Dan N. Johnson, Principal (Logan School District)
Row 1: Sherilee Guest , Kaye Gensel, Jean Ehrhart, Kathy Eccles, Stan Bodily, Marian Pittman, Jolynn Anderson, Becky Kendell, Amy Rasmussen, Susanne Paulsen, Gayle Buxton, Kerri Sales Geiger, and Dan Johnson (Principal). Row 2: Natalea Geddes, Eileen Clarke, Maggi Straley, Susan Stephens, Lisa Jensen, and Tracy Hunsaker. Not Pictured: Lynette Riggs, Elsa Akina, Candi Billhimer, Sharon Davidson, Lisa Hopkins, Marilyn Janes, and Jan Nyman.
Mount Logan Middle School, a large school with 1300 students, was one of the first schools to work on partnerships with the Utah State Department of Education in the early 1990s to help researchers at Johns Hopkins learn how state leaders could facilitate schools’ programs of partnership. Since then, Mount Logan Middle has “institutionalized” its work on school, family, and community partnerships through the school’s Community Council, links to the PTSA, a strong committee structure, and clear action plans for partnerships. Mount Logan Middle School was a recipient of a Partnership School Award for the 1999-2000 school year, showing that the school is aware of the need to continually improve and sustain a productive partnership program. This is a school-wide Title I program.
Among many partnership activities, Mt. Logan is proud of its School, Family, Community Partnership Booklet –a manual on its work on partnerships; an open and friendly central office where English and Spanish are spoken; clear action plans; parent-to-parent communications and events; the automated “school voice” that connects with all families; open access for parents to student information; a new Parent Volunteer room; and a “Cyber Library.”
This school piloted and continues to conduct SEOPs – Student Education Occupational Plans. These are parent-teacher-student conferences to help students plan their work, goals, and futures. This year safety was one of the school’s topics for family and community involvement. It was addressed by the Type-6 Collaborating with the Community committee of parents, teachers, administrators, and several community agencies.
Our Action Team would definitely encourage (other schools) to join the National Network of Partnership Schools and actively involve parents and the business community in the school. . . . (This results in) a winning situation for students, faculty, administration, families and the community. . . . In our most recent study, parents indicated with a mean of 4.71 on a scale of 1 to 5, that Mt. Logan actively supports and promotes parent-teacher communication.
--Dan N. Johnson, Mount Logan Middle School