The 2019 SHARP survey taken by PHS students indicated that students at Payson High rated above the state average in four out of five categories under the “Positive School Environment” topic. Of special interest is the fact that 87.3% of students claimed that “There are lots of chances to talk with a teacher one-on-one” and 89.2% of students indicated that “I have lots of chances to be part of class discussions.” Both of these percentages reported higher than the average student among high school students in the state of Utah.
We believe in the power of community and relationships. Another program that we have in place to foster a sense of community among our student body is the One Pride Project. Each of our extra-curricular performing groups was assigned to another group to be their "biggest fans." You can read about the program by clicking on the attached document. The One Pride Project helps all groups to feel supported not only by the adults in the school but also by their classmates.
Payson High School has multiple structures in place to strengthen teacher/student relationships through opportunities for teachers to highlight, reward, and praise students. For example, PHS departments coordinate monthly to discuss and select “students of the month” and organize a lunch for the students to attend with their family and receive praise from their teachers. PHS also has a system in place for teachers to easily send “Positive Postcards” to students and families. The administrative team frequently blocks out time during faculty meetings for teachers to write a “Positive Postcard” to a deserving student.
When asked how often students in their class have formal opportunituies to develop positive relationships with their peers and/or adults, 70% of teachers responded with "frequently and regularly." This is one of the great strengths at PHS.
Students were asked to describe what they think of their teachers, in general, by choosing from a long list of words. The highest three words chosen were "honest" (56%), "Caring" (52%), and "fun" (47%). Correspondingly, the lowest three words selected were "lazy" (9%), unstrustworthy" (6%) and "mean" (5%). The chart attached here only reflects those six words, although there were many more that the students could have chosen that fell between the two extremes represented. These data confirm that our students feel positively about their relationship with their teachers.
Corroborating data came from another item on the eProve student survey. Students were asked to select from a list of adjectives to describe, in general, the interactions they have with adults at PHS. The top three answers were "respectful" (69%), "helpful" (61%), and "supportive" (51%).