The Greenbrier County Board of Education heard from the middle and high school Local School Improvement Councils (LSICs) on Thursday, Feb. 24, outlining where each school stands.
Greenbrier East High School’s LSIC presentation was given by Principal Ben Routson. He approached the board hoping to highlight the good rather than look at the bad.
“What I am trying to do more than anything through this presentation was really emphasize the positive things that can be seen through this school year,” explained Routson. “It’s no secret [that] for every school, I think everywhere, this last year’s test results are not really indicative of our students and what we have going on at any of our schools.”
Of the 318 freshmen, there are 120 on the principal’s honor roll. For the 226 sophomores, there are 106 on the principal’s honor roll. For the 205 juniors, there are 106 on the principal’s honor roll. Finally, of the 241 seniors, there are 132 on the principal’s honor roll. The names of both the principal’s honor roll and Spartan honor rolls were previously run in The West Virginia Daily News.
“Other than the ninth-grade class, if you look at especially if you put both the principals on a roll and the Spartan honor roll together, it’s well over 50 percentof the students that are achieving a pretty good GPA for this school year, per person,” Routson said. “We’re really pleased with that.”
Included in the report was a long list of “good things,” such as the engineering InvenTeam’s second MIT grant. The health sciences students gave out COVID-19 vaccination information, a vaping lesson play for State Superintendent Clayton Burch, getting CPR certified, and training the JROTC students how to perform CPS. The Spartan Marching Band won both individual and group excellence awards, with five members selected for All-State band. There was an Honor Guard Air Force Drill Team, and new members were inducted to the National Honor Society.
Routson also highlighted the athletics achievements, such as one football player that made All State, with several honorable mentions; one soccer player that made All State, one girl’s cross country regional meet winner, both the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams winning number one seed in sectionals, and two state champions in the Girls State Wrestling Tournament.
“I’m really kind of a sports guy, I always have been, probably always will be,” Routson said, referring to both sports and academics. “I tell them, if we’re going to play the game, no matter what the game is, let’s play to win. Period. We try to instill that competition and that excitement in everything that we do.”
The school also got to hold Homecoming this past year, a first since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a group of 62 students took the PSAT, Routson was excited to note it was the first time an East group outscored the total group of PSAT test takers.
According to his report, “the biggest struggle at the beginning of the year” was “discipline, but that’s settled down.” In addition, “attendance is trending in the right direction,” and the school has begun a raffle. For every grade, one student with no unexcused absences will be drawn to receive a free chicken basket and Blizzard from Dairy Queen each month.
Routson and the teachers are also testing a Smart Hall Pass system that tracks students outside of the classroom. Depending on teacher response, the system may or may not be in place next year.
The school’s wish list includes replacing the gates and pillars at the entrance and an expanded parent pickup area. The report also thanked the board for the LSIC’s previous recommendations that were approved, such as the cafeteria wall, a “redone” bridge, added lights, and a phone system.
The Greenbrier East High School LSIC members include Routson, Jeffrey Owens, Kevin Warfield, Margaret Dodd, Tiffany McMahan, Emily Haas, Kimberly Dennier, Michael Vincent, Emily Norman, Susan Wyatt, Stephanie Tilley, Lisa Brooks, Lefty Smith and Joshua Mitchem.
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