DID YOU feel like an outsider at some point in high school? Do you remember the invisible boundaries between you and those in sports or clubs? Were your grades or wardrobe always short of measuring up? Did high school make you feel more alone than connected?
Visit Shelbyville Central High School (SCHS) today, and you might be surprised to find a different energy than the one you remember, thanks to the work and commitment of the SCHS Renaissance Team.
Dictionary.com defines renaissance as a renewal of life, vigor, interest, etc., or a rebirth or revival, which is exactly the program’s purpose.
Kelly Kingree, SCHS response to intervention & testing coordinator, and Jeremy Bryant, U.S. history teacher, are the program’s faculty leaders, but they will be the first to tell you this is a student-led movement.
Kingree said, “It’s a program modeled after the Jostens Renaissance positive school culture movement and began at SCHS in the 2017-18 school year when Tim Harwell was principal. It takes a lot of work and a very supportive administrative team. Mr. Harwell was 110% committed to making sure this program was a success.”
Student leaders Gracie Herrod and Victor Smith Rogel are passionate about the program’s ongoing impact on students and faculty (or “staffulty”).
Herrod said, “Our goals are to improve the school’s academic success, attendance rates, discipline, and school spirit. The result of these goals is a positive school culture where all students are seen and valued. And part of making those goals happen is implementing change in our building through student-led ideas. Because our students are so involved in speaking out for the student populace, we’re seeing positive change.”
Unlike most school clubs or programs, everyone can participate in the Renaissance program, and the number of participating students has grown yearly. Meeting the basic human need to be seen and affirmed sparks personal growth and change that ripples throughout the school and the Shelbyville community.
Bryant said, “We talk a lot about the invisible kid; how the invisible kid is the kid that might not necessarily be the best at academics or sports, so they often get overlooked. We always try to make those kids feel like they’re part of something and let them know we see and care about them and that they are a part of our school. That’s one of the pillars of the whole Jostens Renaissance program.”
It’s not just students being recognized and initiating change.
The “staffulty” is equally engaged in changing the school culture, and the students are working to be sure the “staffulty” knows they are seen and appreciated.
THE WORK OF THE RENAISSANCE TEAM ISSEEN THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL:
- Student Monthly Birthday Board — celebrates all student birthdays
- “Staffulty” Birthday Cart — packed with special birthday treats and wishes delivered by the Renaissance team
- ACT Wall of Fame — framed poster naming all students in the current graduating class who scored 21 or above on the ACT; engraved plaques for 30 and above with a senior picture
- Renaissance “Staffulty” Holiday Tree — annual holiday tree with silly pictures of every staff member displayed in the front office
- Renaissance Rallies — upbeat, school-wide rallies twice a year celebrating academics, attendance, character, and behavior with an over-the-top performance and theme
- Freshman Rally — welcomes freshmen to SCHS the first week of school with a beach theme, bubbles, high-fives, fun music, games, and dancing, with upperclassmen welcoming and encouraging them to get involved.
- Renaissance Reward Cards — cards earned for academic achievement, academic improvement, good behavior, and attendance, including sweet treats, SCHS event passes, free T-shirts, and more.
The program is shaping student leaders’ futures, too. Smith Rogel realized the magnitude of its impact during a recent Renaissance conference in Orlando at Disney World, usually the greatest place on earth.
Smith Rogel said, “If you know anything about Disney World, it’s very packed. Everyone was really excited to go to Disney World, but when we were waiting in line, it really wasn’t. I told some of the guys I would much rather be in the hotel brainstorming, thinking of ideas, or listening and taking notes at a session. I couldn’t [focus] on being at Disney World, which was really surprising.”
The community can and is assisting with changing the environment at SCHS. There is no funding for the school’s Renaissance Team, leaving them to rely entirely on the community’s support to continue their efforts.
“A big part of Renaissance is the support through our community through partnerships. As a partner, we not only want you to help us financially, but we want you in this building at our events. When they see what we’re doing and our positivity, it will affect them and move into their own lifestyles and businesses. Because if they see positivity in what we’re doing, maybe they’ll be inclined to spread that positivity into their own workforces,” said Herrod.
A school’s Renaissance spreading into the community — after all that’s been going around the past three years, there’s something we’ll be happy to catch! GN
