Vantage Point

This monthly newsletter is an opportunity to share what we’re seeing across our high school community and how we’re working together to support students. From daily routines and expectations to moments of growth and celebration, Vantage Point is designed to keep families informed, connected, and in the know.

Why Vantage Point? It reflects a shared perspective—looking at the whole picture of student growth, challenges, and successes. (After all, eagles love a great view!)

Each month - Vantage Point will highlight a few key areas:

• Visibility — what we’re noticing across the school, including patterns or trends worth being aware of.
• Values — the expectations, skills, and mindsets we’re reinforcing with students across grade levels.
• Victory — moments of progress and celebration as we recognize the growth and successes of our students and staff.

This month, we want to be very real about something we are seeing every single day at school (I can almost guarantee you are seeing it at home, I know I am!) ........... student phone use.

Across the country, schools and even entire states are starting to take stronger stances on student devices - limiting or removing phones during the school day, and in some cases restricting social media access altogether.

We are seeing students struggle to stay present, engaged, and connected in real-life interactions because of constant access to their phones. We’re also seeing the impact of social media carry directly into the school day - conflicts, distractions, and emotional stress that begin online and don’t stay there. Technology addiction is real, and it’s something we are working through with students every day.

This is not something schools can solve alone.

We need to work together as a team - school and home - to help students build healthy, responsible habits with their devices. That starts with awareness, but it also requires consistency and follow-through. Responsible use isn’t something students just “figure out” - it has to be taught, modeled, and reinforced.

At home, this might look like setting clear expectations for phone use, monitoring social media, creating tech-free times or spaces, and having honest conversations about what students are seeing and experiencing online. These are not always easy conversations, but they are necessary.

We’re not asking for perfection (I’ve found myself doom scrolling instead of folding laundry on more than one occasion). What we’re asking for is partnership. When we show a united front for our kids, when they hear the same message at school and at home, it makes a real difference.

To see the high school cell phone and technology policy, go to page 25 in the Student Family Handbook.

This month, we’re leaning into self-control - and honestly, it’s a tough one for kids and adults.

Self-control isn’t about being perfect or never messing up. It’s about having that moment where you pause and think before you act - even when something feels really tempting, easy, or automatic. That might look like putting the phone down, not responding right away, choosing not to get pulled into drama, grabbing another sweet treat when you’re not actually hungry, or spending money without thinking it through. It’s that quick check-in of, “Is this actually a good choice right now?”

In Studio 118, we see this play out every day. Students are juggling distractions, emotions, peer pressure, and a lot of different temptations. Learning to pause and make a different choice doesn’t just happen - it takes practice. But those small moments matter. Choosing to step away, slow down, or think before reacting is how students start building real self-control.

At home, this might look like setting some boundaries around devices, talking through spending habits, or just helping students notice their choices a little more. Even small habits - like waiting before reacting, being present in a conversation, or thinking something through before acting - go a long way.

This isn’t about taking things away - it’s about helping students learn how to manage themselves, their choices, and their world.

Congratulations to the 25 AFSA students who have placed in the top 3 at the state level agriscience fair! Students will find out their placement at the state convention on April 20-21. First place participants will get to bring their projects to the National FFA convention!

We had a surprising victory as we finalized 2nd trimester grades this year. The number of failing AFSA high school students dropped by 8%. Generally, we see a grade slump in the 2nd trimester, but this year we are on an upwards trajectory! AFSA students are really starting to lock in and get on top of things.

Generally in the Spring, I wouldn’t have volleyball on the brain. At AFSA this year we’ve had several volleyball related victories! First off, our girls volleyball team won a record of 7 games in the Fall! The team continues to build momentum and our four seniors leaving the program have faith that the ladies will continue playing hard and being positive teammates.