Highland Community School District assessed its high-school culture and spirit last year, leading to the decision to make some changes.

The Highland Board’s mission statement was the first thing it considered changing. The board began discussing what would work best in August 2021, combining academics with a step into adulthood and the diverse people students could meet.  By May 2022, the board finalized a new mission statement: Highland Community School District will support all learners pursuing continuous learning in a culturally responsible, academic environment. 

The board then discussed the Highland logo. For a long time, Highland’s husky has switched repeatedly, with no fixed husky in place. Keeping this in mind, the board decided on a single husky logo to represent the school district.

Aside from those two things, Superintendent Ken Crawford and school counselor Peggy Schwab explained to KCII News how Highland is focusing on core values that are representative of a husky. Highland intends to implement SPIRIT, a classroom and school-wide code of conduct that stands for service, personal responsibility, integrity, respect, impact, and tenacity. This conduct, led by Schwab, will be an effort to ensure that every student receives the social-emotional career and individual development they require through these expectations. Schwab mentions researching data on student mental health as well as prevention methods, and believes that “things like this are the best way to enforce comradery, understanding, and culture between everybody, because we are creating a safe environment.”

Students in their Husky Time class have recently created skits demonstrating what Husky SPIRIT looks like. Highland also intends to continue enforcing all fair policies and holding everyone accountable.

Schwab mentions that she hopes to see some data changes over time, particularly in terms of respect for authority and student mental health. Crawford agreed, and added that he hopes for an overall better vibe in the school; that students become more vocal about their enjoyment of school and all of its activities.

Furthermore, Crawford and Schwab note that this will help students develop the soft skills needed in the workplace, which will be extremely beneficial when they become employable.