School of Thought Blog
It Takes Everybody: Building Your School’s SEL Plan
When school buildings across South Carolina closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19, the impact went beyond academics. The class of 2020 was stripped of prom and the full celebration of graduation, and high school athletes competing in spring sports were stripped of their opportunities to shine athletically.
(more…)Maryland NHS Member in the Spotlight at UNICEF Global Forum
When Stranger Things was such a popular TV show, I was obsessed with Millie Bobby Brown, the British actress and model. One day I was scrolling through Instagram, and I saw on her page that she had been selected as UNICEF’s youngest Goodwill Ambassador. That really caught my eye because she was 14 at the time—the exact same age as me.
(more…)A School That Celebrates and Honors Students’ Cultures
When Ronn Nozoe, the CEO of NASSP, and Gregg Wieczorek, NASSP President, toured Betty H. Fairfax High School in Laveen, AZ, in mid-November, it was an apt location for a school visit during Native American Heritage Month. The school enrolls a number of Native students, many from the nearby Gila River Indian Community.
(more…)10 NHS & NJHS Chapters Giving Back to Their Communities
This holiday, NHS and NJHS students across the country are finding innovative and unique ways to give back to their communities. Check out their great work and be inspired:
(more…)Virtual LEAD Conference Engages Student Leaders and Advisers
Despite the challenges of putting together an engaging virtual conference for more than 2,400 student leaders and advisers, the LEAD Fall Conference earlier this month was a big success, with positive reviews from student and adult attendees alike.
(more…)A Nurse in Every School: One School District’s Worthwhile Investment
At the onset of the pandemic, officials in the Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 did something that turned out to be a great use of money: They hired a full-time registered nurse for all nine of our schools. Larger schools like mine—a middle school with 1,100 students—also have a certified nurse assistant.
(more…)Wieczorek’s 50-State Tour Continues in the Midwest
NASSP President Gregg Wieczorek’s third leg of Leading Forward: The Listening and Learning Tour continued in late October with visits to four schools in three states: Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana. Below are brief highlights from the latest stops, one of which garnered a story in a student newspaper.
(more…)Shadowing Visits: An Eye Opener for Elected Officials
The first time I ever visited my U.S. senator’s office on Capitol Hill, it really piqued my interest in advocacy on behalf of NASSP and principals throughout my state of Oklahoma. But I realized that while a visit to an office in Washington, D.C., is great, why not have elected officials and their staff come visit my school instead?
(more…)An Aspiring Leaders Series Builds Expertise and Community
No matter if they serve in middle-level schools or high schools, in rural communities or bustling cities, principals everywhere can remember the time when they aspired to lead before being hired to do so.
(more…)NHS Chapter in Edinburg, Texas, Receives Top Honor
Earlier this month, the Edinburg (TX) High School chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) received one of the 2021 Governor’s Volunteer Awards: the Service-Learning Champion Award.
(more…)A Rural Georgia High School Shares Its Success
By the time I heard that NASSP President Gregg Wieczorek was planning to visit schools in every state, he had already stopped in Georgia. I wish I had known sooner because I would have jumped at the opportunity to have Gregg visit Lumpkin County High School. Our school offers many innovative and exceptional opportunities for students. And I’m a big believer in sharing.
(more…)Mask Mandate Brings an Unfortunate Level of Anger and Disrespect
In the 17 years I’ve been an administrator in the Derry, NH, school district, we’ve had plenty of controversies. We’ve had school board meetings where members of the public come and share their opinions and disagree. But I’ve never seen people at those meetings being disrespectful—until now.
(more…)Expect the Unexpected as Schools Navigate the New Normal
At my school in Florida, we’re in our second year of being back in person. Things are very different this year—masks are not required for students and staff, we can hold more athletic events and school activities, and we don’t have to worry about students staying six feet apart; they can now work together in classrooms.
(more…)Wieczorek Continues 50-State Tour with Swing through Northeast
NASSP President Gregg Wieczorek’s second leg of Leading Forward: The Listening and Learning Tour took him through six Northeast states the second week of October: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
(more…)A Pen Pal Program Expands Students’ Horizons
I was a junior at Valley View High School in Moreno Valley, CA when COVID-19 hit. After classes moved online, I missed talking to my friends in person, and I was really bored. I was also curious about what life during the pandemic was like in different parts of the world. As a member of the National Honor Society, I still needed to do volunteer work. So, I came up with a way to help young people like myself feel less isolated by starting a pen pal program with students at a rural school in Kenya.
(more…)A Seat at the Table
October is National Principals Month, a time when we honor the outstanding efforts of school leaders like yourself and thank you for the inspiring work you do to improve our schools and ensure the success of all our students. On behalf of NASSP, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all our members for the extraordinary job you’ve done leading our schools throughout the pandemic. I know how incredibly hard you all work, and I know we’ve faced challenges before COVID-19—and that now we must confront even bigger ones in its wake.
(more…)Virtual Tutoring Program Fills a Need for Many Students
During the pandemic, a lot of the typical in-person opportunities for community service—like tutoring classmates in the library or volunteering at the local nursing home—really weren’t available. Those of us who needed community service hours as members of the National Honor Society had to brainstorm new ideas.
(more…)NASSP President Wieczorek Kicks Off 50-State Tour of Schools
Six down, 44 to go. That’s what NASSP President Gregg Wieczorek might be thinking after a full week of visiting schools in late September in the first leg of Leading Forward: The Listening and Learning Tour. But Wieczorek is far from exhausted, even after touring eight schools in four days in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. He’ll resume the tour Oct. 12 with a swing through the Northeast
(more…)Students Come Together to Help Those in Need
As a growing number of natural disasters have affected people across the country and around the world, students and educators have stepped up their efforts to help those in need. One recent example is Bolton High School in Alexandria, Louisiana, where students have raised money and collected supplies for people still suffering from the damage caused by Hurricane Ida in August. Some of their fellow Louisianans were still without power weeks after the storm.
(more…)Saying ‘thank you’ is not enough
Today marks the start of National Principals Month, and it is truly and exclusively a pleasure to have this opportunity to celebrate and honor you. There has never been a year that it was more called for, more deserved, or more needed.
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