Ladies and Gentlemen, our mission statement:
At Oakland Bay Junior High School, YOU matter! At our school, we reach out and connect with each other by fostering trusting and respectful relationships that acknowledge and address the unique needs and abilities of each individual.  We teach and reinforce the skills needed for academic success and provide curriculum that is both engaging and rigorous.  We partner with parents and our community to inspire and coach students to reach their potential.  We recognize and celebrate citizenship and academic excellence.  This is our promise. Take P.R.I.D.E. Every One! Every Day!

After much sweat, no visible tears and minimal bloodshed we have produced a mission statement by committee, which is no easy task.  The next step will be completed as the team leaders in our school send it out to their curriculum and departmental teams to scrutinize, and then it will go back the team leaders for final approval.  (There have already been both positive and negative remarks and it remains to be seen if this is indeed the final rendition.)

But beyond all that, there is the miracle of this process.  This is the most transparent, open, amazing school transformation.  Consider this: The vision and the mission statements have both come from a seven person group comprised of the principal and six teacher-leaders.  The work has been submitted for approval to the team leaders, and then sent out to each member of the staff for commentary.  Every stakeholder in the school has examined each piece of the school improvement plan.  If there were disagreements they were solved in a reasonable and logical manner—remember very little bloodshed.

But wait! There really is more to this—for our school to make sustainable, successful system-wide progress, we must add action to our “vision” and “mission.”  So this year, our school has put into place a new discipline philosophy (this is where we came up with the P.R.I.D.E in our mission statement) it’s called Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports and although we are still working through some bugs, it is already changing our school climate.  

Another change that was instituted this year has created a school-wide attitude switch.  We started a Jostens Renaissance program with the help of our Jostens representative. Three times this year, we have awarded academic cards to students who have earned a GPA of 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, or have made a .5 improvement in their grade point average.  (The cards are worth various prizes in each teacher’s classroom.) We have honored students who have shown character, honesty and courage by giving them a George Washington Character award, which we call the “GW Awards.”  The biggest honor of the year was celebrated this week as teachers each selected one student as their Timberwolf Choice Award recipient.  Fifty-four students were recognized and honored.  The event was well attended by our staff, the student’s parents, the school board members and our Superintendent.  

Real changes happen when action is added to the words that make up our various “visions” and “missions” because making a positive and lasting difference in the lives of our students is our true mission.

Pamelia Valentine is a guest blogger and teacher in the Shelton School District.

Previous Blogs:

School Improvement—Mission [Statement] Impossible?

School Improvement—The Vision is just the Beginning

School Improvement—The Mission for a Vision Continues