Dear High School Students

I hope you are all having a fantastic start to the year.  It's great to see you in classes, playing sports, promoting and celebrating your clubs, and sharing joy with each other each day.  

This year, you may have noticed a stronger emphasis on rules that have always been in our handbook: wearing uniforms properly, speaking the connecting language, eating only on the first floor, and using phones at appropriate times. These are not new expectations. What has changed is our commitment to enforcing them consistently.

In my discussions with Dr. Boyett and Mr. Striffler this past summer, we all felt strongly that having rules that we did not enforce sent the wrong message—that rules only matter when they’re convenient. But in life, in society, and in the workplace, that’s not how things function. Strong communities work because expectations are clear, and everyone can trust that they will be applied fairly.

In 1982, James Q. Wilson and George Kelling published a paper on "Broken Windows" policing. Their research showed that when small rules and responsibilities are neglected, a sense of disorder grows. Think of litter, graffiti, or broken windows in a city—these small signs of neglect created an environment where bigger problems took root. Cleaning up those communities and enforcing laws, even for "lesser offenses", led to a significant decrease in major offenses and to greater community satisfaction and engagement.  In the same way, wearing a uniform properly or keeping shared spaces clean communicates care and respect for our school community.

In other words, if you know that we are paying attention to the little rules, you know we are paying attention to the big rules.  If you know we expect you to wear your uniform properly or get an LLB, you know we expect you to practice academic integrity or face a suspension.  If we don't enforce rules fairly and consistently, our students may end up surprised when they face serious consequences for breaking a rule.  How can you know which rules will be enforced and which ones won't?  What "matters" and what doesn't?  When some rules are not enforced, or are selectively enforced, the rules become subjective and this creates inequalities.

Our goal is not to nitpick. It’s to prepare you for the future, where expectations are real, consequences are real, and fairness matters. If we enforce the small rules, you can trust that we will also enforce the big ones—consistently and fairly. That clarity helps protect everyone. 

So when a teacher reminds you to adjust your tie or put your phone away, please know it’s not about catching you doing something wrong. It’s about helping you build habits that will serve you well beyond high school. What we care about most is your growth, your readiness for the future, and fairness in our community.

Have a great day and see you tomorrow!

Mr. Carroll