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Monday, July 16, 2007 was an historic day for the Hammond High School community. On that day, the first Teen Summit for School Improvement was held
on the campus of Hammond High School. In attendance, we had committed, energetic, and excited students, staff members, as well as strong supporters from
our community. Throughout the day, I referred to the students as leaders in our school, because they demonstrated their commitment by doing the pre-reading
for the Summit, showing up for the Summit, then being active participants
throughout the day.
The people in attendance at the Teen
Summit remained focused throughout the
school day, completing the tasks at hand and generating a tremendous amount
of information that will help our school move from a good school to a
great school.
The students were very clear about the components that they wanted to
see as
part of the school-wide expectations for students as well as teachers.
Following
lunch, the students were able to focus on the aspects of Hammond High
School
that are working for them at this time. Once they were able to bring out
the many positive aspects of our school, they put their energies into
sharing what they
thought we should do as a school community to move our good school toward
becoming a great school. The students were quite candid in their responses
and looked at all stake holder groups and each groups' responsibility
to improve our school. They did an exceptional job with this part of the
day!
The information that was generated
during the day will have a positive impact on
the operation of Hammond High School for the 2007-2008 school year. There
are
two other important outcomes of the Teen Summit. The students were offered
an opportunity to continue in leadership roles by a few of them becoming
student members of the Hammond High School SIT. The students were also
offered an opportunity to participate in a newly formed student group,
which will be known
as the Principal's Advisory Council. The main charge of the Principal's
Advisory Council is to keep me informed of the issues that most concern
the students of Hammond High School. These students will also have a clear
pathway to have a regular audience with me. Within the structure of the
Principal's Advisory Council, there will be an executive group of students
who will meet with me approximately eight times during the school year.
I would like to express my personal
thanks to Mrs. Kathy Bell, owner/ operator of
our local McDonalds for her support with refreshments. Mr. Dana Moorhead,
President of the Bank of America Center in King's Contrivance Village
Center, participated as a community member. We were also quite fortunate
to have one of
our local State Delegates, Mr. Frank Turner, participate for a time with
us in the morning. It is important for me to also recognize the committed
Hammond High School staff members and our two parent volunteers, Mrs.
Blossom and Mrs.
Evans, who worked with us to plan the day which resulted in an exceptional
experience for us all. Each participant added to the success of the day.
Please take some time to read some
of the comments from the students who participated in the Teen Summit
for School Improvement. I hope that you
understand that this experience was not the end of something. It is truly
the beginning of a big step in our quest to become a great school.
Mr. Sterlind S. Burke, Principal
If you see any typos, errors, or outdated material, please
email the webmaster.
To add updates or new articles to this web site, please email: kevin_watkins@hcpss.org.
Hammond High School
8800 Guilford Road, Columbia, Maryland 21046
PHONE: 410.313.7615; FAX: 410.313.7632
A Howard County, Maryland Public School
If you are looking for Francis Hammond High School in Alexandria, Virginia, please visit this site.