Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Wellbeing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
RSU 26 principals highlight student-wellbeing push and a new student fitness offering
Summary
Co-principals Sam and Meredith told the RSU 26 board they are prioritizing student well-being this year, adapting advisory and Student Success Plans to increase student buy-in, and piloting a staff-led fitness program that staff say is helping students in and out of the classroom.
Sam, a co-principal at the high school, told the RSU 26 board that the district has made student well-being a central focus this year and is adjusting advisory time and Student Success Plans (SSPs) to increase student engagement. "If I did try to capture the primary force behind our work at OHS to this point this year, I would identify it as an effort to address student well-being," Meredith, the other co-principal, said.
The principals described two practical changes. First, advisory time is being used both to build school community and to create scaffolding for tasks such as SSPs and technology lessons; staff are adapting SSP questions so students who find the plans meaningless can have input into making them more useful. Second, staff are piloting extracurricular and in-school programs intended to support students who may not access traditional counseling. Meredith highlighted work by teacher David Miller to set up an Orono Conditioning Athletic Club, which she said has helped students regulate emotions and build positive relationships in ways other supports sometimes do not.
The report also recognized individual achievements tied to student supports and extracurricular activity. Sam noted that OHS senior Saladin Wise was named a 2024 Silver Nail award recipient and will receive a $10,000 scholarship; boys soccer coach Dave Hamill was recognized as the MSCA small-school coach of the year. Sam and Meredith thanked staff and community partners for helping run events such as the JMG Angel Tree and FAFSA night for seniors.
Board members did not take formal action on the reports; these were informational updates. The principals said they will continue to refine advisory work and SSPs, and will report back as pilots and adaptations develop.
