got our Student Council Booster Club through athletics. I think really reach out to some of our student leaders with suggestions or things that they would like to see too, because they’re really the sounding board that brings it to different administrators.
Q: Are there any steps you and the administration can take to create a more welcoming environment?
A: We try to talk about customer service and all of the things (like) the first impression when you’re walking in the door, which I think is actually pretty good, after I’ve visited quite a few schools, and I’m pretty happy with what we have. There’s always room for improvement. Everyone’s human and has different days. I think the hard part is if everybody’s walking in with these same expectations. And as people are walking in, yes, we’re walking through weapons detection and we’re reminding people to wear lanyards and stuff like that. But, it’s always trying to do things with a smile on your face and welcoming people and just telling people that you’re glad to be here. You know, a push of trying to look at some of our connectedness to reminding all of our staff members of, ‘Do we take time to make sure that we’re connecting with students in class too?’ It’s not just about the content, but building those relationships as well.
Q: Students believe that the dress code is sexist and unfair for some people. Are you planning on adjusting the dress code or the enforcement of the policy?
A: So the dress code is actually a district policy, and it was one that was actually just adjusted this past summer and kind of upgraded, or it was very vague before, and that left a lot of crazy interpretation of what can or can’t be worn. So it was kind of a balance of a committee of teachers and staff that got input and student leaders from last year that kind of helped put some of the proposals together with the district level of some of the things that were there. The one thing I would say is there’s always going to be a complaint of something about any dress code. I’d be careful about what people complain about because the alternative would say, just do a uniform, and then that’s easy. So I would have to say that, people can wear shorts, they can wear jeans, leggings, sweatshirts, T-shirts and jackets. So there’s a lot of flexibility in it that I would just be careful not to push, because the easy answer is really just to say that everybody goes, K through 12, dress code khakis, polos, and that’s, I don’t think, what we want. It’s kind of one of those ‘Every work environment is going to have an expectation of dress. I have to wear my ID and lanyard and things like that. So, I think it’s just kind of preparing people for those.
Q: What is the purpose of lanyards?
A: It helps us know the people that are supposed to be here. Sometimes if we’re not sure who a kid is or if something’s going on, then we can ask to see their ID, just to make sure who they are. Then obviously, the hope is, that’s what gets scanned for lunch, and that’s what helps you get into extracurricular activities and stuff like that.
Q: Is there a way the administrators can enforce the lanyard policy in a less severe manner but still effectively keep the safety measures?
A: I don’t believe we’ve suspended or expelled anybody for not wearing a lanyard. So the easiest way, I would just say, if people just wear them, that would be easier. I think we’re trying to have as much consistency and trying to get the focus first thing in the morning when kids are walking in, so that way we’re not disrupting educational time. We’re not taking people away from classes, because that was kind of the frustration some students had when we were trying to do different hallway checks. So we’ve done a phase in different locations to do that and make sure that we have students where they are, as far as like, the harsh part, is it a discipline from it, or just us documenting that people are forgetting to wear them.
Q: How do you plan to maintain student safety in the future?
A: The school is as safe as really everybody in it allows it to be. The biggest thing is always that if anybody sees something or hears something that they’re not sure about, that they communicate, even if it’s in regard to an altercation or kids that aren’t getting along. I think that’s school safety too. You know, being able to walk down the hallway and not worry about there being a fight every day or anything like that, that’s part of your school safety as well. So I think speaking up, taking ownership and really making sure that we continue to have our students advocate for the type of school that they want to be in, those are kind of the components we’ve got. An athletic leadership council that Mr. Harris is getting going, and then kind of piggy backing off of that, I think we talked about maybe next year, really trying to get all of our student leaders that are in different clubs and activities together. Trying once a month or once every other month just to meet and talk about what’s going well. ‘How can we really grow the leadership capacity of our students?’ We were hoping to do both this year, but there’s just been some extra stuff that kind of got added on, and I didn’t want to do it poorly. Lanyards tell us if kids are supposed to be here. The weapons detection system helps to make sure people that are walking through, we’re checking to make sure that (they) aren’t bringing anything unsafe into school. But then again, if someone hears something or there’s something weird on social media, or someone saying something weird in the hallway, more often than not, we get communication or tips that help prevent things that happen.
Q: How do you keep the appreciation and acknowledgment of culture in SHS?
A: I think it’s back to kind of what we talked about, trying to make sure that students have a voice and a way to be involved and engaged. Last year, we had a new group, Black Student Union club, and our MSA group, our club for our Myanmar Student Association, were two clubs that were new. (We’re) really trying to get kids involved with who they are and how they feel connected with Southport High School. We’ve got a couple other (groups) like Latino leadership groups as well that have kind of been established. So I think making sure that we have a way for students to embrace their culture, who they are and what they bring and then celebrate it at Southport High School and not feel that it’s something that doesn’t connect. So (we’re) constantly looking for those. We had a cultural fair last year, and we’re planning to do that again. It was the first year, kind of having one in a while. So we kind of started a small scale (event) in the East Gym. Talking about this year, having it a little bit bigger in the auditorium and making sure that students can really highlight for more people in the student body to, kind of, what they’re bringing in (regarding) talents. I think continuing to do that is kind of the way that we really celebrate the diversity that we have here, because it’s pretty cool that we have 80 different languages that are spoken within Perry Township schools, which if you think of the southside of Indianapolis, that’s not what you think.
Q: Do you have any future aspirations regarding cultural events that could take place at SHS?
A: We don’t have anything necessarily planned right now. I know one of our teachers and our media specialist in the library had a mini talent show, which became a little bit like cultural connection stuff, the Friday right before fall break. We’re just kind of like, I think, a precursor, almost like an audition for some groups who might be interested in the cultural fair in the spring. So I know we have kind of that piece coming up, but anything sort of separate, as far as I know, (is) not necessarily planned right now. I always love the idea when there’s different groups or that kind of come and say, ‘Hey, we want to do this,’ and it’s really kind of led by the students, and there’s ownership from them, rather than the adults saying we need to do this. So, I think trying to continue to grow that voice and that component to it … We’re here to learn, to grow and make sure that we’re safe and comfortable learning.
Q: How do you plan to keep students on track with the phone ban policy?
A: So it’s, ‘How do you balance making sure it’s not a distraction from academics, but the expectation of the society is that you can be reached at any time or pretty instantly, and how do we have that balance of it?’ I think continuing to make sure, and I know that teachers have really appreciated it too, that it’s gone really smoothly with people understanding that there is a good balance and that I need to put that distraction away … I think continuing to do that and making it part of the culture and expectation.
Q: Do you think you’ll have to readjust the policy as technology progresses?
A: With the rate that technology comes, yeah, there’s always gonna be something that changes and what things look like. I’m sure there’ll be another legislation that gets passed because they always like to have school in there. Some are good, I think the cellphone piece was just an extra push for schools to say ‘Yes, there’s meat behind it. We’ve always thought this was a good idea, but now legislator law is saying that they should not be out during academic time.’
