Joseph E. Smith, Principal
I am pleased to have the
opportunity to serve as Principal of Monadnock Regional High School. My career at Monadnock actually began in 1983
when I was hired as a member of the Social Studies Department. After several year of teaching History,
Civics, Geography and Economics, I completed a Master’s Degree program in
School Counseling and assumed the role of guidance counselor for both high
school and junior high students. In 1998
I became the assistant principal at the high school. In the midst of all this I also was granted a
leave of absence allowing me the opportunity to live and work in
I am fortunate to have a very talented teaching and support staff who are willing to support my goals for the future of this high school. Collaboration within the building serves to make developing and moving a vision a very rewarding process. I value the expertise of our staff, and appreciate the feedback that I receive from them. We are all working to ensure that we provide the best educational opportunities for your high school aged children. Collegiality combined with congeniality serve to create an atmosphere of communication and respect.
Preparing for the September, 2006 visit by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) Accreditation team has been a major focus of staff development and workshop activities for many months. Under the direction of Mr. Jed Butterfield, our NEASC Steering Committee Chairman, the faculty and staff have devoted countless hours and a tremendous amount of energy to make certain that we are prepared for this very important accreditation process. The first order of business was to review the School Mission Statement which had been in place for the past ten years. The Mission Statement is a living document that is designed to be reviewed on a regular basis and modified as necessary to make certain that it reflects the educational goals and values of students, parents, teachers and our local communities. Our Mission Team, a diverse group of eleven members, accepted the challenge and revised the school mission to include academic, civic and social expectations.. Steps have been taken during the self-study process to ensure that the mission statement represents the school community’s fundamental values and beliefs concerning student learning. The mission statement promotes personalization and equity by ensuring that a student’s individual goals will be met over the course of his/her school career. The self-study process will continue through the end of the current school year. The NEASC Visiting Team will be at Monadnock in September, 2006. I expect that a full report and notification of our accreditation status will be available from the NEASC Commission in the Spring of 2007.
We have also continued to work in the development of smaller learning communities within our school. The Academy of Art and Design continues to expand and flourish bringing together a very unique and diverse group of students and teachers. The Academy students have participated in some wonderful learning opportunities including field trips, productions, time with Artists in Residence, advisory groups and similar activities available to them as members of the Academy. Similarly, we have been working to develop career pathway programs in two additional areas: Law and Public Safety and Security (LPSS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The LPSS Pathway is in its second year of development and implementation and the GIS pathway is currently being developed. Each of these unique learning opportunities is available to us using funding sources from the Monadnock Region Public Schools of Choice Grant (MRPSOC). Students from other school districts are taking advantage of the tuition opportunities the MRPSOC grant offers and are attending Monadnock as their school of choice so that they can take part in our smaller learning communities. We are indeed fortunate to have this funding source available to our community.
We continue to develop and promote interdisciplinary learning opportunities, and modify course offerings and curriculum to meet the needs of students and the mandates of revised state standards.
During the summer of 2005 a group of students and teachers met to develop and form a new Student Government. This structure now provides a forum which encourages student voices to be expressed and heard. As a result, the students have become more involved in the democratic process of the school community. Our school has become an affiliate member of the First Amendment Schools Project, and we will use the opportunity that this affiliation provides to guide us through the development of becoming a community that is aligned with appropriate civic and social responsibilities of all its members, including students, teachers and the local community.
A Principal’s Advisory Committee has recently been formed. This committee will meet with me on a regular basis. There is also a plan in the developmental phase to initiate a Principal’s Coffee Hour that will encourage parents and community members to come to the school for some education based conversation.
This transition year has been both rewarding and challenging. The entire administrative team at the high school is new to our respective positions. We each have our areas of expertise and work together to provide well rounded educational leadership for the high school.
The pages that follow are meant to be representative of the accomplishments of members of our high school community. It is impossible to recognize everyone, but I want to provide the community with a glimpse into the lives of our students and staff.
I am glad to have the opportunity to serve as Principal of Monadnock Regional High School and am thankful for the support from my family and colleagues that enables me to work at a job that I enjoy so much.