Great Hope for a School
A farewell message to the school community — after 10 years
June, 2021
To the Randolph Union School Community,
A community places great hope in its school. This is good. Where our children spend their time should be a place of hope.
After ten years at Randolph Union, I am leaving with confidence in the school’s strengths and great hope for the school’s future. Those who know the school well need no convincing of this. They see areas for growth, but they also see where the school shines, the bright spots, the “diamonds.”
A few years ago, the late M. Dickey Drysdale, a pillar of this community, stopped by my office to give me a copy of his book, “Vermont Moments.” There’s a poem he wrote that contains these lovely lines:
Upstream of the White River bridge on I-89
A man and a boy
Rods arching towards the rapids,
Have waded well into
The stream they stand
Waist-deep
In diamonds.
How the poet describes the river is born of his experience, but it’s also a choice. He might have described the bright light reflecting in the water as “flickering knives,” “broken mirrors,” or “shards of glass.” But instead this poet said “diamonds.”
I invite the Randolph Union (RU) community to see the diamonds in your school. This is a time of transition for RU, and a time of positive momentum. I encourage you to nurture feelings of optimism, hope and advocacy. This has an impact of how the children feel about their school, as well as the staff and faculty. And there is good reason — and good data — to support those positive feelings.
At this time of transition, here are some reflections on the state of your school in several important areas: enrollment trends, school climate, test scores, the academic program and extra-curricular offerings.
In terms of enrollment, there are those in the community who think that students and families are leaving the school in unhealthy numbers. This is not so. As in any district, some families move out, and others move in. How does our school compare to others? Superintendent Millington recently compiled data on enrollment at RU and four other high schools, north and south of us. Over the last five years, RU’s enrollment has been steady. RU has had a total reduction of 2 students, compared to losses of 29, 29, 46, and 10 students at the other schools. I’m not at all suggesting those other schools are doing anything wrong. There is population decline in rural zones across our nation. But this positive story of RU enrollment is worth telling.
What draws families to our school? All that our campus has to offer makes a difference. In recent years we have added Advanced Placement courses in History, Science and English, and we have maintained two world language programs, levels 1–5. With help from the community, we have sustained international exchange programs that bring our students around the world — to Japan, Germany, Nicaragua, Spain, and Quebec. We work closely with RTCC to ensure that a diverse population of students enrolls in their high-quality programs each year. We have added sports teams, including Bass Fishing, Varsity Girls Volleyball, Bowling, Track and Field. Our course offerings have expanded to include an array of new electives: Robotics, Coding, Archeology, Racial Justice, Digital Music, Climate Change, and Food Systems, as well as courses in STEM and manufacturing by our Director of Workforce development, efforts that have won Mr. Cadow the New Medallion award from the Vermont Business Roundtable.
Some readers will acknowledge the richness of these offerings, but place more value on how students do on state standardized tests. These scores are important to public perception of a school. The good news is that scores are moving upward. RU students’ proficiency scores on state tests rose more than 12 points in English and more than 8 points in Math this year. This is a result of several factors, including the strong instructional leadership of Ms. Sutton and Ms. Floyd, and the additional support of the district’s coaches in math and literacy instruction. It was not until 2019 that the district, under the new leadership of Mr. Millington, allowed RU to access federal funds to support instructional intervention in literacy and math. This help is now paying off.
Increased support from the district for middle and high school academics will also pay off in terms of our graduation rate, which is already solid. Many have heard me champion this data in the past. In the years before I joined RU, the graduation rate was low, what some might have deemed a crisis: 76% in 2009–10; followed by 77% in 2010–11. This meant that in one graduating class, more than 20 students were not completing high school. We addressed this concern through a combination of rigor, relevance and relationships. Our efforts made a difference. The cohort that was in 8th grade in SY 2011–12, later graduated with a 95% graduation rate, and that rate has been at or above average from then on.
Some will suggest the graduation rate is up because the bar has been lowered — but engaging adolescents in school is not about lowering standards; it’s about making the curriculum relevant and engaging, and it’s about building trust with students and families. A school cannot have a sub-par academic program and routinely see students accepted to top-tier colleges and universities, including: Hamilton, Hampshire, Macalester, Middlebury, Bard, Columbia, Syracuse, Pratt School of Design, Parsons School of Design, McGill, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Chicago, University of Wisconsin (Madison), and Villanova. I invite readers to look up these schools and their national or international rankings. RU students are getting into the most competitive colleges in the country.
RU students are also getting into competitive programs at Vermont colleges, like the Vet Tech program at VTC, and Game Design at Champlain College. And, once admitted to college, the Randolph Community Scholarship fund helps us ensure that finances are not a barrier for our students. These grants are available to any RU graduate with unmet financial need. The fund disbursed over 125,000 dollars this June — just to this year’s graduates alone.
Randolph Union today is proof that you don’t have to sacrifice college preparation or rigor when you emphasize relationships. And relationships are strong at RU, as the next data point will indicate.
Research shows that youth who have an adult in school that knows them well are more likely to be successful in classes, less likely to bully or be bullied, and are better able to overcome life’s obstacles. There is a survey given to students in Vermont every two years that gathers data on this topic and many others. It is called the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. It was last given in 2019. In previous surveys, fewer RU students than the VT average reported that they have an adult at school that they can talk to if they have a problem. In 2019, 82% of RU middle school students reported having such an adult in their life at school, compared to 72% across VT. That is a full 10 points above the average, and a strong indicator of the support students feel at RU. Our Advisory program is a factor here, as is the emphasis on restorative practice, and the many connections students have with staff, teachers, counselors, coaches and the advisors of extra-curricular programs.
As we emerge from a year unlike any other, this community’s school is strong. Enrollment is steady. Test scores are rising. Academic and extra-curricular offerings are rich. And the school culture is anchored in knowing every child well.
Not every community can say this about their school. Nor can every school boast the kind of leadership RU will have in place next year: Ms. Floyd and Ms. Sutton as Co-Principals; Ken Cadow as Director of Applied Learning; Kara Merrill as Director of Student Services; and Emily Therrien as Director of Targeted Supports and coordinator of testing and assessment. This is a great team.
I am deeply thankful to have been part of this school for the last decade. There have been countless bright spots, diamonds. As the leadership transition happens from this year to next, I am confident that stakeholders will continue to hold the school accountable for areas that need improvement. I also encourage you to speak about the school — to your children, your neighbors, and newcomers to our towns — with the bright optimism and hope that is due.
Sincerely,
Elijah
With appreciation for locally owned newspapers everywhere, this letter was originally published in The Herald of Randolph.
