Centre County students focus on school climate, culture after pandemic challenges

Early Tuesday morning, students from a dozen schools around central Pennsylvania filled the Bald Eagle Area High School auditorium — something that wouldn’t have been possible last year or the year before.

They came to see Phil Campbell, a longtime educator turned consultant and speaker who helps students build up a positive culture surrounding their schools. It’s a tall order at any time, but proved to especially be a challenge through the pandemic.

For three hours, students listened to Campbell’s story, did activities and spoke with students from different districts. Campbell had students play “rock paper scissors,” reflect on their experiences and share what they loved about their schools after two years of COVID-related restrictions and stressors.

The assembly was part of Josten’s Renaissance Education, a program designed to help boost school morale and climate. Scott Geesey, an ambassador from the program, said student involvement is a key part of boosting school morale.

“The last two years have been an extreme challenge for schools everywhere so when we get an event like this we want to get student leaders interested and fired up so it’s not all on the adults, teachers and administrators,” Geesey said.

The loss of sporting games, extracurricular activities and school events due to the pandemic took a toll on students’ relationships with their school as a whole, Campbell said. Now, educators are working to rebuild a positive culture surrounding schools.

“This has always been something that students have really enjoyed and have talked about the value and the importance of it, but I think what this pandemic has done is it’s really placed an emphasis on the value of relationships specifically.”

Trinity Hernandez, a senior at Bald Eagle Area High School and member of the Positive Behavioral Intervention Support club, saw Campbell speak at a similar event last year. The PBIS club has implemented a point system, as well as winter and spring events to encourage positive behavior at the high school.

“We have actual incentives to do well,” Hernandez said.

The two PBIS coaches, Andrea Simpson and Sarah Stake, said Bald Eagle has a strong school culture but is always working to improve it. This year saw an influx of students interested in joining the the PBIS club, a reflection of the club’s impact on student attitudes, Simpson said.

They’ve implemented some of Campbell’s suggestions from the past, like getting incoming freshmen excited and committed to graduation.

“Last year they talked about showing your kids you care, actually build those relationships,” Simpson said. “I do think one good thing here is we have teachers who really do care about kids and teachers who care about each other.”

Students from Penns Valley Area School District and St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy also attended the event. Chad Walsh, the house council advisor for St. Joseph’s, said it’s important for students to see how other high schoolers are involved with leadership activities.

“They feel like sometimes other students act ‘too cool for school,’” Walsh said. “They need to see there’s plenty of people in other schools that are excited about doing stuff. There are other high schoolers out there doing the same stuff you’re doing.”