Admin Corner 2.5 - End of the Year Insights
Photo from Hamilton School District.
Gia Quast & Elias Callen
Hello, Hamilton! As we all know, the school year is coming to an end. Summer is within arms reach, but as our classes come to an end, the administrative team at Hamilton would like to offer some reflections from this year alongside what they look forward to next year.
Q: What did you think went well this year? Is there any specific thing you want to shout-out?
Mr. Bauer started out by discussing the improvement in attendance rates. He said that the school set a goal of seeing a 25% drop in tardies and absences set by the end of the year, which is unknown at the current time but is looking close! He also stated that students understand better that they have to get to class on time and that he was working to make it so kids wanted to go to class. In a similar vein, he added that he felt like more students were coming to administration for guidance and with “What if?” questions. It is encouraging as it shows that there is a community that has been fostered so that kids have felt like they can come to the staff for anything.
Ms. Goike added that she was proud of the AVID program expansions and the career planning programs offered at Hamilton that celebrate other pathways. She would like to offer a shout-out to the SPARK/CTE teachers and CTSO advisors who “are doing amazing things. [She is] so grateful for all the opportunities they’re giving our kids.” Bauer echoed this sentiment. Goike also added that she was grateful for all of our teachers. She said that she is grateful that the teachers here care.
Mr. Doyle echoes the celebrations of the SPARK and AVID programs, but added the success of our Adaptive Sports League, saying that the participating students enjoyed their time playing sports. He ended by expanding the sentiment out to all clubs at Hamilton, “There [have been] a multitude of successes that our students had within their clubs, sports, and extracurricular activities, while continuing to find success in the classroom.”
Q: What are you rolling out next year? What are you excited about for next year?
Ms. Goike excitedly reported the addition of the construction course to the SPARK program, which will roll out next year. Members of SPARK will be working on building a house with Tim O’Brien, with the blueprint already finalized for the upcoming year. There will be further expansions of SPARK through global business and future teachers' strands, which will be developed in the coming year and hopefully put into practice the following year. The global business strand will offer transcripted credits through UW-Oshkosh and the future teacher strand will offer credit through UW-Whitewater.
Mr. Doyle also highlighted how next year begins our SPARK program, which has a strong five year plan built out and will continue to grow. Over time, he believes this program has the opportunity to reach many students at Hamilton through a variety of strands and pathways.
Mr. Bauer had nothing to add in relation to substantial changes, but did mention the change to start times. Templeton Middle School and Hamilton High School will swap their start times, with Templeton students starting school before Hamilton’s. This will extend the school day by 10 minutes at Hamilton. This change is being put in place to ameliorate bussing safety so that students are always dropped off curbside, according to Mr. Bauer. This will allow for the “leveraging” to advisement and two built in snow days. Along with this, the seven minute passing time will return. He is also looking forward to continuing working with staff and improving student experiences.
Q: What are your goals for the upcoming year?
Mr. Bauer told us that his main goal was to improve student attendance, including truancy and tardiness. This will be a continuation of the improvements made this year. On top of that, he hopes to see improvements on standardized test scores and internal data, such as mental health of the student body and student wellbeing. As he always is looking to do, he wants to make sure every kid experiences success and that no one slips through the cracks at Hamilton High School.
Ms. Goike highlighted that she would like to continue on improving opportunities for learning and student body bonding. This year, activities such as AVID and the all-school lunch social have made large strides in this area, but she is looking forward to further expanding upon this! She also wants to increase student access within the community. Some great ways that she is looking forward to doing that are by increasing job shadowing and community apprenticeships. There will also be a Career Development Center in the IMC pit for kids to further their opportunities to meet mentors, coaches, and even potential employers.
Mr. Doyle added that AVID continues to intertwine with the administrative team’s instructional goals and that they would like to promote it building-wide. He says that our AVID teachers and students put in a lot of work. The site team is finding ways to implement their work in classrooms and other school events to be seen.
Q: Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share?
Ms. Goike had one short yet profound piece of advice: “Slow down and enjoy the moment.”
Mr. Doyle wanted to say that since having been in the building for two years now, it's clear that Hamilton has a really great group of teachers who do a lot to support students and their future goals. He says that he is proud of the work they do!
Mr. Bauer would like to say, “Thanks to the students for being awesome. Sometimes when you’re in a community or some buildings for your entire life, you don’t realize how great it can be, but we have a pretty awesome student body here, and a great community. And it just makes it enjoyable to do the work that I do.” He is looking forward to next year and hopes everyone enjoys their summer.
Have a great summer, Hamilton! To the graduating class, good luck with your futures. Until next year!
