The former Honor Society hallway near Door 38 will be changed to a student academic achievements hallway as a way to recognize more OH students, according to OH Assistant Principal of Operations Brian Cooney.
“The area where those cases were located, [it hasn’t] been updated in a while,” Cooney said. “I just don’t think it was as functional as it would otherwise could have been.”
This hallway, once used to display Honor Society information and cords in wooden cases made by the OH Woods Department, will be replaced with a more graphic display from Bannerville, according to Cooney.
“When the idea was presented by some other staff members to use that area to honor the many great things that go on at OHS, some of which are going to be academic in nature,” Cooney said.
Throughout the years, academic achievements have not been significantly recognized in public displays around the school, but this hallway display aims to change that.
“[Academics] is a huge portion of why we’re here, and we have done a lot of good in that area throughout the course of the years and years and years, and I don’t know in the recent years if we’ve done as good of a job of celebrating the success that our kids have had academically. So this will give us an opportunity to do that,” Cooney said.
The choice to display student academic achievements is said to bring better motivation and recognition to OH students that they may strive towards better academic performance.
Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction Tania Sharp said, “The intention is to celebrate students’ academic success, which in hopes helps to motivate and encourage students to set high academic goals and demonstrates pride in their academic achievements.”
OH has a great deal of academic success to celebrate. According to the Illinois School Report Card, OH is designated as “commendable” and has no under-performing student groups. OH scores are higher than the state average on the ACT in both ELA and Math, OH’s graduation is higher than the state average by almost 6%, and students earn Illinois State Scholar, AP Scholar, and National Merit Finalist status frequently.
This new hallway will be a positive change to make students’ achievements like these get noticed, and will provide students a feeling that OH appreciates their success.
“I think it’s a good push to highlight the achievements students are making,” OH science teacher and National Honor Society sponsor Amy Dillion said. “Most of those students are in the Honors Society anyway, so you actually get to focus on the achievements of individual people instead of a whole organization.”
The hallway won’t push out the Honor Societies, but will include them and many other areas of achievement than those recognized before.
“I think the display can include honor societies as well as part of academic achievements,” said OH senior and National Honor Society member Cadence Sharpe. “It’s great because it’s representing more people throughout the school with academic achievements.”
The inclusive representation of a variety of student achievements is the standout aspect that everyone is hoping to see in this display.
“That means that more people can be represented for the things that they do; AP Classes, and maybe if anyone has won awards or scholarships,” Sharpe said.
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