The graduation rates for schools in Clarke Central High School have been steadily increasing for the last three years. CCHS Principal Marie Yuran believes that personal connections with students have led to an increase. “I had a student that I mentored that was a senior and worked with them to get them to graduation. Everybody on the school improvement team does that,” Yuran said. Infographic by Aneesa Conine-Nakano.
By ANEESA CONINE-NAKANO – Editor-in-Chief
Clarke Central High School Principal Marie Yuran discusses the rising graduation rate at CCHS, which has reached over 84 percent.
The Clarke Central High School’s 2016 graduation rate was released and showed a slight improvement from the 2015 rate at 84.4 percent. CCHS Principal Marie Yuran credits the rise to the proactive measures taken by several school teams.
“We were just working in our admin team this morning,” Yuran said. “Groups of teachers and different bodies, the school improvement team and different teams, we work to identify students that might somewhat be at risk for graduation.”
Yuran believes that creating relationships between students and faculty has helped make the process more personal.
“Whether they are short credits, whether they are failing throughout the school year, we really try to put a face with a name and a person with a student,” Yuran said. “Last year, I had a student that I mentored that was a senior and worked with them to get them to graduation.”
Senior Davion Pope says that advisors and counselors have prepared him to graduate on time and apply to college.
“Our advisors make sure we get all of our stuff needed to graduate. (They) make sure we are taking the right classes,” Pope said. “If it wasn’t for my counsellor, I wouldn’t know how to do any of the applications. It really helps out alot.”
Yuran, who is serving in her first year as principal, hopes to raise the graduation rate further this year by continuing the administration team’s mentorship and by identifying students who need help.
“We will continue those efforts,” Yuran said. “We want to start looking before they get to their senior year, looking at juniors that might be at risk for graduation for some reason or another and start working with them so that leading into their senior year, they will be more ready to take the courses they need and graduate.”
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