In the end, our overarching goal of implementing Renaissance at your school by recognizing the unrecognized heroes of your campus, by emboldening the cause of teaching and learning, and by emphasizing the importance of a dignified graduation, is in hopes of changing lives and impacting futures of your students, parents, staffulty, alumni, and community and business partners. We hope that the experience of partnering with schools throughout the United States through CARE will enable your school to more adequately fulfill its vision. We know that the ultimate goal of your school should be to change the lives and impact the futures of your students. Here are the comments of some educators who caught the fire:
"A Renaissance culture is at the core of our progress as a school. We believe that people and relationships matter most. Many academicians have outlined how to increase student achievement; Renaissance provides the framework necessary to grow a culture that produces positive outcome for students and adults who serve kids. At Los Altos HS we apply the concept of the 5 R's to grow meaningful relationships. The actions and values we respect, we reward. Those values and actions are then reinforced through continual recognition. We know this will place us in a position to capture optimal results. It works! Since 1999, the average Academic Performance Index has increased 76 points; we have more than doubled this average showing 169 points of growth. This is just one measure. We have multiple areas of improvement demonstrated for all student subgroups. Corporate America knows the importance of a healthy climate that celebrates success; more public schools need to get on board to better serve young America!" William Roberts Principal Los Altos HS- Hacienda Heights, CA
"Renaissance has revolutionized the academic culture on our campus! It has truly provided an avenue for our students and staff to focus on what is most important--academics. It has created opportunities for us to create activities and events based on recognizing and rewarding the positive academic behaviors we want to see in school. When we started the renaissance program 6 years ago, 32% of our students made the list the first semester. I am proud to say today we have 69% of students on the list. This has been made possible by the relentless focus we have put on our renaissance program at FTHS along with the support of Jostens and other renaissance advisors along with the opportunity to attend mini workshops and the Renaissance National Conference. Without these other opportunities to swap and share ideas, we would have never achieved the amount of success we have. I have to say thank you to Jostens and Larry Biddle for taking this system nation wide for others to catch the fire of academics and provide a sense of focus on academics on high school campuses." Jennifer Duston, Assistant Principal Foothill Technology High School- National Blue Ribbon School
"Renaissance at El Camino High School is at the core our school culture. We have built a completely unique Renaissance program, which includes the 10 essential blocks, to fit an alternative stand alone independent study high school. We celebrate what makes our school and students unique on a daily basis. Not only has the renaissance program increased grades, attendance and extra curricular commitments, it has created a culture of commitment and pride on our campus." Kelsie Sims, Principal, El Camino High School, Ventura Unified School District,the Oakdale High School Renaissance program has served as a catalyst for positive change on our campus for several years and has definitely worked to help our academic performance index improve over the last four years. We have made a jump of over 100 points in a large part because of the change in attitude on our campus regarding academics. Students appreciate and anxiously await the positive recognition that our Renaissance program provides and that has helped to make Oakdale High School a much more academically focused campus. Rick Jones, Principal- Oakdale HS Oakdale, CA
"Students need motivation to achieve goals they perceive as unattainable. Renaissance gives our students an extrinsic incentive to excel in an academically challenging environment. We believe that reinforcing incentive and reward builds a foundation for success by giving students the confidence and self esteem necessary to intrinsically pursue excellence. The percentage of students at Foothill Technology earning Renaissance status has grown from 32% to 69% in five years! Renaissance rewards have also helped motivate our students to perform their best on the California Standard Tests. Each year we have significantly increased our Academic Performance Index and are now ranked in the top twenty out of approximately 2000 high schools in California."Joe Bova, Principal -Foothill Technology HS Ventura CA - National Blue Ribbon School
"Renaissance is not just a rebirth of history; it has been a rebirth of me. I was asked to co-advise Renaissance five years ago. At the time I had much to learn. I knew it was a recognition program since it was already in place at my school. But once I said yes, I have learned that it is far more. After attending conferences, listening to influential speakers such as Larry Biddle, and Richard Parkhouse, joining the CARE board, networking with Renaissance and Leadership educators, my perspective of Renaissance has flourished. Over the years, the climate of Canyon Hills Jr. High has been challenged to reach academic excellence. Our students and staff have benefited from the numerous ways we promote, recognize, and reward academic achievement and positive behavior. We continue to explore ways to motivate both students and staff in achieving their fullest potential. This past year we have added a full year elective class made up of 30 eight graders who applied and were selected to be leaders in our first Renaissance Class. This class has opened doors in communication with the entire school. The students have an understanding of the 10 Essential Elements and we work together to implement these important blocks for success. I witness how students respond in a favorable manner to the philosophy of Renaissance. I believe students realize that the Renaissance ideas can be applied in school, at home, and within our community. Renaissance in education is vital to support our human potential. I am thankful for the opportunity to be affiliated with such a powerful force."Valerie Vera-Mineer, Renaissance advisor Canyon Hills Jr. High, Chino Hills
You viewed this web page on September 4, 2010.
