If there is one thing students at Adair County Elementary School know about their principals, it’s that Jordan Williams and Will Rich like to have fun.
Williams, the principal, and Rich, the assistant principal, are determined to put a smile of the faces of their students as they encourage them to learn.
From building tribal teams to letting students have a say in scheduling or other parts of the daily routine, Williams, Rich and the staff at ACES have created quite a stir with their antics this school year.
Just last week, Williams and Rich developed a video during a snowstorm that resulted in NTI days. The remix called the “Fresh Princ-ipals of Adair,” has earned over 48,000 views as the two men rap about the weather and NTI. In the video, they wear t-shirts reflecting a film poster from the movie, “Step Brothers.” The t-shirts were a gift from 5th grader Elizabeth Murphy.
“School can be mundane from time to time, so we just want to spice it up, make it a little more fun for kids,” Williams said. “The teachers have really gotten into it.”
The fun began as the school year got underway, and each student is on a tribe. The tribes compete against each other, but students can also earn individual rewards.
Students can also lose out if they don’t behave or get their schoolwork completed, but Williams is quick to tell how they provide a way for them to earn a second chance. Everyone wants to go to the weekly powwow, and that is something that has to be earned.
The school walls are covered with tribal décor and student photos. When students earn points, their photo also pops up on television screens in the classroom.
Williams said they are collecting data to compare this year to previous years to determine the positive effect their efforts have made. Obviously, the goal is to help students be successful academically and socially.
“We want kids to open up and know – if they see me and Mr. Rich and teachers – it’s okay to have fun. They are going to let loose a little more and get out of their shells. With these technology aged kids, a lot of these kids are going to have a device in front of their face and they don’t talk, they don’t go outside. So, anything we can do to have some activity and have a little fun and make them laugh, they’ve really enjoyed it.”
While they can’t confirm there is a direct correlation, ACES was able to win the attendance award now given out at each monthly school board meeting by Robbie Harmon, director of pupil personnel.
ACES had a 91.11 percent attendance during the peak season of flu and other winter bugs. In recent days they reached 96 percent.
The school has its own weekly attendance competition, and the winning class gets the honor of showing off a championship belt. So far, third grade classes have won every single time.
A group of students get to be involved in the decision making process, with fifth graders being required to go through an interview process to be a member of the tribal council.
“They’re kind of the voice of the students,” Williams said. “I talk to them about what things we did that they like, and what do they not like.”
The first recommendation?
“Salt in the cafeteria,” Williams said. “I was like, that’s a state thing. That’s not me.”
The students may not have won the argument for extra sodium, but they did help change the schedule of special classes. Because of their input, schedules for gym, library, art, and music were adjusted. The students wanted more continuity in the scheduling, and they got it.
Williams admits the added attention to having tribes, prizes, and special activity for students does add a lot of work for them and teachers. It’s completely worth it, however, he said.
“We want education to be fun. We want kids to learn. Our new mission statement this year is, “Relate, Educate, Celebrate.” We want to meet the kid, build relationships with them, show them they are cared for and loved here. We want to educate, we want to teach them. And at the end of the day, we’re going to celebrate and have a good time.”
By Sharon Burton
snburton@adairvoice.com
