The School Climate and Culture Committee, successfully impacting Albany High since last summer, is taking confident steps to improve the school. Established by Dale Getto and Melanie Bennett, the purpose of the committee is to tighten social skills between students, to make them feel more comfortable together, and most importantly to assure all areas of school grounds are safe.
The Nest was honored to interview Mrs. Bennett on her perspectives for the upcoming years at Albany High School. The interview took place in her clean and organized office. According to Mrs. Bennett, there are high hopes for Albany High and their team is hard at work blueprinting, establishing and attempting every possible tactic. The committee has a gathering the third Thursday of every month consisting of approximately 20 people.
The committee has a variety of positions such as teachers, hall monitors and staff. Together, they establish an efficient and accurate view of what needs to be worked on at Albany High. After asking whether or not she thinks this committee was going to be effective, Mrs. Bennett replied, “I think it’s a slow process.”
Initially during the interview, the information did not seem convincing. Any high functioning club or organization, such as The Nest, is all about planning ideas and putting them into action. The climate committee seemed efficient in terms of writing ideas down, but not necessarily efficient when progress was necessary. This seemed to be the case until Mrs. Bennett mentioned they were involved with the Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (CSCI). In fact, they were the people who established the whole concept of CSCI.
Back in June of 2011, the Comprehensive School Climate Inventory was released to all students during homeroom. It asked questions regarding how students felt about the school, what should be improved, etc. The committee analyzed the results and used them as a reference for the new foundation for Albany High the following year. The survey will be released again this upcoming June.
The CSCI wasn’t the only thing the committee was involved in. According to Mrs. Bennett, any awards or prizes given for excellence in attendance or achievment were rooted to them. Their goal is to get students interested in joining afterschool programs and clubs. In addition, snacks are provided during all official school clubs.
Mrs. Bennett was thanked for her time. If you’re interested in getting involved with Albany High School’s Climate and Culture Committee, contact Mrs. Bennett at 518-475-6280.