Conner’s Corner 9-10-07

            I would like to thank all of our students, parents, faculty, and staff for a wonderful start to the school year.  We have had an amazing three weeks, and it is due to the combined efforts of all the parties mentioned above.  Our enrollment is up to approximately 1385 students at the high school this year.  We gained about 50 more freshmen than we had graduating seniors last year, and we have welcomed roughly 40 new students into our building.  Those numbers may fluctuate during the year as students come and go, but they certainly reinforce the trend that we are a high growth school district. 

            I would like to take some time to discuss homecoming week.  Homecoming will be here before we know it, and I think it is necessary to communicate my feelings on this special time of the school year.  I have always believed that homecoming was a time for past alumni to come back and take in the atmosphere of Anthony Wayne High School.  It is also a time for our school, students, and communities to come together and support all of the various activities, teams, and organizations we have at Anthony Wayne High School.  Unfortunately however, it seems like homecoming has taken on a persona that has nothing to do with our school, students, and communities. 

During my first homecoming week, I was greatly distressed by some of the attitudes and actions of some of our students.  It seemed as if their main goal was to perpetuate the idea of the junior vs. senior wars.  These “wars” seemed to be created in tandem with the power puff football games of the past.  I would like to inform both our parents and our communities that Anthony Wayne High School does not support any type of vandalism, or the powder puff football game.  We believe that these activities are unsafe and the animosity they breed unhealthy to our overall school climate and atmosphere.  Many times, issues between junior and senior students, which were a result of the junior and senior wars, would linger and fester throughout the entire school year.  Fortunately, we saw a decline in both the competition between the junior and senior class as well as the amount of vandalism during homecoming week last year.  We also had some tremendous student leaders in the classes of 2006 and 2007 who worked with us to try to put some of these unhealthy traditions of the past to rest.  We would like to build on that leadership and create some new safe traditions that will benefit out school, students, and communities.

Our goal for this year is to create a much stronger atmosphere of togetherness, school spirit, and pride in Anthony Wayne High School throughout not only our Homecoming activities but in all facets of our school as well.    This year we have enlisted the help of several parent volunteers to help us with the various Homecoming week activities.  This parent committee along with input from our administration, class advisors, and student council advisor, has developed several fun and safe activities to celebrate our Homecoming week.  On Monday September 24th, we will be having a Homecoming bonfire and spirit games to kick off our week of celebration.  Throughout the week, we will have dress-up spirit days to accentuate the feeling of togetherness amongst our students.  Friday September 28th, we will have our Homecoming pep rally followed by a parade through the streets around campus complete with floats and the Anthony Wayne Marching Generals.  Before the football game, National City Bank will be sponsoring their annual Homecoming tailgate party.  Students, parents, and community members are welcome to come out and enjoy that event.  Our finale, of course, will be out Homecoming Dance, sponsored by the Anthony Wayne High School Student Council.  The dance will be Saturday September 29 from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM in the auxiliary gymnasium.  Students may also order Homecoming/Spirit T-shirts complete with their numerals on the back signed by each of their classmates.  The senior class will be responsible for designing the logo on the front of the shirt, since they are the leadership of our school.  In years past, the seniors have designed their own “senior” shirt.  We have asked for their cooperation in changing the timing of the purchase of their senior shirts to a later time during the school year.  We will allow the seniors to create and purchase a senior shirt providing it has a school appropriate design.  Through the purchase of these new Anthony Wayne homecoming shirts we hope to create a new tradition and a unified feeling of school spirit.  If you have any questions concerning Homecoming week or any of the associated homecoming week activities, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. 

(419) 877-0466

awhs_jc@nwoca.org

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