FHUHS Administration

This newsletter will be comprised of two parts: some general school news to start and a brief description of what we are doing at Fair Haven Union High School to tackle the issue of substance use/abuse. I have nicely been informed by the local papers that my letters tend to be a bit lengthy, which is one reason not all have made it to the papers. Being sensitive to this, I have tried to reasonably limit my newsletter so will need to describe our plan for addressing Adequate Yearly Progress (as promised in the last newsletter) at a later date.

General News

The Fair Haven Union High School Booster Club will meet on Wednesday, January 23rd at 7:00 p.m., in the FHUHS cafeteria. All members of the community are invited to attend and new members are always welcome. The agenda will include election of officers and planning for spring events. For more information call Jack Adams @ 265-4975

The FHUHS music department wants to congratulate the following students who auditioned for the VT All State music festival: Reggie Schulman, Garry Brown, Christina Papandrea, Cassy Papandrea, Jon Kuehne, Samantha Young, Gwyneth Roberts, and Brittany Pierce.

On February 15th, FHUHS will host its annual Battle of the Bands in the FHUHS Band Room. Bands interested in playing need to register with Mr. Lenox. Bands must have at least one member enrolled at FHUHS.

Thanks to Mr. Eric Ramey for organizing and scheduling all our exam week extracurricular activities so that our students could be home in a timely fashion to better prepare. It takes quite a bit of work to schedule a week with no games.

Substance Abuse

One of the most prevalent and discussed issues facing every high school (and far too many elementary schools) is substance abuse. Every high school of which I am aware is trying to combat this, Fair Haven Union is obviously no exception. However, I am confident that we have a plan and vision in place that will better control this serious problem. I say control as this national societal problem (it is close to an international concern, in my opinion) will not be disappearing in the foreseeable future. Any effective plan, should address three overall aspects: proactive measures to prevent, enforcement to remove and resources to positively focus for those in need.

There are structural changes that FHU has made this year to help prevent substance abuse occurring during the school day. Mr. Len Doucette, Assistant Principal, sent out a letter prior to our 2007-08 opening, outlining our proactive structure. When students now arrive to school, they stay at school. We offer a full and diverse breakfast for anyone who desires to eat in the morning. The cost is $1.00 which can often be offset. All students, including seniors, stay at school until the end of their academic day. The seniors have their own outdoor courtyard located within the center of the school should they want to eat their lunch outside the cafeteria (yes, this option is most difficult in the winter). The parking lot is also off limits to students during the school day unless they are departing. The students have been terrific with adhering to this daily structure. It should also be remembered that the vast majority of our students do not want substances in their school, nor an environment where it is practiced. This brings me to one of the most important proactive measures I believe a school can take: creating a positive and trusting school environment where students feel properly empowered.

As any administrator can only know a small percent of what occurs at any time, it is vital that internal and external relationships be healthy and active. FHU is fortunate to have adults in the building who can and do relate to our students. Our School Resource Office (SRO) Bonnie Elrick works daily with our kids to help prevent issues, and should they still occur, quickly reacts and acts so that appropriate consequences are had. Her personal relationships with the students are the key to understanding what is occurring and with this Deputy Elrick is terrific. The administrative team, which meets every Monday morning, is committed to acting on any concern that comes to our attention. This year we have developed a solid working relationship with our local law enforcement agencies, most notably the Fair Haven Police Department. I am confident that this relationship will remain strong to the benefit of both the school and our larger community, both of which are directly connected with the issue of substance use.

The importance of relationship building can not be overstated. Mr. Len Doucette, Assistant Principal and I both realize in order to continually improve student performance and positive choice making, there must be a sense of school connection for our students. Over the past six months, I have seen a strong Student Council under the direction of Mr. Hurley Cavacas emerge as well as witness an expansion of extracurricular activities for our students. Mr. Eric Ramey oversees 31 athletic teams and 19 other clubs/activities and is willing to entertain student interests in whatever activity a person cares to bring up. Our Homework Success Club has also seen well over 700 student contact times since September. It is not that activities by themselves will lead to a student avoiding substance use, but that the more we offer, the more we connect with students during and after school, the better the chance of healthy decision making and pro-social character development.

Our Guidance Department has proven to be first-rate with not just academic help but with assisting students and families with personal challenges. For students needing more direct and consistent help with this, FHU has two School Based Clinicians and a Substance Abuse Counselor. We also see it as our role to work closely with outside counselors and therapists for the betterment of our students.

There is no panacea for the nationwide problem of substance abuse. All schools, in every state will have to regularly monitor its plan for tackling this issue and remain willing to hear suggestions from the greater communities that surround it. I can assure you that this holds true at Fair Haven Union High School. We desire to hear from those offering constructive ideas or concerns that we may directly address and will be open to how we take on this ever present problem. I am confident that we are on the right track and with parent/community involvement will continue to build a culture where substance abuse is the exception and not the norm.

Brett C. Blanchard, Fair Haven Union High School Principal