Student
Fight sends high schooler to doctor Is there a climate change at the High School?
By Elizabeth Prata
Gray-A fight between two Gray-New Gloucester High
school students last week ended with one being taken
to the doctor, the other sent to the police, and tsent
the school into lockdown.
The fight occurred outside and went on for a while,
with students observing but none intervening or calling
for help. This concerned Principal Paul Penna, who
issued a lockdown of the school.
"Lockdown is perhaps not the right word,"
Superintendent Victoria Burns said. "That word
has so many emotional connotations. In school, it
means kids go to their room and do not leave. The
way Mr. Penna used it just meant that kids who wanted
to pass in the halls between classes needed an administrative
escort."
The Superintendent admitted that the fight has sparked
rumors in the community. "A letter to parents
did not go out immediately after the incident,"
she said. "That fueled the rumors." Ms.
Burns said that the administrative escort process
was instituted for only as long as it took Mr. Penna
to talk with the kids and the staff and determine
if there was more to the fight. "We believe it
was an isolated incident and that there are no undercurrents
or trends to indicate a climate change."
The fight was not racially motivated, she said. "The
students are doing OK now. Every school has fights
but this one allowed us to reaffirm the rules through
our already established norms."
Paul Penna agreed. "If there is a climate change
it is for the positive," he said. "We do
promote a safe learning environment and positive working
relationships." Mr. Penna was hired just over
two years ago, the 2005-06 school year being the beginning
of his third with the district. SAD 15 had been plagued
with a revolving door of Principals that came and
went within a year. One High School class recently
had four different principals in their four year tenure
at Gray-New Gloucester high School.
"When I was hired," Mr. Penna said, "I
was told that the school was out of control. True
or not, that was the perception. My charge was to
bring stability to the school. And we are in a much
better place now." Mr. Penna credits that increase
in stability to consistent application of the rules
in the student handbook, the code of conduct, and
the social expectations, which are posted in every
room. "Whenever you embark on a change, there
will be discomfort. But we are moving down the right
road and there are positive things that are happening.
The bond passed, we are focusing on the freshman in
the school redesign, lots of great things."
Ms. Burns said that she has directed Resource Officer
Deputy Goan to develop reports that track the incidents
at the school which involve police intervention. Officer
Goan is the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS
program) officer who works at the High School and
also two days a week at the Middle School.
Mr. Penna said "We're strict but we're clear.
We are being consistent with the mission statement.
The rules were in force before but were being applied
inconsistently." He also believes that the fight
was an isolated incident and is not indicative of
any downward climate trend.
