During the week of Mar. 23, the administration plastered posters across the school telling students to attend class and earn grades above a B. The posters are part of a new On Track to Success program (OTS) spearheaded by administrators Ms. Forcucci and Ms. Richardson. It was originally a project aimed at the freshman class, but it has expanded to target all four grades. Inspired by a professional development program at CT RISE, the program includes visual supports, such as posters, and the repeated use of the phrase “on track” and its criteria in newsletters and grade-level assemblies, according to Forcucci. “Yes [it has definitely had a positive impact], Ms. Richardson and Ms. McClain are deep in the program, and they can see a positive impact and trend in grades and attendance since the implementation of the program,” Forcucci said. 

Students, however, do not feel the same way. Sophomore Terri White said that he thinks the program feels redundant. “They tell us these same things every quarter,” he said. Lucius George said that there was a “Lack of care within the program. “It feels like they are preaching to the choir,” George said. “The people who are going to stop and read a poster in the hallway are likely already ‘On Track’”

White said he wished that the program did more than “just putting up posters.” He wanted the program to get rid of the rotating schedule, as he thought that the administration should get to the root cause of student tardiness, rather than simply accommodating it. George said, “It is important to have programs to help kids get to school and be proactive in their education instead of shaming them.” He expressed how he wanted to see a more targeted effort to help students succeed in their classes and a larger accommodation of different learning styles from the program.

Forcucci said that changes usually happen in the summer, and ideas are floated all the time, but “it is just a question of ‘do we have the funds at our disposal?’”