Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
University High School students showcase design‑thinking, new mentoring and attendance efforts
Summary
University High School presented student-led design-thinking projects and a suite of initiatives aimed at boosting attendance and postsecondary planning, including Eagle activity days, senior mentoring and partnerships for non‑college training.
University High School principal Patterson and student leaders told the Ferndale Schools Board on Oct. 21 that the school is emphasizing student belonging, practical postsecondary planning and classroom reflection to improve attendance and outcomes.
"Design thinking is a way of problem solving that focuses on understanding the needs of people," Skyler Jackson, UHS student council president, said during a student presentation about a project the council developed for daytime parent‑teacher conferences. The student team prototyped activities, surveyed principals and built a plan that school leaders approved for use during conference days.
Principal Patterson described several schoolwide strategies under the district’s stated Pillars of Excellence: regular classroom circles and restorative practices to increase student voice; Eagle activity days to connect commuting students to peers during the school day; and a senior mentoring program that assigns each staff member four to five seniors to ensure every graduate leaves with a postsecondary plan. Patterson also said UHS added bimonthly classroom surveys for teacher self‑reflection and expanded the school’s use of MTSS Student Success team meetings to identify tier‑2 and tier‑3 students.
Administrators noted two external partnerships. One partner, identified in the presentation as "Oakland 80," will focus on students pursuing trades, apprenticeships or certificates instead of a four‑year college path; the district’s MCAM partner will continue to support students pursuing traditional postsecondary options. The students said design‑thinking work will continue through the year and will be used for student leadership projects and an end‑of‑year showcase.
School leaders tied these initiatives directly to attendance work: Patterson said the district is pairing relationship mapping (a program run with Harvard University), bus‑pass availability and practical incentives (attendance breakfasts, raffles and extra graduation tickets) with the MTSS process to address root causes such as transportation and connectivity.
The presentation included a student prototype and a plan to scale similar student‑led design projects in other buildings; the board applauded the students after their remarks. The district plans to track attendance and MTSS outcomes as these initiatives are implemented.
