HIGH POINT, N.C. — Community leaders announced this year's most improved school in Guilford County Wednesday during the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce's annual State of Our Community Luncheon.
The Hubert B. Humphrey, Jr. School Improvement Award recognizes schools for improving student achievement through sound educational practices, community outreach, and collaborative relationships.
Southwest Guilford High in High Point received the 2022 award for its new approach to conflict resolution.
The school's reimagined discipline policy pushes students to be their best.
"When a student is struggling, upset, or lashing out, sometimes we have to say, how can I help you? What's happening, what's going on?" said Dr. Angela Monell, the principal at Southwest. "When we can do some of that before it becomes a write-up, that's deep work."
When students have a conflict, they're both brought into a room to talk with a trained staff member. The restorative conferences walk students through a series of questions to get to the bottom of the problem as they work to solve it.
"What is making you upset? Why are you upset about it? And let's figure it out before it becomes a bigger issue," said Dr. Monell. "I've grabbed kids from the hallway and said you both come into my office now. The questions are up in my office, and we walk through them until it's worked out."
Southwest senior Jaeden Watkins says this new approach is working.
"Students might look down on it at first, like why do I have to do this? But once they understand why and how it can help, they appreciate it," Watkins said.
Teacher of the year, Stephanie Powell, attended Southwest as a student and now teaches English there. She said this new practice is different and compelling.
"As a teacher, you're used to the old system of they do this wrong, and they break this rule, they'll be out of your class for a certain amount of days or in in-school suspension. You're sending work to them, and you're losing that contact time of being able to work with them. If a student is already struggling, you're losing valuable instruction time," Powell said.
Here are the numbers to back that up. Dr. Monell said since putting the new restorative conflict practice into play at Southwest, in-school suspension dropped 30%.
Fewer in or out-of-school suspensions means more students are in class learning.
"The more kids we have not in ISS, the more they're going to be in classrooms, and they're going to be learning, they're going to be engaged in the work, they're going to graduate, and go off to college, the military or work. They'll be able to use these skills anywhere they go," Monell said.
Southwest's 95.1% graduation rate and $5.3 million in scholarships prove the great things happening at the school.
"They're going to NC A&T, UNCG, and we had one young lady go to Duke. Quite a few of our students go onto the military, and we have our Guilford Apprenticeship Partnership, where our CTE students get these tech jobs right into the workforce. They're doing fantastic," Monell said.
Dr. Monell is known for being tough on students and staff, but Watkins says she's always fair.
"She's tough, but it's always out of the best interest of the students so we can have the best education," Watkins said.
"She knows what you're capable of, and she's going to push you until you get there, or until you realize it yourself," Powell said.
That tough love is part of Dr. Monell's message to students. You have options, and at Southwest, students have her support.
"We've got this, and I've got you, and this is where we belong!"
Most of the staff at Southwest is trained in Restorative Conflict Resolution. With the $12,000 awarded from the Humphrey Committee, Dr. Monell plans to have her entire staff trained by the end of the year.