I hope this message finds everyone ok and warm while navigating this early spring storm. Many thanks to our facilities staff for their marathon hours over the last two days maintaining the buildings while power has been out and continuously clearing school grounds.
Since its inception as a brainchild of the 2015-18 district Strategic Plan, the Pathways program at GHS has continued expanding and re-imagining itself, reaching hundreds of students over the years. One of the highlights of Pathways is the Student Independent Learning Opportunity, or SILO for short. SILOs offer students course credit for exploring in-depth a topic of interest that is aligned to the state's academic content standards. GHS students Audrey Cohen, Brady Hale, Lauren Hester, Violet Armstrong, Chloe Schueman, and Alina Schueman attended this week's Board meeting to share their experiences with SILOs. GHS Principal Karl Francis recognized Pathways Coordinator Andrew Fersch for his work with students developing their interests and passions through SILO projects. To learn more about SILOS, click HERE.
Every two years, students in grades 7-12 provide feedback on the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (MIYHS) on a variety of questions about students' mental and physical health. District Mental Health Specialist Eric Brown and GHS Social Worker Peter Scott provided the Board a summary of the most recent results of this survey. Among the protective factors, here's Greely's overall profile:
- The majority of our students feel safe in our schools
- The majority of our students identify protective factors including school staff and parents/caregivers
- The majority of our students don’t use alcohol, cigarettes/vape, marijuana, or prescription drugs
- Healthy body behaviors (fruits/vegetables, soda/sports/energy drinks, physical activity)
Among overall areas in need of more attention:
- Despite majority not using substances, % of students reporting having ever used alcohol has almost doubled
- Bullying remains a significant concern for our students
- Depression and suicidality warrants our continued vigilance and scrutiny
For more detailed information:
GHS MIYHS Survey Results
GMS MIYHS Survey Results