CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary School officially kicked off a new pilot of a statewide program geared toward keeping children in school throughout the year.
The new attendance-based program is called “Steal the Show, Eight or Below,” and it encourages students at the school to be in the classroom every day they can physically make it. The goal is for students to not miss more than eight days across the school year.
Mary C. Snow Elementary got its students excited for the program with a pep-rally encouraging consistent attendance and members of the community such as Capital High School football players, West Virginia State University cheerleaders, and Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin all made an appearance.
Mary C. Snow Elementary Principal Destiny Spencer says there is a statewide problem with absences in schools.
“We have a problem with absences and we’re trying to get the message out that, even if you are going to the doctor and getting an excuse, it’s still an absence,” Spencer said Friday afternoon. “We’re getting the kids excited about coming to school and we just want them to know that we really want them to be here.”
Mayor Goodwin says young children missing school on a regular basis can be detrimental.
“Every day that a student misses school, they not only miss instruction, but they miss time and socialization with their friends,” Goodwin said. “They miss breakfast, they miss lunch, they miss that kind of interaction and that nutrition that we need to give to our students every day.”
Students at Mary C. Snow Elementary will not be left without rewards for potential improved attendance numbers, as the top eight attended students will be awarded $100 at the end of the year and the most well attended student in the school will win a PlayStation 5.
Spencer says the effort is a trial and error to see if it can be spread across the county and the state.
“This is a new initiative, so it’s going to be a trial-and-error type of thing too and then we hope to share what worked with the other schools,” Spencer said.
The problem of absences is one that the state is trying to fix, as a new policy has been put into place to where students are considered “chronically absent” if they have 10 or more unexcused absences.
Spencer says getting a program to address attendance together was no overnight process.
“It’s been in the works since past February,” Spencer said. “We met every Saturday almost in the month of April and May, so we’ve taken a lot of time and worked really hard.”
Goodwin says she sees how hard the staff at Mary C. Snow Elementary are working and it’s paying off.
“Mary C. Snow Elementary has such a dynamic staff and you can see that through the energy we got back from the kids today,” Goodwin said. “Listen, if we’re asking the kids to show up, we’d better show up.”
Spencer, who was recently named the Kanawha County Principal of the Year, says the West Side community has been supportive and interactive to help programs like this work.
“I have seen nothing but support,” Spencer said. “Anytime I reach out to anybody, they are right there for me and the students. I couldn’t ask for a better community, and I am happy to be the principal at Mary C. Snow.”
Goodwin says sees something special in Spencer as a leader for children in the city.
“As a daughter of two public school teachers, I see it in her like I saw it in my parents,” Goodwin said. “She has such a dynamic personality for sure, but she has the passion that we need in all of our teachers and all of our school administrators because that is contagious.”
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