In 1992, just about no students had email, Columbine High School was just another school, and no one had a cellphone in class. A lot has changed in the past 20 years. We talked to three private-school principals about their new headaches—and successes.
Peanut butter’s banned. In many elementary schools, including New City School, students have to enjoy their peanut butter–and–jelly sandwich in a designated area of the cafeteria, due to allergy concerns.
Parents break the rules. Cellphones can be a problem in school, but Dennis Matreci, assistant principal for academics at St. John Vianney High School, says sometimes “parents are texting their kids during the school day.”
More kids are quitting. “We have very few kids who smoke anymore,” says Matreci. “I can remember when I was dean of students at [another] school, we had a smoking area at dances.”
There’s a laptop on every desk. At Nerinx Hall High School, each student has a laptop. Principal Jane Kosash says students use them to research, write, and collaborate.
Pressure’s high. Parent involvement has increased at the high-school level. “I think I have more parents reading our daily bulletin on our website than kids listening to it in class,” says Matreci.
Parents are too busy. Thomas Hoerr, head of New City School, has found the opposite. “It seems to me that everybody’s gotten busier,” he says. “I have fewer families where somebody’s not working, and so it’s harder to get parents to come to evening meetings.”
Questions abound. “We’re questioning things more,” says Hoerr, when asked to outline one of the best changes of the past 20 years. “We [ask] how can we prepare our kids to succeed, and I think everybody benefits from that.”
