Administrators talk about what they like
Staff writer
Seeing the growth in students as one season rolls into the next is the best thing about watching them go through school, Hillsboro Middle and High School principal Tyler Weinbrenner said about his 15 years in education.
“It’s growth and maturity and seeing kids tackle challenges that maybe they didn’t think they could do earlier in the year,” Weinbrenner said. “There are a lot of kids who have faced academic or physical challenges, or challenges outside of school.”
Growth comes in seasons, he said.
“There are different things at different times — the beginning of school, the start of the sports seasons, and then the summer. I just enjoy all of it,” he said.
For Marion superintendent Justin Wasmuth, the best thing he’s seen this year has been renewed interaction between students now that cell phones are not permitted in high school classrooms.
A new cell phone policy went into effect at the first of the year. Phones must be placed in pockets next to the classroom door and may only be used between classes and after school.
High school principal Donald Raymer thought it was a positive policy, and the school board embraced the idea, Wasmuth said.
High school students are now more engaged with each other, and more active in extracurricular activities, he said.
Other schools in the county have enacted similar policies.
“A lot of schools are doing it, but we’ve seen instant positives with it,” Wasmuth said. “I think overall it’s just been a good year. We’re just seeing a lot more pride in our schools.”
Teachers sometimes tell students to get their phones out for very specific reasons, he said, but most of the time, phones are not in students’ hands.