By David F. Rooney
It’s no secret that RSS students are academically successful. New principal Greg Kenyon applauds that and thinks students can perform even better.
In his first-ever presentation to the School District 19 Board of Trustees, Kenyon, who succeeded Mike Hooker as principal in January, said this about RSS: “It’s a safe school. It’s a successful school. But we can still do better.”
“The research shows that if students are connected to two or more adults at school then you end up with a safer… and much happier school,” he said.
Most students do report a positive experience but Hooker’s departure from RSS (he is now the SD19 superintendent) and other staff changes mean some students don’t feel quite connected with teaching staff as they did, Kenyon said.
The school is also going to face challenges due to declining enrollment rates. As enrollment declines it may become difficult to offer the broad range of courses currently open to students.
Another area where there is room for growth is physical activity. People learn best when lead active and healthy lives. Many adults like to think kids get a lot of exercise. But that’s not really the case.
Kenyon said 85 per cent of Grade 8 students report getting enough exercise while 62 per cent say they learning enough about healthy living. However, only 37 per cent of Grade 12 students report learning how to stay healthy and only 35 per cent say they getting exercise.
Kenyon and Assistant Principal Andy Pfeiffer presented the board with several slides with data about the student population as well as an in-depth description of campus and in-school department progress and activities.
