Planning ‘Show And Tell’ On A Grand Scale
HHS Spring Showcase Aims To Draw Parents, Community To School
Posted: March 2, 2013
HARRISONBURG — A committee of teachers tasked with improving the relationship between schools and the community is trying to remedy low attendance at high school parent-teacher conferences with a new interactive Spring Showcase.
As parents filter into Harrisonburg High School for conferences Thursday, they will be greeted with performances by numerous student groups, sporting events, demonstrations and booths manned by community groups.
“The whole point is to get everybody excited and see the wonderful things that are happening at Harrisonburg High School,” said Verity Caron, logistics coordinator for the event and an English teacher at HHS.
The public also is invited to attend the free event, which will include robotics demonstrations, a baseball scrimmage, technology presentations and a performance by the HHS Concert Band, to name a few of the draws.
“It’s like show and tell on such a big grand scale; that’s what we’re trying to do with this showcase,” said Caron, who likened the showcase to similar school events in Japan. “We’re trying to get people to come into the school to actually see the good side of things.”
Based on research about how to improve schools, Harrisonburg City Schools embraced a seven-pronged improvement model in 2011.
One prong is building better rapport between schools and parents. Each school in the division now has a committee that plans ways to improve those relationships.
HHS’ upcoming showcase is the largest project taken on by the high school’s committee, Superintendent Scott Kizner said.
Compared to attendance at the lower grade levels, HHS lags behind in the number of parents coming out for parent-teacher conferences, Kizner said.
While about 80 percent of elementary school parents attended their last conferences, only 40 percent of high school parents attended.
“It’s a model that we need to rethink,” Kizner said. “[Among], elementary parents, we usually have strong participation. Middle school, we have better participation than the high school, but it really drops off at the high school level.”
The superintendent said he’s been talking to administrators about varying the format of the conferences, which he suspects are poorly attended partly because parents can already check up on their child’s grades, discipline and attendance through an online system.
Kizner said parent-teacher conferences are a model the division may need to rethink.
“Often when you go as a parent, I think the reaction might be is that you’re just listening; there’s not as much dialogue and conversation,” he said. “That’s just something we’re taking a look at … if we want to continue doing this, how can we make it more valuable for parents.”
Want To Participate?
Community groups that would like to set up a display, performance, demonstration or workshop at Thursday’s Harrisonburg High School Spring Showcase can still do so by registering by Tuesday at http://bit.ly/Y4pgR7.
Contact Emily Sharrer at 574-6286 or esharrer@dnronline.com
As parents filter into Harrisonburg High School for conferences Thursday, they will be greeted with performances by numerous student groups, sporting events, demonstrations and booths manned by community groups.
“The whole point is to get everybody excited and see the wonderful things that are happening at Harrisonburg High School,” said Verity Caron, logistics coordinator for the event and an English teacher at HHS.
The public also is invited to attend the free event, which will include robotics demonstrations, a baseball scrimmage, technology presentations and a performance by the HHS Concert Band, to name a few of the draws.
“It’s like show and tell on such a big grand scale; that’s what we’re trying to do with this showcase,” said Caron, who likened the showcase to similar school events in Japan. “We’re trying to get people to come into the school to actually see the good side of things.”
Based on research about how to improve schools, Harrisonburg City Schools embraced a seven-pronged improvement model in 2011.
One prong is building better rapport between schools and parents. Each school in the division now has a committee that plans ways to improve those relationships.
HHS’ upcoming showcase is the largest project taken on by the high school’s committee, Superintendent Scott Kizner said.
Compared to attendance at the lower grade levels, HHS lags behind in the number of parents coming out for parent-teacher conferences, Kizner said.
While about 80 percent of elementary school parents attended their last conferences, only 40 percent of high school parents attended.
“It’s a model that we need to rethink,” Kizner said. “[Among], elementary parents, we usually have strong participation. Middle school, we have better participation than the high school, but it really drops off at the high school level.”
The superintendent said he’s been talking to administrators about varying the format of the conferences, which he suspects are poorly attended partly because parents can already check up on their child’s grades, discipline and attendance through an online system.
Kizner said parent-teacher conferences are a model the division may need to rethink.
“Often when you go as a parent, I think the reaction might be is that you’re just listening; there’s not as much dialogue and conversation,” he said. “That’s just something we’re taking a look at … if we want to continue doing this, how can we make it more valuable for parents.”
Want To Participate?
Community groups that would like to set up a display, performance, demonstration or workshop at Thursday’s Harrisonburg High School Spring Showcase can still do so by registering by Tuesday at http://bit.ly/Y4pgR7.
Contact Emily Sharrer at 574-6286 or esharrer@dnronline.com