THE WHS VISION: “PRIDE, PASSION, PURPOSE”

By DYLAN SPAULDING

At some point in their lives, most high school students have heard their parents say,  “You guys have it so easy with all this new technology,” or something along those lines.  Though parents strongly believe this to be true, they are dead wrong.  Today's kids are faced with new problems of which many parents have no understanding.  Teachers and administrators are becoming more aware of the growing situation and are making changes to fix the problems.

DYLAN SPAULDING FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY

This past week, on December 7th, a monthly meeting was held in Mr. Sale’s room after school to counteract these problems.  The group is known as the Principal’s Advisory Committee.  This group is where students of the high school can directly discuss with Mr. Connolly, and other members of the faculty, what is going on within the school.  “Hearing directly from the student body is our main tool.  Upon hearing from them, we can make adjustments to fix the problems that plague our students.”  Mr. Connolly urges students to come to join this committee and work together to make a better place. 

The mission of the committee is to: help students develop 21st Century skills in order to create resilient innovators who are problem solvers; promote student physical, mental and emotional wellness at a time in which students face numerous internal and external stressors; promote global citizenship; and redefine success by supporting students' passions and talents so that when students graduate they are confident, skilled, knowledgeable, and ready to pursue their dreams and contribute to society.  These missions are going to be achieved through promoting student physical, mental and emotional wellness.  

Other ways the administrators of Washingtonville High School have tried to accomplish these missions are through assemblies given by people such as Chris Herren and Bobby Petrocelli and the “Not One More” mock accident assembly.

When looking around the cafeteria, it is apparent that some kids are struggling to keep up with grades and social media while also trying to make a future for themselves.  “I monitor and watch kids every day with these problems.  I’ve also watched my sons go through the same problems,” security guard John Delgardo says as he continues to  emphasize that social media is the leading cause of damage affecting the mental health of students today.

The new vision of the Principal Advisory Committee is to give the old outlook on school a new modern look.  Washingtonville High School’s goal is to produce Wizards who leave the school better than they found it.  Most children are way more stressed than their parents ever were and it’s time to improvise, adapt and overcome these new challenges.