Poor attendance last year has prompted administration and faculty to provide more incentives for students who regularly come to school.
The attendance is an important focus this year because last year the district received no points for attendance on the state evaluation. The state has mandated that 90 percent of student must have 90 percent or higher attendance. This is also tied to state funding.
“Attendance is a focus for a couple of reasons. Statics will show you that students who miss school typically score poorly on standardized testing as well as within their normal classes,“ said Principal Randy Luebbert.
School administrators are trying to incentivize the students to have a better attendance by giving them small prizes. Students with perfect attendance each week receive a prize at lunch, which has ranged from cookies to brownies. At the end of the quarter, students with 90 percent or better attendance earn another prize. Students who maintain 90 percent attendance will be eligible for bigger prizes at the end of the year, such as electronics.
“I often refer to a quote by Aristotle – ‘we are what we repeatedly do, excellence, then is not an act, but a habit.’ I hope we can get all students to make coming to school a habit and not something they have to do,” said Lubbert.
Faculty is also made aware of students who have poor attendance. Each week a list with names of the students below the 90 percent rule is published for the teachers and counselors to make them aware of it.
“We monitor kids very closely and we are constantly looking for ways to improve and get kds here all the time,” Luebbert said.
“It is great that we are trying to make better attendance, but I’m not sure if we have enough resources or power to make them come to school,” said math teacher Jowell Roellig.
The school is trying to have a better attendance because if the students don’t come to school, and have a good attendance they are not going to learn everything that the school is providing to them.
“I think the students should try to come more, because if they are not here they don’t learn.” math teacher Brian Hrabe said.
Another students have different ways to think. They have some suggestions to make the students come more to school and have a better attendance.
“I think they could let a student skip a tardy every quarter if the student have 90 percent or more of attendance.” senior Zach Long said.
“I think they could make school more fun, have more activities and focus more on learning than in the grades.” senior Jordan Johnson said.