Ben Hazel principal outlines changes after Upbeat survey, announces April 13 district rollout

Brandy Noll, principal of Ben Hazel Elementary School, told attendees that her staff used results from the fall Upbeat survey to identify and address weaknesses in discipline consistency and staff appreciation, and that Hampton County School District will issue a new Upbeat survey on April 13.

Noll said the school reviewed the data with its leadership team, created a targeted staff survey to probe low-scoring areas and convened a team to develop schoolwide responses. "Feedback is a gift," she said, adding that staff input guided the follow-up work.

The school identified the item "discipline practices are applied fairly to all students at my school" as a concern; "that area was a 78% and I wanted to know why," Noll said. She told the meeting the lower score was tied to inconsistent enforcement across teachers and staff. To address that, the school set uniform expectations, posted them around the building, communicated them to parents and staff, and introduced student reflection sheets for behavior. Noll said those steps "have been working great."

On staff recognition, Noll said the leadership team polled employees and found mixed preferences about public recognition. The school began naming two employees of the month, and now highlights what makes those staff members exemplary on morning announcements and on the school's Facebook page. She said other staff-related survey items were "really high in the nineties."

Noll framed the changes as part of a broader effort to improve school culture by acting where feedback showed room to improve. She closed by announcing the districtwide Upbeat survey is scheduled to be distributed on April 13 and encouraging staff to respond candidly: "When you receive this survey, I encourage you to be honest, give your feedback. It is a gift to those that serve you."