This is what school connectedness can look like.
I loved this story from Art in today’s Ticker about longtime Traverse City West Senior High School cross country coach Tom Brown.
Yes, it’s a story about running and decades of coaching. But it’s really a story about belonging, relationships, consistency and connection.
Coach Brown talks about success not simply in terms of wins, championships, or the fastest runners, but in the growth of his student-athletes. And his former and current runners describe a coach who knows them, shows up for them and makes them feel like they matter.
Student wellbeing and connectedness are priorities in our 2030 Vision*, and two ways we measure that are whether students have a trusted adult at school they can turn to and whether they participate in extracurricular activities that help them feel connected to their school community.
Sometimes we talk about strategic plans in terms of goals, metrics and data.
Those things matter.
But behind those numbers are relationships.
For some kids, that connection might come through cross country or another sport. For others, it might be music, theater, robotics, a club — or simply a teacher or another adult at school who knows them, notices them and keeps showing up.
Our goal is for every student to experience that kind of connection. We’re not there yet. That’s the work ahead.
Thank you, Coach Brown, for all the early mornings, miles, encouragement and relationships you’ve invested in our Titans over the years. 💚
And thanks to Art for telling the story.
Read Art’s story: https://bit.ly/4yXoJsn
* TCAPS 2030 Vision & strategic plan goals: https://bit.ly/tcaps-values
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