"Rockford Today"

This is the last blog entry that I'm going to begin with an apology for not keeping my blog more current. From now on I will assume that you know that I'm notorious for not consistently blogging and don't need to be reminded of that fact. I'll just thank you for taking the time to look at this blog and hope that you're pleasantly surprised to see a new entry.

At a recent meeting, the subject of perceptions of Rockford was discussed. Some feel that there are negative perceptions that exist about Rockford and the Rockford schools. This brought up some questions: Do we know why people would feel this way? How do we promote all of the positive things about Rockford and, in particular, the Rockford Area Schools to change that perception?

When discussing why the negative perception might exist it was mentioned that this negative perception existed a long time ago, and, if that's true, at what point would we stop referring to this negative perception as if it was some sort of black cloud hanging permanently over our heads. Perhaps it was time for us to stop focusing on the negative perception, which may not even continue to exist today, and move forward with a positive focus. Activities Director Michael Tauber used the term "Rockford Today". That hit home with me as a potentially effective positive promotional campaign.

When I first interviewed for the principal position at RHS in the summer of 2005, I wasn't very familiar with Rockford other than knowing a little bit about where it was and the size of the high school. Both pieces of information were, in my mind, positive. I was disappointed when I wasn't selected for the position. When the position opened again last spring, I was very hopeful that the second time would be the charm and very excited when I was offered the position. My time working here has only reinforced those positive feelings. Because of that, I agree with Mr. Tauber. We should begin the "Rockford Today" campaign.

For me, as high school principal, the campaign would emphasize the district's aims, goals, and measures, the dedicated staff, the excellent facilities, and the wonderful opportunities available to students.

To begin, I think the district's aims, goals, and measures identify a clear direction for the entire system. Everything that we do attempts to bring us to the realization of those goals. That attempt to steer everything in a common direction doesn't exist in all school systems. E-12, we are more "on the same page" than many districts. This is cause for celebration.

Also, we have a staff dedicated to the education of students. They are highly qualified, employ best practices in their teaching methodologies, accepting of change, willing to work to improve instruction, and interested in engaging students in learning. There are some very talented people working with the children of this district.

In addition, we have excellent facilities in this district. We have beautiful, well-maintained buildings with plenty of space. Not all places can make that claim. My previous district would love to have the space we have at our high school and they have twice as many students.

Finally, we can provide a wealth of opportunities for students when compared to most other districts. We can provide more options for students than schools of smaller size and we can provide a more personal touch and less competition for participation opportunities than can be offered by schools of larger size.

What this all means is exactly what I originally thought about Rockford, it's a great location and has a school in which I would love to work.

I think the "Rockford Today" campaign could help us attract more students to our district, which would, in my opinion, be mutually beneficial. A boost in enrollment would benefit us financially and the students would benefit from the things I previously mentioned. We could easily handle an increase of twenty-five students per class here at the high school without losing the benefits of our small size.

So, how do we roll out the campaign to retain our current students and attract new students? I'd welcome your suggestions.