All students now have the opportunity to be shadowed by an assistant principal (AP) through a google form posted on ION and Google Classroom. These shadow days are part of a larger county and school-wide initiative to give students a voice and build bridges between students and staff. 

“This program isn’t a direct initiative of Challenge Success, but it definitely supports our mission of supporting students,” sophomore Lauren Delwiche, a Challenge Success student representative, said.

Assistant Principal Shawn Frank hopes this program will help humanize APs and address misconceptions about them.

“We’re not here just to administer discipline. We saw shadowing a student as another opportunity in order for kids to see we care,” Frank said.

Previously, APs were limited to only shadowing students they had a close relationship with. Now, with the google sign up form, APs can see perspectives beyond those of students they already know personally. 

“It’s seeing how much work they have, how focused they are, or lack thereof, their travels through the day – carrying your book bags and all your books around,” Assistant Principal Victoria Russell said. “Some students may not take the time to go to the restroom because they don’t want to miss anything and they’re studying, or they do take the time to go because they need a break.”

Freshman Jaya Gupta, a student Russell has shadowed, believes teachers and administrators must experience students’ routines in order to actually empathize with them.

“If a student simply tells a teacher that they’re stressed, it may not hold as much value as opposed to the teacher seeing the effects of stress firsthand,” Gupta said.