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Sutherland High principal highlights community, curriculum and student clubs in school report
Summary
Sutherland High School Principal Mark Putha told the Pittsford board about work on a building touchstone emphasizing community and collaboration, curricular department coordination (including new K–5 alignment districtwide), and popular student clubs such as a large tea club.
Mark Putha, principal of Sutherland High School, presented the principal—s report to the Pittsford Central School District Board on April 8, describing building-level work on mission, vision and a touchstone that emphasizes community, shared purpose and collaboration.
Putha said staff and students have been working to align the building—s touchstone with Daniel Coyle—s research on shared purpose and vulnerability; the principal described staff and student conversations, summer work and fall leadership days that connected the touchstone to daily practices and support for students.
Putha summarized curricular work across departments. He said the building holds regular instructional-leadership and department meetings to align grading practices and to report learning behaviors. He reported new learning standards in Earth science and biology are being unpacked and that world-language teachers are focusing on ways to make speaking exams more comfortable for students. Putha also said humanities departments are engaged in ongoing curriculum writing and counselors are updating presentations on Naviance and post-high-school planning.
On student life, Putha described examples of classroom community-building (including an exercise using an inflatable ball with prompts), student-led peer support, and several student clubs. He noted the tea club drew 40–50 students and adults to its early meetings; the club presents to staff and uses informal presentations to bring students and teachers together. Putha said students told him they valued a shared sense of accountability, the opportunity to push themselves, and increased participation since the pandemic.
Board members thanked Putha for the presentation and for the illustrations of community-building work. The principal—s report had no formal action items; it provided context the board said fed into budget and staffing discussions elsewhere on the agenda.
