tears of joy

Written By: Hans Appel

Does your school culture evoke tears of joy?
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A little over a year ago, I arranged for our local KNDU/NBC news station to send someone out to do a story on our school during the Anti-Bullying month of October.  I was told that they’d be there no longer than 45 minutes, as they had an important story on the other side of town that same morning. While the manager allowed for ¾ of an hour he fully expected his reporter to be in and out in about 20 minutes.

As the news reporter arrived on campus nearly 30 minutes before school was to start she was struck by our daily Wildcat Nation greeting.  At Enterprise Middle School, we start every day with high fives, fist bumps, music and warm hellos as people walk in the main entrances. It’s an intentional move to increase school positivity and school spirit through personal connection.
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After taking footage and soaking up our spectacular start to school she was off to do some student interviews.  She asked students what it’s like to go to EMS, what Wildcat Nation really means, and how our Character Strong program changed things.  What started off as a 45 minute stop in West Richland, turned into over 3 hours! Frankly, we couldn’t get her to leave. She was having an absolute blast!  She interviewed dozens of students, teachers, even attended a leadership class. ​

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