Learn and incorporate history
Part of building a strong school culture is building pride in your school. To build pride, you have to learn and incorporate the traditions and history of your school. Maya Angelou once said, "I have great respect for the past. If you don't know where you've come from, you don't know where you're going." Our school has been a huge part of our community for decades. It once was a K-12 school, but has served as a K-8 school since 1965. We want our students to know the history of our school and community. That’s why we have old photos, trophies, and uniforms displayed in one of the main hallways. I had a mural painted at the end of the main hall to honor some of our history, as well as add a touch of modern for our current students.
School Motto
Before arriving at my current school, I had done some online research about the school. I read the motto, mission, vision, and etc… However, when I started meeting the faculty and students, not a one of them could tell me the current school motto. Mottos are meant to bring all stakeholders together. A motto is a slogan designed to help everyone focus on common goals, and drive everyone toward success. I knew right away that we needed to update our motto, and that I wanted everyone to know it! We ended up taking a slogan that had been used some, and changed it a bit. We are the Camp Creek Bears. So, our new motto is: Together we will Believe Experience Achieve and Realize Success! The next thing I did was add this motto to the signage around our school, and on t-shirts. I also started reciting the motto every morning on the announcements. It wasn't long before students started reciting the motto to me in the hallway. They started taking pride in being able to stop me in the hall and recite the motto.
Brand Matters
This past summer, I took my family on vacation to Florida. While driving down I-75 for hours upon hours, we had to make multiple stops for food, gas, and restroom breaks. Being a little "old school", I like to look for signs instead of asking Siri where the nearest gas station or restaurant is. When traveling with family, I also like to ensure that we stop at clean locations. For us, we like to stop at Love's Travel Centers. So, when the gas light came on, I started looking for a yellow and black sign with hearts. That may sound silly, but anytime I see that logo, I know I am stopping at a clean place with quality gas and snacks. Love's Travel Center s are easily recognizable by their logo. They have built a successful brand. When people see their logo, they know exactly what the business is and what to expect. When I became principal at my school, I wanted to build a strong brand. I found that we had a different logo for everything! The gym floor had an old bear head. Our school letter head had a different bear head. School envelopes had a full body black bear. Student t-shirts had a multitude of different bear related logos. I decided that we needed to update our logos, and settle on one or two to use school-wide. We decided on an updated bear claw and an interlocked CC. We replaced all the old logos (even the gym floor) with our new logos. Just like Love's, when people see our logo on our uniforms, apparel, and stationary…we want them to know exactly who we are and what we stand for. When people see a blue bear claw or interlocked CC, I want them to think of a school that puts students first, focuses on the whole child, and works harder than all other schools. I want our stakeholders to be proud to wear our logos.
Facility Management/Upkeep
How your facility and grounds look is a direct reflection of the pride you take in your school. Often times, I can tell how much pride a school has when I pull into the parking lot. If the yard, parking area, and entrance are well kept and clean, it shows that you take pride in the appearance of your school. My school is an older building, built in the 1950s. I am always looking for ways to make it look clean, organized, modern, and more functional. First and foremost, we have an EXCELLENT custodial staff, and an excellent maintenance division. Our school looks and smells as clean (or cleaner) than most of the newer schools I've been in. Why? Because my custodial staff takes pride in their work! They go the extra mile! We've also built a culture in which our faculty and students do their part to help with the upkeep of our school. When they walk down the hall and see a piece of trash, we pick it up! It doesn't have to be their paper, but it effects our school…so we pick it up.
To be clear…your history, your message, your brand, and how you manage your facilities all plays a major part in cultivating your school culture!