NORWICH – “The culture and climate at the high school has seen a change throughout the past year,” said Norwich High School Principal Thomas Knapp when asked about his first yearin charge of the building.
Knapp said the pride and satisfaction he feels about his first year is a reflection of how great the teachers, staff and students are in his building. Knapp explains roughly a year ago when Superintendent of schools Gerard O’Sullivan came to him and asked his to act as interim principal, the idea was new, and he was uncertain if he would enjoy the opportunity. Knapp has worked in the building as the athletics director for the prior year and he said O’Sullivan may have seen how the culture and climate of athletics was changed, therefore hoping Knapp would influence the rest of the high school as well.
From February to June, Knapp has acted as both interim principal and athletics director for the high school. Throughout this time, Knapp said he saw a need for motivation and organization within the building. He said he saw what the students were capable of and how fundamentally sound the school needed to be.
After getting appointed to the position full-time in June, Knapp said he established three goals he said he has carried and enforced through the course of the year. His goals include providing a safe environment, an academically sound building and an effective environment for both students and employees.
Aiding his efforts, Knapp said, are components such as having the ability to hire John Pluta, a 30-year teacher of the district to act as Dean of Students. Knapp said Pluta carries good morals, is a role model for students and has leadership attributes to further efforts being made throughout the high school. “Together we have added continuity for the students,” said Knapp.
Knapp said since September he, as well as other high school administrators, have tracked, compared and analyzed data from all the aspects aiding in student success. He said suspension numbers are down, the behavior is better and the children seem happier. One aspect he relates as being a new approach to students who are leaving school early are home visits and introducing the options students have when it comes to leaving before graduation. Convincing students to enroll in the GED program or to come back to the school environment, Knapp said, has seen success. He also said the drop out rate’for the school in roughly two years went from 13 percent to 7 percent.
Knapp said implementing new measures of accountability not only helps the students, but also helps the staff and faculty. Since the beginning of the year, Knapp said the high school has had four ‘lock down drills’ beginning with a short drill in October and ending with a drill, complete with K-9 units roaming the building, in April.
New this year, Knapp introduced student of the month ceremonies to recognize students as well as faculty who are doing well. Each month a word such as ‘respect’ or ‘honesty’ is chosen and pupils and teachers are chosen who represent them.
Knapp said the high school also has strengthened its ties with local law enforcement to show students police officers are not an enemy nor an agency to fear. Knapp said Norwich police officers come to the school throughout the week, tour the building and interact with students.
Another goal Knapp said he is trying to maintain is the relationship he has built with students and teachers since he started. He has an open door policy, which he explains is a critical asset to getting to know students and teachers. “The students know who I am. I make my presence known, and they see me as a leader,” said Knapp. He said he is there to influence students and one way to do that is to know all of them.