Communication and caring for technology emphasized in school orientation

With the new school year less than a week away, parents and students were invited to the Wrangell High School commons for a short orientation. Largely led by secondary school principal David Macri, and Technology Director Matt Gore, the orientation was an opportunity for everyone to get on the same page about what to expect with the coming year. The emphasis for 2019-2020, it would seem, is on increased communication and proper care for technology. As Macri said in the orientation, this is not his school, it belongs to the students and parents.

"We listen to you

folks, Deborah Lancaster, Jennifer Miller, the teachers at both sites, myself, we really work to listen to you folks," Macri said. "When we're listening, we're listening for what you think we should be doing."

Macri encouraged parents to reach out to him or other staff members if they had concerns about the way things are done in the school, or if they are worried about somebody in particular. The same went for the students, he said.

However, he added that he did not want them to just communicate with him, he wants everyone to communicate with each other more.

If someone has a problem with somebody else, he said, he wants to see that they tried to talk it out themselves before coming to him. If that fails, he said he is more than willing to step in and intervene, but he wants to see the two parties try to work out their differences themselves first.

"Communication is key, speak with one another, challenge each other and your teachers, but be civil, polite," Macri wrote in a letter he passed out to students at the orientation. "Differing opinions makes our country great, perhaps the best in the world. However, we need to challenge one another in a civil tone, allow for differences of opinion and diversity."

Macri laid out a few expectations for the new year, generally fitting under the category of better communication. First, everybody should expect the best from each other. Not only does this mean that teachers should expect hard work and good behavior from students, but that students should also expect the same from their teachers and other staff. Secondly, he again emphasized the

importance of being civil and respectful when communicating with each other. Lastly, he said that people can expect to see the school embracing "smart" change.

"We're not going to make willy-nilly changes just to make changes," he said. "The changes that are going to be made need to be made because that's what's best for the students, that's what's best for the school, that's what's best for the community. That's where we need the input and feedback from you folks."

Technology was also an important topic covered in the orientation. Gore said that parents should remember to keep track of what their kids are doing online, and that they are using their computers for schoolwork, not games or visiting different websites. The proper care for technology was emphasized too, because according to Gore a lot of the laptops the school loans to students wound up broken.

"Things happen, and if something does happen there is a process that you go through where we can help you," he said. "You might be responsible for the damages ... but we're willing to work with any of you. Our goal is to see you become responsible adults that are responsible for the things that are in your care. Part of that is just taking ownership and stepping up."

Other items covered in the orientation included a reminder that students in the upcoming "History of Freedom" class would need to get a parent-permission slip signed, and that students who need some extra help keeping up in class might consider the night school program.