By: Baillee Furst
From new attendance policies to new club systems, Principal Kris Byam is changing many things in Boone High School this year. Mr. Byam has a much stricter attendance policy, his goal is to raise last years average of 93% to at least the states average of 95%, and it has been working, with attendance rising to an average of 96.5%. “If you skip a class and it’s an unexcused absence, you have detention that evening. Its all about choices, if you choose not to go to class you’re going to have a consequence. The consequence is detention that evening, and if you choose to not go to detention that evening, it will add another detention and you still have to attend both. If you choose to skip the next one its In School Suspension,” Byam stated.
With consequences come rewards too, at his old school Principal Byams student attendance raised enough for them to win the Get Schooled Attendance Challenge twice, and they were granted a Red Carpet event where all the students were given their own personal “Oscar.” He also took 1700 students to the premiere of Mission Impossible 4. Not only did he do those things, but he also rented giant blow up activities such as jousting and lazer tag. His goals other goals for Boone High are to increase literacy rates 3% and to decrease level three behavioral referrals.
Byam will also be taking over Red Pride Leadership, the club that plans pep assemblies. Like many other things, he is making changes to the club, starting with the name which will be changed to the Stampede. To get more members he is planning on combining the club with some of the members of the Student Council and the cheerleading squad. This is to stop the little groups that are created by clubs and to get a better point perspective from the student body. “There’s been kind of a stigma around Red Pride that the activities and some of the things they did or created weren’t as fun or engaging as they should have been. One of the things we need to do is take a close look at what we were doing and how to make it better,” explained Byam.
With all the different things Boone’s new Principal is doing he is also planning to bring the college fair back to the high school in the second semester. He is hoping to make it big enough to be able to invite other high schools from around the area to come. The students of Boone were also invited to attend a college showcase at DMACC in October.
With consequences come rewards too, at his old school Principal Byams student attendance raised enough for them to win the Get Schooled Attendance Challenge twice, and they were granted a Red Carpet event where all the students were given their own personal “Oscar.” He also took 1700 students to the premiere of Mission Impossible 4. Not only did he do those things, but he also rented giant blow up activities such as jousting and lazer tag. His goals other goals for Boone High are to increase literacy rates 3% and to decrease level three behavioral referrals.
Byam will also be taking over Red Pride Leadership, the club that plans pep assemblies. Like many other things, he is making changes to the club, starting with the name which will be changed to the Stampede. To get more members he is planning on combining the club with some of the members of the Student Council and the cheerleading squad. This is to stop the little groups that are created by clubs and to get a better point perspective from the student body. “There’s been kind of a stigma around Red Pride that the activities and some of the things they did or created weren’t as fun or engaging as they should have been. One of the things we need to do is take a close look at what we were doing and how to make it better,” explained Byam.
With all the different things Boone’s new Principal is doing he is also planning to bring the college fair back to the high school in the second semester. He is hoping to make it big enough to be able to invite other high schools from around the area to come. The students of Boone were also invited to attend a college showcase at DMACC in October.