County schools' report: Ronan

RONAN — According to the Montana Board of Crime Control, 138 crimes were committed on either college or K-12 schools within Lake County in 2007 — as reported by the sheriff’s office.

The Leader is printing a series on Lake County schools, looking at individual school districts and using statistics from the Office of Public Instruction’s most recent reports — mainly the Discipline Violation Report. These reports are generated by all public schools throughout the nation and sent to the OPI for input into their system.

The DVR reflects school discipline incidents that resulted in suspensions and expulsions; the definitions are subject to the school’s interpretation, yet a glossary of definitions for all offenses is provided by the OPI and serves as a reference guide for schools.

In most cases the reported violations do not reflect court-prosecuted crimes. Most incidents are handled within the school, by means of suspension or expulsion.

The Leader is using four of the 20 discipline violations in the report for school comparisons — those violations being aggravated assault, alcohol, drugs and theft.

The focus of this week’s school report is the Ronan district and the public schools within its boundaries.

Based on OPI’s 2007-2008 DVR report, Ronan Middle School reported three incidents of aggravated assault — tied with Arlee Middle School for the most reported aggravated assault offense, and two alcohol incidents — more than any other middle school within the county. The high school reported six alcohol incidents — more than any other high school within the county, 13 incidents of drug activity — more than any high school within the county, and one theft incident.

None of the public schools within the district passed the Adequate Yearly Progress standards of the 2007-2008 school year.

Based on the Lake County Public School Enrollments document, Ronan public schools had an average of 1,254 K-12 students in the fall of 2007 — a 16.1 percent decrease from the fall of 2000. All other school districts, within Lake County, saw a decline in enrollment over the seven-year period: ranging from 13.4 percent to 76.9 percent — except Dayton which saw an increase of 254.5 percent in student enrollment between those dates, Charlo whose population increased by 2 percent, and Polson which neither increased nor decreased.

Ronan Middle School principal Jim Gillhouse said there are very few fights on school grounds and said the school’s expectations of students is made clear to them.

“Our mission is to make this a safe place for learning,” he said. Gillhouse said the vice principal handles a lot of the discipline issues, but they work together when necessary.

“We want enough time to focus on the curriculum,” he said. Ronan schools have a full-time intervention specialist to help deter misbehavior. The program includes informational lessons aimed at empowering young people by encouraging and facilitating dialogue.

This is intervention specialist Janett Suka’s tenth year with the district. She said the schools have several classroom lessons that promote healthy lifestyle and drug abstinence, she said there are also small programs that foster student involvement.

Suka said prevention isn’t a “single-focus arena,” and that self-esteem and parent/community involvement are at the core of a student’s overall well being.

Some of the school’s proactive programs include: Families And Schools Together — a family night that helps with communication skills in an nonthreatening way, tobacco prevention programs, student mentoring programs and several service project opportunities.

The third-grade tobacco prevention program focuses on the affects of tobacco, drugs and alcohol by showing students pictures of unhealthy body organs, and fully discussing the issues’ seriousness.

“We let them know that people who smoke aren’t bad people, but they have a bad habit,” Suka said.

Third grade students perform puppet shows for kindergartners to help remind them of healthy habits — like sleep and exercise.

Forty-eight high school students are involved in the Lake County Big Brother/Big Sister program, in which they mentor an elementary student once a week during lunchtime. Seniors from the high school are often paired with a fifth grader, but grade levels may vary.

More peer mediation opportunities abound within the schools. High school students are trained for one or two days in conflict resolution and help mediate student conflicts within the school, said Suka. In such sessions two disputers will each have a mediator to help resolve their disagreement.

“We want to encourage a safe learning environment where students feel protected,” Suka said.

A school resource officer adds to the school’s security by visiting the schools daily.

Gillhouse said he always follows-up with students after their “consequences” have been finished, to avoid continual incidents.

“I visit them afterwards and offer reminders,” he said. “I catch them being good, and give them praise.”

High school principal Tom Stack said high school students also understand what behavior is expected of them, and he said everything is discussed at the beginning of the school year by a thorough review of the school’s handbook. He said one way he seeks to deter crime is by using the SRO when students break the law.

“We have kids find out what the system is early on,” he said, adding that the SRO cuts down on school crime.

“They’re not intimidating,” he said of the officers the school has seen over the years. “They get to know students and get a heads-up on issues.”

Stack said Ronan is a fantastic place, but students still make poor choices, adding that it’s his job to correct them.

“Insurance companies charge high rates on young adults because of poor choices,” Stack said in explaining his similar discipline policy.

Stack said students occasionally show up to games and dances drunk, but said at 70 percent of large games an SRO is present.

“We have issues with alcohol,” Stack said, adding that the school is a little larger than most and there is a correlation. “Larger schools have larger numbers of incidents.”

Stack mimicked Suka’s philosophy that more adults around at-risk students will help students be more successful. Other ways the school curbs otherwise unruly behavior is through their Montana Behavior Initiative grant, which not only asks what problems the school has, but where and why, said Stack.

The school has an open campus, and although it was once an issue, Stack said it helps area businesses, and he said students have “stepped up.” He said it works out “for the most part.”

The school recently received the Safe School Grant, and will use the money received to install surveillance cameras to cut down on vandalism, Stack said.