Hillside Hornets STING

April 22, 2010

Hello, Hillside Hornet Nation! I am very pleased to be able to finally sit and compose another blog entry for your perusal and posting on our website (and hopefully others!). We are on the “countdown” at Hillside, as we are only 31 instructional days away from administering our final exams! Yes, our year has flown by, but it’s still not over, and we still have much work to do!

There are several important topics that require my immediate reporting and my reading and understanding. First, and most immediately, we will have our final round of benchmark assessments on Tuesday, April 27 and Wednesday, April 28. I sent the Connect-Ed message out on Tuesday, April 19 encouraging all of our students to take these exams seriously, as these benchmarks represent the academic information presented during the past few weeks, and are compatible with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study AND are a sneak preview of what the students may see on the End of Course tests. If you recall, we have lofty expectations for our students and for our school for year 1 of our relationship together, and we won’t settle for anything less than 55% proficiency on our composite report-a 10% increase over what we were able to post for the 2008-2009 academic year.

So that we may be on one accord, final exams will begin on Tuesday, June 1 and continue through Friday, June 4. Monday, June 7 through Wednesday, June 9 will be used as make up days for students who, for some reason, missed their regularly scheduled exam or who need to take a re-test because they did not earn the required level 3 or higher under the North Carolina Testing and Accountability Standards. We feel fairly confident that our young people will do well, as we have received encouraging reports from unit assessments and from data we have obtained through our observations when we perform unannounced classroom visits and teacher observations. We do have a few issues, however, that concern us as we enter this crucial leg of our semester. They are:

• The repeat and troublesome problems associated with this now small minority of students (and parents) who arrive to Hillside High School well after the 7:30 a.m. tardy bell. This is a problem for all of us because it constitutes a loss of instructional opportunities and time that cannot be recaptured. As we’ve done all year, students and parents who chronically and habitually violate our attendance policy are referred to school social workers and in some cases, legal authorities to ascertain if they reside within our attendance zone and if further intervention is necessary. The underlying philosophy here is that we must change the culture and climate in our school to rid our school of a culture of lateness and apathy.
• Spring Fever and all of the associated drama that comes along with it. We have been very consistent in enforcing our dress code and maintaining dialogue with our parents regarding acceptable standards pertaining to student dress and appearance. The underlying philosophy that we employ to our students, particularly to our females, is that “What is cute is not always appropriate for school!” For our young men, we remind them that they should NEVER misrepresent who they are by exposing their buttocks or undergarments for the world to see. We are also working diligently to keep our students on our campus during the lunch hour as opposed to sneaking off. The ONLY students who are authorized to leave our campus for lunch are SENIORS whose parents have signed the off-campus privilege form and whose students have paid the $10 dollar fee and have the photo ID. IF we can keep our students FOCUSED on doing what’s right all of the time and applying the same amount of energy and intensity toward academic pursuits as they do as trying to get off our campus or dressing provocatively, we’d be dangerous!
• Helping our students and in some cases, parents and community members and friends to understand that our primary focus is to provide an educational environment that is conducive to effective teaching and learning and that our primary mission is to improve our school through enhanced performance and the raising of the stakes. As we have all stated so many times, NO ONE rises to low expectations, and for the most part, the HHS faculty and staff have committed themselves individually and collectively to raising the level of intellectual discourse in the classrooms and expecting the world from our students. Our students, in turn have met this challenge (by and large), and it is evidenced by our recent performance in our unit and earlier benchmark assessments AND by our earning an attendance award from the Durham Public Schools for the THIRD consecutive month.
• Proposed budget cuts to the education budget that could prove to be disastrous in terms of human resource losses and ballooning class sizes that could have an equally disastrous impact on student learning and the continued enhancement and improvement of our school and school culture and climate.

I could go on and on, but I will save it for the next installment.  I will report out on the data from benchmarks, as well as sharing with the HHS Nation about some of the plans for year #2. The “Pillars of Success” program is coming to HHS in 2010-2011, and I’ll report out on it in detail very soon.

Per the Connect-Ed I sent, PLEASE encourage your students to put forth their very best effort on the upcoming benchmarks AND on their day-to-day educational pursuits at Hillside. As we work to change the culture and climate of HHS, we will have to work HARD to erase a culture of apathy, lateness, mediocrity, and rudeness from all who are under our roof. One has to remember that the high school experience is a critical developmental period for our students, as for some, the work ethic, habits, conflict resolution, communication style, and personal self-discipline demonstrations are honed and refined from grade 9-12/ages 14-18. If we don’t develop the skill/repertoire, it could be a difficult road for our children.

So, thank you for your support, thank you for encouraging your student, and thank you for reading this blog.

March 8-12, 2010

Greetings, Hornet Nation! I am really “Feeling it” right about now! We are in a very good instructional and programmatic groove right now at Hillside, and I am very encouraged with what I am seeing. We are entering a stretch of instruction and assessment that will lay the foundation for continued success this semester, as well as setting the stage for us to be in position for a very successful 2009-2010 school year in terms of achieving our academic and school-wide goals that we set on August 17, 2009. Before I get started on providing details, allow me to bring you up to speed on what happened around HHS last week!

We had a very eventful instructional week, with the continued challenge of getting an increasingly small minority of students and their rides/parents/legal guardians to 3727 Fayetteville Street in a timely fashion. As you’ve heard and read my cries of “7:20 a.m. is when we need you in the place,” I am proud to report that over 95 percent of our students are indeed in place and ready to receive instruction at 7:30! We are also pleased with the number of students who are moving expeditiously throughout our building to arrive to their classes within the 6 minutes and 30 seconds they are given to accomplish this objective. Our teachers have done a superb job of positioning themselves in the hallways to encourage movement as opposed to the arbitrary “posting up” and “chilling” and socializing that our students like to do as opposed to getting to class on time. This is an area that we’ve fought all year long, and is one that we will continue to fight, as it is our belief that our students need, require, and deserve all 90 minutes of available instructional time that is given to them!

We had a good week in terms of instruction. It is an aim and objective to visit classrooms to witness what our students and teachers are doing in terms of providing quality instruction and our students being in place to receive instruction without obstacles or barriers that impede the delivery and receipt of instruction. As I wrote to my colleagues who serve so well in the classrooms, there are a few obstacles that we must declare war upon and overcome so that we may serve the educational interests of our students. They are:

1. Tardy arrival to class. When our students are late, it costs them VALUABLE instructional time-minutes that they will never get back. If the problem persists, this could mean in-school suspension or detention, and ultimately, a temporary suspension from attending class. As we tell our students-get to class on time and it won’t be a problem. We are pleased that you as parents and as a community have joined with us to correct this time management issue.
2. The insistence of some of our students to use telephones in class. There is absolutely no reason for a student to use a telephone in an academic environment to send or receive a text message or to send or receive a telephone call. This is an unwanted and colossal distraction and thus disruption of the educational process, robbing the teacher and student of the opportunity to provide and receive valuable information. Again, we are pleased with the widespread parental and community support as we fight this battle. As our district office visit feedback suggests. Hillside is enjoying a tremendous level of improvement in this area, and we will continue to get better until the student understands that there is a time and place and appropriateness for everything, including the use of cell phones and other electronic devices.
3. The unfortunate result of disengagement or disinterest-SLEEPING in class. Our colleagues and I have communicated about the cause of sleeping/disengagement, and we are working on employing some differentiated instructional techniques to get everyone interested in learning. Sometimes the students are bored. Sometimes the students are hungry, and don’t have the carbohydrate energy to function. Sometimes the students are just plain tired, because they’ve had to work until the wee hours of the morning or have had to stay up and attend to the needs of a child-their own or a younger sibling. In either scenario, we understand and will respond accordingly!

We also had a wonderful visit from representatives of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction on Tuesday, March 2 for the Career and Technical Education Civil Rights Review Audit. The purpose of this visit was to ensure that Hillside, along with other selected schools within the Durham Public School System, are working diligently to ensure that students are receiving quality, accessible educational and extracurricular services regardless of disability, national origin, sex, or any other condition. We had a debrief on Thursday, March 4, and I am pleased to report that the Durham Public Schools received 32 positive marks out of 35 overall marks! When the full report is made available, we will make it available for perusal in our main office!

The highlight of the week, in addition to seeing the students and teachers thrive in their environment, was the statewide tornado drill that we participated in on Friday, March 5. The Hillside family knew exactly what to do, and performed well. I thanked everyone for their focus and attention, and we were able to move back into instruction at 9:50 a.m.

What’s up for this week…?

This is a BIG WEEK! In addition to the instructional practices and performances that we expect will put us on another level this year, we have the North Carolina Writing Test for Grade 10 on Tuesday morning, March 9 at 7:45 a.m. The writing test is an assessment that measures our sophomore students’ ability to respond to a writing prompt and make their responsive points in a clear, concise, and grammatically correct fashion. In years past, the struggle has been to get students to take the test seriously and approach it as if it were a “high stakes” final exam. To assist in the repositioning and refocusing effort, Hillside High School will offer the following incentives to test takers:

1. When the student demonstrates earnest and sincere effort in working on and completing the test and responds with their absolute best effort, the test administrator will reward the student immediately upon conclusion of their test with a gift coupon redeemable for a free “slushee” from our cafeteria.
2. When the results come back in during the latter part of May, we will provide students who earn a level 3 with an academic certification that they can use to add 1 point to the final nine-week academic average to any class of their choice. For students who earn a level 4, they will have 2 points to barter. They can add their 2 points to any one class of their choice, or add 1 point here, and one point there!
3. For the students who earn a level 3 or higher on the writing assessment, the Hillside family will present them with a T-Shirt that will read: “I AM….A Hillside Achiever.” Please help us defray the costs of this project and contribute to the fund. If you would like to make a donation, please send your gift of 1 dollar to 100 dollars (or above, if you are so moved) to Hillside High School, 3727 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27707. The funds will be deposited into the Sophomore Class account, and we will have the shirts ordered and printed and presented to our students who earn them!
4. We are also hopeful that we can provide the Hillside Achievers with a cookout/luncheon to celebrate their accomplishments!

As a bonus activity, while the 10^th graders are taking the writing test from 7:30 to 9:15, the rest of the HHS student body will engage in a critical viewing and intellectual critique of the movie “Freedom Writers.” This is a wonderful story of high expectations, a caring and cultivating school climate and teacher, and how the combination of care, compassion, dream building, and sincerity can transform the mind and LIFE of child/children!

We are also going to be all over the place this week, visiting classes, interacting with our students, observing and providing feedback to and for our instructional staff, and just working diligently to make Hillside High School the place that we all know that it can be…The absolute BEST thing going in the Durham Public Schools!

Before I sign off, please be sure to try to make our PTSA Parental Information Night, which is scheduled for Monday evening, March 8 at 5:30 p.m. in our café. Additionally, PLEASE mark on your calendar to come to our organizational and planning meeting for the revival of the Hillside High School Athletic Booster Club! This meeting is planned for Monday, March 15 at 5:30 p.m., also in the Hillside café!

In case you couldn’t tell, Hillside is THE place to be! It’s a great place, and we are looking forward to seeing you in our building to walk the halls with us, take a look at what’s going on in the classrooms and hallways and locker rooms and restrooms, as well as interacting with our staff and helping us monitor the behavior and movement of our young ones.

Please visit with us, and help us to continue to make a positive difference in the lives of our and your Hillside Hornets. Keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter, and please visit our website at www.hillside.dpsnc.net.

Week of March 1-5, 2010

Well, here we are, HHS family-the month of March is upon us, and the countdown to Spring Break 2010 has begun! I sit in amazement that our instructional year is almost over! If you check the calendar, we’ll begin our Spring Break on April 2, 2010 with a protected teacher workday, and then will be on Spring Break from April 3-April 11, 2010 with a return to classes on Monday morning, April 12. After that, we’ll have 8 weeks of instruction and then BAM-Spring Semester final exams and graduation! Where, oh where, did the time go?

We have had a very eventful spring 2010 semester thus far. Our school has received district accolades for a few achievements we were able to enjoy from the fall semester, specifically:

·        HHS earned a performance composite of 53 percent on the EOC exams. We are working diligently to improve our performance across the board, but in Physical Science and Civics & Economics, specifically. Those two areas have received additional resources to help improve instructional outcomes, and we are optimistic that things will be more positive in June.

·        HHS earned an attendance award at the last Durham Public Schools Administrators meeting held on February 9 for month 4. Our students seem to enjoy coming to school, and it has shown in our average daily attendance rate. We earned the “Most Improved Attendance Rate for Large High Schools” and we are expecting more of the same. Our students (and their parents) have worked very hard to get to HHS consistently and, of equal importance, ON TIME!

·        HHS’ testing program, under the dynamic leadership and vision of Assistant Principal of Accountability and Assessment Mrs. Tounya C. Wright (HHS class of 1983) tested 98 percent of its students for the first semester 2009, the highest ever! Our students came to school with a purpose during the exam times, and their focus and hard work paid off.

For all of the good things that we are doing at HHS, there are still areas that we must improve for us to realize our goals that we set for year 1. I was pleased to host our Curricular Review Visit from district personnel on Friday, February 26, and as we chatted, we had some very frank discussion about where we are, where we once were, and where we are headed. From my vantage point, here are some of the small “blips” on the screen that we have to correct:

1. The majority of HHS students do what they are supposed to do to bring about positive change in their academic and personal lives, but we have a select few who still feel the need to resolve conflict by raising their voices or worse, raising their hand toward another student. The good news is that one of our student services representatives, Ms. Cherelle Lee, has asked for approval to start a mentoring group for female students to help them with anger management, conflict resolution, and relationship building. This should help with some of the “drama” that tends to arise in our schools, particularly among the Facebook/Bebo Age.

2. We realize and understand that we are living in a technologically driven society, and those electronic devices such as telephones, digital cameras, and IPods are as much a part of their wardrobe as watches/neckties are a part of ours. The problem is that these items are not required or necessary for success in the classroom. We cannot allow students to text their friends and loved ones while they are receiving instruction because of the tremendous distraction that it causes. As we work toward creating an atmosphere of academic excellence and self-discipline, we have to work together to help our students understand that there is a time and place for everything.

3. We have to continue to help our students to understand the importance of putting forth their best effort at all times on the assignments/assessments that they take and are ultimately judged. To assist with this, we continue to employ motivational strategies at HHS and supplemental instructional opportunities in the form of focused and targeted lunchtime and afterschool tutorials. PLEASE encourage your student to stay for tutorial sessions and to speak with their teacher about the tutorial schedule and the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skill level necessary to be successful in acquiring new knowledge and to perform well on the state assessments in June!

Finally, HHS family, our next opportunity to showcase our steady improvement will be on Tuesday, March 9 at 7:45 a.m. as our sophomores take the North Carolina Writing Test for Grade 10. I have sent a few Connect-Ed messages to the families of sophomores encouraging them to help us reinforce how important this test is and how it will demonstrate how well our young people can communicate in writing in a clear, concise, and cogent manner. If you would like to be a part of this day in terms of helping us to proctor this assessment between 7:45 and 9:15, PLEASE call Mrs. Tounya C. Wright at 560-3925, extension 25900, and she will put you to work!!!

As I close, I encourage you to PLEASE visit our website to look at the wonderful work that our staff and students are doing at HHS. On the site, you will see the recognition of our 2009-10 Teacher of the Year and Initially Licensed Teacher of the Year, as well as a wonderful new section dedicated to our seniors who have been accepted into the college/university of their choice for the upcoming fall 2010 semester as well as those seniors who are entering into the military to receive specialized training and financial assistance for the post-secondary pursuits upon fulfillment of the obligation to the uniformed services. PLEASE check us out at www.hillside.dpsnc.net!

Well, that’s it for now. I could write forever about HHS, but I’ll wait until the next time to catch you up to speed!

Week beginning January 26, 2010

Hello, Hornet Nation! I believe that it goes without saying that it has been an exceptionally busy time here on Fayetteville Street these past few weeks in 2010! We have completed our first semester, mourned the loss of former Principal Earl M. Pappy, who passed away unexpectedly on January 17, 2010, and, as a school, celebrated his contributions to the welfare of countless students in North Carolina and Virginia with fitting and appropriate tributes. On top of these things, we also enjoyed a seamless transition into our second semester with moving smoothly into our second semester of instruction that started today, January 26, 2010.

When we first met, I promised you that I would keep you current and abreast of our victories and opportunities for growth and development, and in line with this, I would like to share with you how Hillside fared in our first semester EOC’s. The table below charts where we were at the conclusion of the first semester 2008-09, where we are at the conclusion of the first semester 2009-10, and the percentage growth/loss over the initial mark:

It is important to note that these percentages are reflective of results as of Friday, January 22, 2010. We still have students who are re-testing or who need to make up the exam as the result of an absence on test day, so these results may fluctuate. While we are pleased that we were able to demonstrate growth in 7 of the 8 tested areas, we are desirous of seeing a school-wide improvement of overall mastery of the subject matter which, according to our goals for year 1, is demonstration of 55% proficiency or better in ALL subjects. Strategies and systems are in place for advanced performance and proficiency for the spring semester, and as we receive those reports, I will pass them along to you.

We are very excited about what’s coming up here at Hillside this semester, and I’d like to share with you a few tidbits:

January 26: Financial Aid Planning Night in our Café at 6 p.m.

February 3: Uniformed Services Career Fair at 8 a.m. in our Theatre Lobby Area

February 15: College Fair for Seniors

At Hillside, it is all about raising the expectations for academic achievement, appropriate conduct, appropriate communication, and the development of a 21^st Century ready graduate-one who is technologically, conversationally, academically, socially, and emotionally proficient and ready for the challenge that LIFE will bring.

“The Happy New Year” Edition!

Well, here we are, Hornets & Friends: It’s 2010, and we are at the “halfway” mark in our first year together! I hope that everyone had a very restful holiday break (I know I did), & that you are ready for yet another exciting semester at Hillside High School!

From August 25 until today, we have been working very diligently to bring about change and transformation to our school. Of all of the things that I wrote about earlier in the school year, very few “blips on the screen” remain. Our students do a good job getting to their classes in a timely fashion, our building and grounds are clean and inviting, our faculty & staff are accessible and are ready to communicate with you at a moment’s notice via telephone call, e-mail, or parent/teacher/student conference, & our students are ready to perform on their final exams that are only 1 week away!

There is one “blip on the screen” that continues to bug me, and that is the 40-50 students who cannot seem to arrive to school on time. Now, I realize that we have over 1,400 students enrolled, and 40-50 being late should not bother me, but it does. It bothers me because I am very concerned about the instructional time that these students miss on a routine basis that they will never be able to recover. It bothers me because these students have no understanding of punctuality, nor do they understand the necessity of it. Many of these young people and, on occasion, their parent/legal guardian tell me that I’m “tripping,” & that we should be happy that, at a minimum, they’re in school at all, regardless of the time.

This bothers me.

I took the liberty to find out some of the other activities that some of these habitually tardy students (and parents) are involved in at Hillside, & found that some of these young people are involved in athletics, dance, theatrical endeavors, and hold part-time jobs. I met with them recently prior to levying disciplinary sanctions against them, and asked them why they could be on time (if not early) to EVERYTHING but school. To this question, I received no answer from most, but some told me that school isn’t important to them, but the “other stuff” is.

This bothers me, AND IT MUST CHANGE.

If we are going to transform Hillside into the academic haven that IT CAN become, we have to “trip out” about the little things, like punctuality, self-discipline, academic focus, prioritizing, & taking pride in being a successful student. Marginality will not cut it!

Volume 1, Issue #11

Week ending December 14, 2009

Hello, Hillside Nation! I hope that everyone who reads this is doing well, and that you’re ready for an exciting and restful Christmas Break/Winter Vacation with your HHS student!

I could write a 40 page paper about all that is going on at HHS, but my dear readers have challenged me to make this as concise, yet thorough, as possible. So, here we go….

First, I’d like to publicly acknowledge two of our students who have been recognized on a NATIONAL level: Mr. Derrick Shaw and Miss Alexus Davis!

Mr. Shaw is one of our seniors who is a ranking student in our Jr. ROTC program. He was recognized on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 by the Greater Durham Exchange Club as the Hillside High School ROTC Star Student. He was honored at a luncheon, received a personal letter of congratulations from Senator Richard Burr, and was presented with an American Flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol Building!

Miss Davis is a freshman Junior Varsity Cheerleader who has been named a Capital One Bowl All American Cheerleader! She will participate in the official Capital One  Bowl halftime performance as a cast member on New Year’s Day held in Orlando, Florida and broadcast nationally on ABC-Television. The Capital One Bowl halftime show is consistently hailed as the most spectacular New Year’s Day production in the country, and only the nation’s top students who meet stringent “All American” cast selection criteria qualify to receive this fantastic performance opportunity!

HORNET PRIDE AT IT’S FINEST!!!

Additionally, we are moving on schedule to end our first semester on a positive note, as we are making the transition between instruction that is paced on the North Carolina Standard Course of Study to preparation for final exams. The final exam period will be from Friday, January 15, 2009 to Friday, January 22, 2009. We are in need of proctors for our exams, and per our last Sting, if you are interested in serving as a proctor, please contact our Assistant Principal for Assessment & Accountability, Mrs. Tounya Wright, at 560-3925 or you may e-mail her at tounya.wright@dpsnc.net.

We are also very proud to announce that our Performing Arts Department has been exceptionally busy as of late. Our chorus, under the direction of Mr. Anthony R. Pierce, performed as an opening act for the group Rock-a-Pella on Thursday, December 10, and Mr. Wendell Tabb and Mr. Xavier Cason are preparing for opening night for their collaborative effort performance of “Black Nativity” beginning Friday evening, December 18.

Again, HORNET PRIDE AT IT’S FINEST!!!

We do have a vision here at HHS. I write a weekly newsletter to our faculty and staff, and in the edition dated December 7, 2009, I challenged our staff to remember that where there is no vision, the people perish. We see our school doing some wonderful things, but seeing these things and putting things in place to make them possible are two different things. At HHS, we plan collaboratively, we work collaboratively, and we achieve collaboratively. We need your continued support, interest, feedback, and volunteer efforts to continue to transform our school into one of the best in the state.

HORNET PRIDE AT IT’S FINEST!!!

Volume 1, Issue #10

Week ending November 8, 2009

Greetings, all Hornets and friends of Hillside High School! I know that it has been a while since I have had the opportunity to update my blog. The flu bug has bitten the Lassiter household HARD, but I am glad to report that all is somewhat back to normal, and I can devote some time to updating you on critical information about what is going on at Hillside High School.

First: We issued student report cards and our North Carolina School Report Card on October 29, 2009. By and large, our students did well academically, but there are still a few who are not performing up to their ability or potential. During a series of meetings on November 2, 2009, our school is poised to embed extra help sessions and tutorials to students who are not meeting academic standards through one or more of the following means:

• A “Breakfast Buddy” program, where students will be able to receive tutoring prior to the beginning of the instructional day OR,
• A “Lunch Buddy” program, where students can report to tutorials during their lunch period OR,
• Consultative planning period tutorials, where teachers report to subject area classrooms and provide small group instruction in a co-teaching role to help improve student performance.

We are excited about these instructional initiatives, and truly believe that our instructional outcomes will be greater than in years prior!

Second: There is a spirit of collaboration at Hillside High School that is evident in the POWERFUL site-based decision making committee meetings, department chair meetings, and PTSA meetings. We have had some very intense, yet positive and productive meetings in recent days, ALL focusing on improving the performance of our school, its students, and helping to continue to put Hillside “on positive blast” as I like to say. I strongly encourage you to explore joining our PTSA, because it is through this organization and follow-through/next steps process that change can come to HHS.

Third: I know that most, if not all of you are aware of the outstanding performances of our students lately. Check this out…

• Hillside theatre and music students, under the direction of Wendell Tabb, Xavier Cason, and Anthony Pierce did an OUTSTANDING JOB in our inaugural theatre production of “High School Musical” on November 6-8! I had the pleasure of watching two shows, and I was truly amazed both times. It was AWESOME to see our students executing lines, notes, and tunes in a FLAWLESS manner!
• Hillside music students under the direction of Anthony Pierce performed the Star Spangled Banner at the CIAA Championship football game on Saturday, November 7, 2009. The game featured the Broncos of Fayetteville State vs. the Bulldogs of Bowie State, which the Broncos won in thrilling fashion. But, before kickoff, the Hillside Hornets were on full display!!!
• The Hillside Hornets football team, under the direction of Antonio King, finished the regular season 8-3 and has earned the #6 seed in the east 4A bracket. The boys will host the Rams from Pernell Swett High School out of Pembroke, NC, the #3 seed out of the MSEC and the #11 seed in the east. Kickoff is at 7:30 Friday at HHS!

Fourth: We are very excited about the addition of new staff members at HHS to fill some very critical areas in our instructional program. We began our year with some class sizes that were very, very large. But, with the support of our district, we were able to secure additional positions to alleviate large class sizes and make the instructional delivery process more personal. Please join me in welcoming the following to the HHS family:

• Ms. Anjanee Bell, Dance
• Mrs. Jametra Hinton, Math
• Ms. Safia Jamil, Spanish
• Ms. Crystal Pass, Family and Consumer Science
• Mr. Barrington Ross, Science
• Mrs. Tounya Wright, Assistant Principal

Fifth: Hillside students are doing MAJOR DAMAGE (in a positive way) on unit assessments that we take as administered by the district. In line with this, our every 6 weeks BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS will be held on November 16-20, 2009. It is important that our students approach these assessments VERY SERIOUSLY, as we are rapidly approaching the end of our first semester and the time for final exams is just around the corner!!!

Sixth: You may have gotten my ConnectEd message about our EOC/Curriculum Fair, which will be held on Tuesday evening, November 17, 2009 in our Theatre. PLEASE attend and bring a friend. You’ll get a chance to see FIRST HAND the outstanding work that our students have been doing in class, the outstanding instruction they’ve been receiving, and receive information on how to help your students to be successful on ALL assessments they will take a the end of the fall and spring semesters! Our special evening will begin at 6:00 sharp in our commons area, so please make plans to attend!!!

Seventh: I would be remiss if I did not give a BIG shout-out to the following Hillside High School Classes for their love, generosity, and support:

• HHS Class of 1958 for sponsoring a WONDERFUL Teacher Appreciation Breakfast on Friday, November 6!
• HHS Class of 1961 for donating $100.00 toward the cost of refreshments that we will provide at our EOC/Curriculum Night!
• HHS Class of 1986 for donating $100.00 during our Homecoming Pep Rally on October 23, 2009!

THANK YOU, HORNETS!!!

Finally, no STING blog entry would be complete without a “room for improvement” section. Here’s the deal…

First: We have 1,170 students who do an OUTSTANDING job of reporting to our school and to classes on time each and every day! But, there are 80 or so who, for some bizarre reason, have no recognition of or respect for punctuality. Unfortunately, their time at HHS may be up, because we have researched and have reason to believe that many of these students do not reside within the HHS attendance zone. We are in the process of verifying this information, and if our hunch is correct, these students will be sent back to their base school. For the ones who indeed reside in our attendance zone, and are “just late,” they will face disciplinary sanctions. “How can I help,” you may ask? It seems that there is a convenience store that occupies the time of some of our young people. We have folks on duty in front of and inside our school as we begin our day, but could sure use some help in getting our kids away from that place and into school in a timely fashion. If you’d like to volunteer, I’d love to have you help us in that area!!!

Second: As you may have heard, I have little patience for students who are chronically disruptive. We have worked very hard to build and provide an environment conducive for education at our school, and despite our best efforts, we have some who seem to want to disrupt and act in a manner that is not in keeping with our objective. “How can I help,” you may ask? If you’d like to serve as a mentor to a young person in crisis, I can put you to work. If you are interested, I can put you in contact with our volunteer coordinator and our STAR program coordinator, and you can be another positive influence in the lives of some of these young people.

Third: We like to keep our building and grounds looking good, but given the open nature of our campus, we experience issues in the evening and on weekends from folk who have nothing better to do than ride through and do damage. “How can I help,” you may ask? Let’s do a couple of things:

1. A “Community Watch” type of deal where you perhaps ride through and report suspicious activity by phoning 911 OR
2. Working to organize weekend “Campus Clean Ups” to keep the campus looking good!

Again, if you’re interested, please get at me by e-mailing me at hans.lassiter@dpsnc.net. Trust me, your support and love are kindly appreciated!

Volume 1, Issue #9

Hello! Thank you so much for your enduring support and enthusiasm for our program at Hillside High School! The Hornet’s STING returns after a one week hiatus with outstanding news about “What’s Good” at Hillside High School!

First, we are pleased to announce that your student will bring home their first grading period report card on Thursday, October 29, 2009! As I advised in the last STING, our first grading period ended on Friday, October 23, 2009. We had A LOT going on that day, as it was not only the final day of the grading period, but also the end of our Homecoming/Spirit Week festivities! We capped off a great first nine weeks with a Spirit Assembly that recognized our students, student-athletes, band, and faculty and staff, and we were joined by our special invited guest, Mr. Brian Dawson of WQOK-97.5 FM!

Second, attached to the student report card will be Hillside’s North Carolina School Report Card! As you may be aware, the North Carolina School Report Card contains valuable data about the academic performance of every public school in North Carolina. Please be sure to examine this document very carefully, and please be sure to visit the report card website at www.ncschoolreportcards.com, and click on the 2008-2009 school year to view the most recent data!

Third, I am very pleased to announce that the Hillside Marching Hornets performed exceptionally well at the state band championship competition this past weekend! Results are as follows:

• HHS STATE CHAMPIONS DANCERS!
• HHS STATE CHAMPIONS MAJORETTES!
• HHS 2^nd Place Music!
• HHS 2^nd Place General Effect!
• HHS 2^nd Place Flags!
• HHS 2^nd Place Drum Majors!
• HHS 2^nd Place Marching!
• HHS 1^st Place Percussion!
• HHS 2^nd Place Overall Band in Class AAA!

Congratulations to our Hillside Hornets Marching Band under the leadership of Mr. Xavier Cason and the participation of over 100 outstanding young men and women!

Fourth, I am pleased to announce that we are hosting Junior Night on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 in our Dining Hall, and would LOVE for you to attend! The purpose of Junior Night is to provide our juniors and their parents with valuable information such as ACT/SAT preparation, the planning process for post-secondary education, and registration information for spring semester and senior year classes. We are meeting at 6:00 p.m. in our Dining Hall and hope to see you there!

Fifth, I am excited about the prospects for our 2^nd grading period of the academic year, which begins on October 27 and ends with final exams in mid-January! Once again, the focus will be on quality instruction and academic accountability. In order for us to achieve our goals, however, we have to provide a disciplined instructional environment that is free of distractions, disruptions, and is one that features wise use of every second of instructional time. PLEASE join us in insisting that our students understand, grasp, and appreciate the concept of punctuality and consistent attendance to school! We have too many students who are missing valuable days of school, and too many who are tardy to school and/or to classes. We do not wish to have any student have or develop the misguided idea that it is okay to arrive late to ANYTHING, and it is important that all of us send this crucial message to our students that on time in reality means 5 minutes early!

Volume 1, Issue #8

Hello, Hillside Hornet Nation! The first grading period is creeping to a close, everyone! In fact, the official “LAST” day of the first grading period is Friday, October 23, 2009. Our students just finished taking their benchmark assessments which determine their level of mastery as directed by both the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and the respective pacing guides for the affected classes. I will package these completed assessments and send them to our Research and Accountability division for grading and subsequent return to Hillside for data analysis so we can provide specific instructional feedback and targeted intervention strategies to students who need it to be successful.

Remember when I wrote about our critical target areas? Let me refresh your collective memories. At HHS, we are focusing on:

1.       Improving the behavior of our student body. We wish to achieve this by establishing VERY HIGH expectations for our students in terms of their appearance, how they communicate with each other & with us, how they take care of our building, classrooms, and grounds, and their habits relative to punctuality. The less disciplinary problems we face, the more instructional opportunities that will be made available to our students!

2.       We are REALLY focusing on improving our instructional practices and instructional outcomes. We are centering our instructional efforts on completely aligning our instruction to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and taking available data, such as the data we’ll get from our benchmark assessments and last semester’s end-of-course (EOC) exams and use it to guide instructional and remedial efforts. We hope to have a solid instructional year using these strategies.

3.       We wish to establish very solid dialogue and relationships with our students and their parents. We have been using our blogs, updated website, our connectEd telephone messaging system, and other communication mediums to get our mission done! We are also in the midst of meeting with our students and their parents along grade levels. Our senior class and their parents had a wonderful class meeting on Tuesday, October 6, with the feature presentations coming from our Student Services office.

4.       Solidifying the relationships we enjoy with our feeder middle schools and HHS. We do a good job of this athletically, but we have to do a better job of it academically. The HHS administrative team and select teachers will begin visiting our feeder middle schools very soon, and we will host rising 8th graders at HHS so they can see our Hornets in action! The desired result is a better prepared 8th grader and increased teamwork between and among HHS and the middle schools so we can be a strong, cohesive unit.

Even though there are so many more things we want to do in year one together, these are the four areas we’re focusing on NOW. We believe that as we navigate the halls and classrooms and grounds together, keeping the focus on these four simple, yet critical goals, will help us to improve our academic standing and image in the community. Just watch us grow!

Finally, as I sign off, REMEMBER that the grading period ENDS on Friday, October 23. Monday, October 26 is a teacher workday, and our instructional folks will be able to work on finalizing their report cards and grades on that day so that our students can get their report cards on Thursday, October 29!

LOOK FOR IT!!!

Volume 1, Issue #7

Greetings, my dear friends! I am very pleased to report that, after almost seven (7) full weeks of instruction, things at Hillside High School are finally beginning to settle into a very positive routine and flow! Joining the Hillside family one week prior to the beginning of the 2009-2010 instructional year was an interesting proposition, but with the help and support of our staff, the majority of our student body, our colleagues from our district office, and from you, the esteemed alumni and friends of Hillside High School, things are indeed “settling down.”

As I wrote in my last installment, there are so many things that we want to tackle all at once to get our school going in the right direction. As you may be aware, our school finished the 2008-2009 school year at 45% proficiency as measured on the North Carolina testing and accountability program, Hillside’s highest mark in a few years. Hillside also met their “expected growth” goals, which placed our school OUT of low-performing status and into “Priority School” status. What does this mean, however?

The 45% mark tells us that 45% of our students who were enrolled in the tested courses as measured by the NC EOC’s scored a level 3 or higher. Remember, the tested courses are: English 1, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Biology, Physical Science, Chemistry, Physics, Civics and Economics, and United States History. It is entirely possible for a student to NOT earn a level 3 or higher and still pass the course, as the EOC is 25% of the student’s final grade. Depending on the student’s academic average in the course, it’s possible to fail or make a level 2 and still get credit. Based upon my review of the data, this is what is happening in our school.

How do we intend to fix this?

We talk with our students very frequently about the reality of our situation. I ask them POINT BLANK: “Aren’t you TIRED?” Aren’t you tired of being regarded as “that school?” Aren’t you tired of seeing our friends from television and print media coming to our school to do a story on “failing schools?” Aren’t you tired of hearing the snide jokes and comments about the instructional and institutional practices of our school? If so, NOW is our time to change it!

We are challenging EVERYONE associated with Hillside to “take it up a notch.” I as principal have challenged our teachers NOT to allow students to chill in class and display such contrary behaviors and tendencies such as sleeping in class, coming late, missing days, or being unprepared. I have challenged our students to expand their vocabulary, work on being more responsible and respectful toward their academic achievement and overall excellence. Most of all, I’ve challenged our parents and community to be active partners with us as we “take it up a notch” and work diligently to get their student to school on time, ensure that their student is in compliance with our dress and appearance policy, make sure that homework and assignments are done, and communicate with us either through personal visits to our school, e-mail, or phone calls so that EVERYONE is in “The Loop!”

This week at HHS, we are embarking upon our benchmark assessing to see where our students are in terms of mastery of the materials presented thus far. We will take this data and begin an ambitious re-teach to mastery and enrichment/remediation program to ensure that our students have learned the material and are READY for the challenge of the EOC’s and VOCATS that they’ll take in January so HHS can come off and STAY OFF “The List.”

We’re excited at the Nest, and I hope that you are, too!

Volume 1, Issue #6

Greetings, Hillside Hornet Nation! We are entering our sixth week of instruction of the 2009-2010 school year, and to say that things are settling into a routine is an understatement! As I promised when I announced that my blog would be a normal and consistent part of my communication style, the picture that I will paint will be an accurate one. We do have some challenges, dear friends.

At Hillside, we have SO MANY things that we WANT to tackle and accomplish. But, as we all know, it is important to prioritize immediate needs from long-term wants. It is an IMMEDIATE need to continue to establish a sense of order and implement procedures and routines so that the IMMEDIATE focus can and will be on instructional improvement. Standing in the way of that are what appear to be some entrenched habits from a minority of our student body that, if not immediately addressed and eradicated, could have a negative impact on the approach and attitude of the rest of our student body.

It appears as if some of our students do not believe that standards, rules, and policies set by the Durham Public Schools Board of Education and set as expectations that MUST be met by school administration and teachers at Hillside are applicable to them. As a result, we find ourselves having to have repeat conversations about:

·         The use of cell phones and electronic devices such as IPods and digital cameras in the classroom setting.

·         Student dress and appearance.

·         Prompt and punctual arrival to school and to class.

·         The acceptance of individual accountability and responsibility in education and educational achievement.

·         Proper communication techniques with teachers, staff, and other students.

·         Care of the Hillside High School building and accompanying grounds.

Here is what we’ve had to do:

For the electronic devices: We have established a protocol that says as long as these items are not visible during the school day, all is well. We understand and know that we are living in a technologically driven society, and that cell phones and other electronic devices, when used ingeniously, are indeed assets to the educational environment. BUT, in our realm, they are unnecessary objects and have become a nuisance. It is going to be a battle that we do not wish to fight, but will have to unless our students can accept individual responsibility and follow and meet the expectation. IN essence, the day will come where we will have to confiscate these devices and return them to the parent/legal guardian. This is going to be a FIGHT, but unless our student can understand and meet the expectation, it’s one we’ll have to embark upon.

Regarding student dress & appearance: We have a population who believes that it is acceptable to come to school with undergarments visible and with their pants worn at almost thigh level. This is an egregious violation of the Durham Public Schools Board of Education Policy governing student dress and appearance, and our school has taken a stand. It is an expectation of the North Carolina State Board of Education that ALL students who matriculate through the Public Schools of North Carolina will possess a skill set that will make them competitive on a global level in the 21st Century. Certainly possessing a professional appearance and understanding the importance of physical presentation are among those. If a student is out of compliance with our expectations, they are advised and allowed to correct the issue. If they refuse, they are not allowed to participate in the educational process until they do, and their parents are notified.

Regarding punctuality: See the above snippet about the State Board of Education. Punctuality and promptness are reasonable expectations that the school and the professional workplace have. Certainly, if an employee is chronically and habitually late, that employee faces correction. That same philosophy holds true at Hillside. It is a truism: The more exposure a student has to the instructional environment, the more apt they are to learn. If they miss, or if the contact time is diminished, the less exposure they have and the less likely they are to learn. For most students, a simple phone call home has corrected this issue. For some, and just after six weeks, we are at a point where we will have to recommend disciplinary sanctions.

Regarding individual accountability: We want our students to understand that ultimately, they are responsible for their learning. Our school and its instructional staff will provide direction and guidance while we are together, but our students have to supplement what they receive at school at home! Our students have to do their homework, study, and come to school the next day ready to acquire and add more knowledge to the skill set.

Regarding proper communication: I am amazed by the number of students who truly believe that it is okay and acceptable to talk to adults any kind of way. Yes, we have students who verbally abuse teachers and staff, and that is never acceptable. When I counsel students on this issue, I repeatedly hear the “In order to get respect, you have to give respect” speech. I guess that may be true in some respect, but by virtue of the fact that we have teachers and staff who report daily and WANT to serve our population, that, in my book, is deserving of respect.

Regarding care of the HHS building and grounds: I am appalled by the appearance and condition of our dining hall after lunches and after the instructional day. Our dining hall has been enlarged and expanded to accommodate our student population, and our grounds are maintained daily, yet it is not uncommon to see our students arbitrarily litter even though trash cans are INCHES away. This is VERY disappointing.

Now, some would say that some of these things have nothing to do with instruction, but ultimately, they do. When things are “Clicking” on all cylinders, it helps the spirit and pride in the school which, in turn, makes the student body feel an ownership of what happens in, for, and to the school. When this happens, kids begin to care about INSTRUCTIONAL OUTCOMES, because they won’t want to see THEIR school held in a negative light.

We’re getting there. We will get there. But it’s going to take some time and it’s going to involve some discomfort initially for some.

Before I go, allow me to introduce our Hornet P.R.I.D.E words of the week to you. The challenge that I give is for students to incorporate these words into their individual vocabulary.

Volume 1, Issue #5

Greetings, friends of HHS and our educational process! We are entering our fifth week of instruction at The Nest, and I am so pleased to report that, after four weeks of getting acclimated and acculturated to the way things are done in Durham, we are slowly getting into a good routine over on Fayetteville Street! I have had the opportunity to observe things, listen to our students, their parents, our teachers and staff, and meet with community folks, and we have developed a plan for how we wish to proceed during our quest to improve things in 2009-2010.

Here’s the deal…

Things are way too complicated. We have so many people, programs, ideas, and things are in place or proposed to help Hillside, but it’s very difficult, dare I say impossible, to do so many things well. Our challenge has been to decipher what we need to do NOW and what must be in place to help our school move forward. As a family, we have decided to focus our energy and effort on some things “In-house” that must be addressed before we can get to the next level.

First, we desire to address some instructional issues and raise the level of intellectual discourse that goes on in our classes.

Second, we desire to serve our students, our parents, and each other with a high degree of professionalism. This really shouldn’t be an issue, but in some cases, it is. We have to learn to communicate promptly, effectively, and understand that what we do and say to our students, their parents, and to each other as professionals can either help or do some serious damage.

Third, we have to hold our students to a standard and expect them to meet it. We’ve established a higher standard relative to academic performance, arriving to school and to class ON TIME, and how our students conduct themselves and present themselves in terms of student dress and attire and language. This is a WORK IN PROGRESS, and will require total collaboration. We’ve done ConnectEd telephone calls reminding students and parents of the expectations relative to student dress, conduct, attendance, and promptness, because ALL of these contribute to the development and offering of an optimal educational environment.

Finally, we have to understand and embrace that 50% proficiency just isn’t good enough. We are working hard to align our instruction totally to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and help to bring our students up to par. Yes, it is a reality that several of our students are NOT coming to high school on grade level, and yes, it is a reality that we are working diligently to catch them up through the use of “bridge courses” and remedial efforts. It is a mission of our school to develop communicative and competitive students, and every child is worth the effort because we believe that the children at Hillside are THE BEST THING GOING TODAY!

Before I sign off on this edition of THE STING, I wish to invite you to our PTSA Parental Involvement Activity scheduled for Monday evening, September 21 at 6:30 in our Dining Hall. It is a sincere desire and hope of all of us at Hillside that the same energy, fervor, and intensity that is displayed regarding our athletic programs is displayed for our quest to take our academic and intellectual program to the next level. We are very proud of our athletic and extracurricular endeavors, yet we wish for our school to be recognized by overall excellence, and not just that displayed on the fields of play or on the stage.

Volume 1, Issue #3

What is going on, Hillside Hornet Nation? I am SO very excited to bring forth this blog this week, our fourth of the 2009-2010 school year! Monday, September 14 marks a vital point in our instructional year-The dissemination of student progress reports to communicate to the student and to the parents how their child is performing at Hillside High School! We have a VERY busy week ahead of us, as we have an opportunity for YOU to visit with us on Tuesday, September 15 at 6 p.m. for our FIRST Open House! I am hopeful to see ALL of you in “The Nest,” as students, parents, and our community will have the opportunity to visit with us, enjoy performances from our Arts Education department, walk the student schedule, dialogue with teachers and administrators about our expectations, and continue to develop and display that “Hornet PRIDE” that Hillside High School is so famous for!

As I promised when I was hired, I will communicate all that is well and all that is in need of improvement about our school. I LOVE Hillside High School, even though I am a graduate of one of HHS’ chief rivals, Dudley High School in Greensboro, a school which, by the way, we will visit on Friday night, September 18 in athletic competition! The rich history and legacy of the traditionally-black high schools is one that we, our parents, and grandparents helped to build, and I take the mission and task of serving at Hillside VERY seriously. With this said, we have challenges:

·         We MUST embark upon an aggressive campaign to modify the way our students and in some cases, their parents think about and approach education! Education, my dear friends, is a TICKET UP and OUT of current circumstance, NOT a necessary evil until the age of 16 when they can drop-out.

·         WE MUST continue to encourage and demand excellence from our students in terms of meeting academic and SOCIAL expectations. It IS acceptable and cool to be articulate, knowledgeable on current events, and have an acceptable appearance/groom when it’s time to come to school. Some may argue that wearing a hat or sunglasses in the building or wearing pants below the waist has no bearing on a child’s ability to learn new material, but it does provide a statement as to our students’ marketability and ability to follow and adapt to societal expectations about professionalism!

·         WE MUST learn that WE MUST put MORE effort into supporting the ACADEMIC mission here at HHS! I think it is WONDERFUL that we have hundreds who travel to our games, theatrical performances, band competitions, and things of the like. I am asking that equal, if not GREATER enthusiasm be demonstrated when it’s time for Open House (Tuesday evening at 6), volunteer opportunities, EOC proctors and tutors, and PTSA!

·         WE MUST get our community to continue to take pride in and protect “The Nest!” Our school should NEVER be defaced or dirtied up by those who live in the community we serve! We have to get to a place where folks in and around the proximity of “The Nest” PROTECT THEIR HOUSE and keep it clean! This is a current task that we (the HHS staff and student body) are undertaking!

·         WE MUST be cognizant that our image, reputation, and credibility are ALWAYS on the line at ALL TIMES! Therefore, we must ALWAYS be a step ahead of the game, a percentage point better than everyone else, and more prepared instructionally than anyone else. A day will come at HHS where we will be the place other schools and the media will come to learn and report about how things are being done despite all of the “negative statistics” that define schools like ours!

·         We MUST remember that in order to achieve the things that we want-increased student proficiency, increased teacher efficacy, increased student/teacher/community morale and pride, and taking our place among the best high schools in North Carolina, we have to look at things this way: Look at our time at Hillside and our quest to improve instructional outcomes and educational and professional utility to a plane ride. In order to get to a destination, a pilot has to increase the altitude of the plane. When this happens, the plane and the passengers in it WILL experience turbulence, but the end result is ALWAYS the arrival to the destination. This is what we’re going to have at HHS: As we go to places we’ve not been, we have to take our practices to a higher level. There WILL be bumps and blips and turbulence, but it’s expected. To get to where we’ve never been, we have to “go through” to “get there!”

Volume 1, Issue #2

Greetings and salutations, dear Friends of Hillside High School! We are two weeks into our school year, and it appears as though things are settling down quite nicely in our school and we are getting into a good instructional groove over on Fayetteville Street! I hope that you enjoy reading, because I am a firm believer in communicating with our constituency about the things that are happening at Hillside, and how we are approaching our mission to rebuild and redefine academic excellence at Hillside High School!

In my last entry, I told you that I would share with you the components of the “Year 1 Plan.” It is a four-pronged plan of attack that we believe will help us to shape our Framework for Action, which is the plan of improvement that we must develop and follow to improve the way we do business at Hillside. In a nutshell, here are the 4 components of “The Plan:”

1.       Create an atmosphere conducive to teaching, learning, and responsible behavior through the clear articulation of our academic, behavioral, personal conduct, and professional expectations. As we move forward in rebuilding our school, I have gleaned important information from all shareholders about the issues that avail themselves. Common themes that repeat themselves are the chronic and habitual tardiness and absenteeism that plagues a segment of our student body, as well as the chronic and habitual violation of the Durham Public Schools Code of Student Conduct by a small percentage of our student body. We have redefined our tardy policy, and have systems in place that encourage prompt arrival to school and to class. Those students who cannot or choose not to meet these expectations are counseled initially, and then are subject to disciplinary sanctions. We have found already that quite a few students who arrive VERY LATE to school do not live in our attendance zone, so contact has been made with our office of student assignment to redirect them to the school that serves their domiciliary address. We believe that if we can get our students to school and to class ON TIME, then their time on academic task and their contact with quality instruction will enable them to enjoy a greater degree of success on state and local assessments.

2.       Create an environment of instructional excellence and alignment with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. At Hillside, we will utilize the Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning which features verbs that help to identify the language of learning. When you visit our classrooms, you will see “essential questions” written on the board which tell the students what it is that they are learning today and what it is that they will be able to do when they leave the classroom at the end of the instructional period. The state standard is written in such a way that certain verbs are used to describe the skill or competency that the student should be able to display when they’ve completed the unit. The goal for us is to take that verb, such as “analyze,” and align that skill with the knowledge dimension that the skill requires, and then present and assess the material at that level. In essence, what we will do at Hillside is teach and evaluate the material/skill at the level at which it will be assessed in January and in June on the final state assessments.

3.       Increase the level of community & parental involvement at HHS. There is data available that make the connection between successful schools and the level of parental involvement. We believe that frequent communication between school and home, as well as community outreach from the HHS faculty, staff, and administration will help to inform and offer opportunities for collaboration. Examples of how we intend to do this are this blog, our twitter.com page (www.twitter.com/hhsprincipal), our school website, our connect-ED telephone communications, and visits by our staff to area community centers, churches, and special events. The goal here, dear friends, is to get our community as excited about what we are doing in classrooms as they are on Friday nights when we’re scoring touchdowns and winning games in the final seconds!

4.       Effective vertical planning from elementary schools to middle schools to Hillside! If you read any opinion as to why priority schools exist, you’ll see a question that I’ve thought about a lot over the years-“How can you expect a high school to be successful if the students entering them are academic years behind at the start?” That’s a good question! What we are planning at Hillside is a collaborative relationship that will feature enhanced communication between HHS and our feeder middle schools (Lowe’s Grove, Rogers-Herr, W.G. Pearson, and Shepard), particularly between our 9^th grade teachers and the 8^th grade teachers to help them to collaborate to better equip and prepare upcoming freshmen for the high school experience. Look at it this way-When people want to know why Richmond County or West Charlotte or Charlotte Independence enjoy so much success on the football field, their coaches are quick to point out that they reach down to the feeder middle schools and rec leagues to install their offensive and defensive philosophy so that once the kids reach the high school, they already know what to do. Well, if high schools have done this for athletic purposes, why can’t we do it for academic endeavors?

These are the ideas and concepts that will guide us through year #1 together. At the same time, we are working with our students on meeting expectations, and we are working as a professional staff to ALWAYS bring our “A game” to school with us on a daily basis. I’ve asked our staff to raise the level of intellectual discourse in our classrooms, and to expect our students to meet these high expectations because, quite frankly, I have grown weary of seeing our school on the news each time the news media wishes to do a story on a priority or struggling high school in North Carolina, & OUR STUDENTS HAVE, ALSO!

Before I sign off on this issue, here are some key dates I’d like for you to have:

Monday, September 14: 1^st progress reports go home!

Tuesday, September 15: Hillside High School Open House @ 5:30 p.m.!

Month of September: Hillside High School PTSA Membership Drive! Please write to Gary King, PTSA president, at hhsptsa@gmail.com for more information on how YOU can help!

Additionally, I wish to thank those of you who have helped to make our band travels to Fayetteville on September 11 and to Greensboro on September 18 possible. We are playing E.E. Smith and Dudley, respectively, on those dates, and it is important for our young people to understand the history of these storied rivalries! There is still time for you to contribute toward these travels, and if you are interested in doing so, PLEASE contact Mr. Xavier Cason, Director of Bands, at xavier_cason@dpsnc.net OR at 919-560-3925!

Volume 1, Issue #1

Greetings, dear friends of Hillside High School! It is an honor to present to you my first Blog entry of the 2009-2010 school year! My blog is entitled the Hornet’s STING, and in it, you will find pertinent information about our school, what happened during the preceding week, what’s going on this week, and what we have in the works for the weeks to come. In each STING, you will also be encouraged to share this information with your friends, fellow Hornets, co-workers, or anyone else that has an interest in what we are doing at Hillside High School.

Additionally, you can keep up with us on a daily basis by visiting www.twitter.com/hhsprincipal to follow us during the course of an instructional day to see what’s happening, or you can visit the Hillside FaceBook page at www.facebook.com and type in Hillside High School.

Allow me to take you back a few weeks and bring you up to speed…

I was appointed principal on August 11, 2009, and I began working at Hillside on Monday, August 17, 2009.  My transition from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to HHS was rather smooth, and because of the hard work of the summer administrative team consisting of Bob Barbour, Sandra Hooper, and Jerome Leathers, things were in place and ready to go when I came aboard!

We hit the ground running, and began to host a series of events at our school designed to generate excitement for the new school year, and begin the welcome and transition process to freshmen students and their parents and those students new to Hillside who were transferring in. Both of these events were well-attended, and I had the opportunity to meet several HHS alums and new Hornets. The dominant theme/topic of conversation, however, was centered on what we needed to do to help Hillside continue its upward movement as measured by an increase in test scores, an increase in customer (student/parent/community) satisfaction, and its image and prestige in the community.

In line with these questions, I began listening to the concerns coming from YOU, our Hillside constituency. As indicated during my interviews when I was seeking the job, I have spent the first few weeks on the job listening to your concerns, as well as the concerns of our student body, their parents/family members, and of our colleagues within the building. The common theme that continues to resonate is: Establish some order in the building among the student body so a climate and culture of academic excellence can emerge! This, dear friends, is component #1 of our PLAN to change the way we do business at Hillside High School-a plan that I will share with you in exhaustive detail in my next blog entry!

Before I end this entry, I do encourage you to visit with us! Come into the building and report to the main office. Advise our office personnel that you are taking me up on my offer to walk the halls and visit classrooms with me to see first hand what we are doing in the Hornet’s Nest. Just as we’ve challenged our students to demand personal excellence from each other and from themselves, I am challenging you to come see first hand that some of the most exciting young people in Durham receive their education within the hallowed halls of OUR HILLSIDE HIGH SCHOOL!

On a final note-we have two very exciting opportunities to showcase the talents of our young people in the marching band. On September 11 and September 18, our football team will travel to Fayetteville and Greensboro to play E.E. Smith and Dudley, respectively. Both of those schools have asked for our band to travel to perform during either halftime or before the game/after the game, and I am asking you to help us make this a reality for our young people, many of whom aren’t familiar with the storied rivalries HHS had against Carver, Dudley, Atkins, Ligon, West Charlotte, Wicker, P.W. Moore, and others. If you are interested in donating or helping to send our bands to these trips, PLEASE contact Mr. Xavier Cason, Director of Bands at 560-3925 or at Xavier.cason@dpsnc.net.

Until next time,