Panel lauds Milo school for positive climate

MILO – While the building itself may be lacking, a visiting committee with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges found the atmosphere inside Penquis Valley High School one of mutual respect and caring.

The school was commended for having a positive, safe, supportive and collaborative climate. That commendation was among many others outlined in the written findings of a committee of educators who visited earlier this year as part of the school’s accreditation process. The written report also listed 47 recommendations.

“I was very happy with the report. We have worked very hard to create a positive environment,” Principal Scott Gordon said Thursday. He anticipates full accreditation will be granted next month

“I think [the report] identified our staff as a group of people who care about kids and who work very hard to give kids the best possible education,” Gordon said. He also was pleased the committee found the students “polite, personable and well-behaved.”

Gordon, too, was commended for his vision and his practice to mete out compliments.

Many of the recommendations in the report involved the building itself and the need for more staff, but these recommendations weren’t a surprise, Gordon said.

“We knew our problems even before the committee turned in their report,” Gordon said. The problems were identified in a self-study undertaken by the staff as part of the accreditation process.

While the staff is working to carry out many of the recommendations such as implementing the alternative special education program as planned, incorporating learning opportunities that promote higher order thinking skills at all academic levels, and providing common planning time for staff members, there are others that will be difficult to address, according to Gordon.

Among them is making all of the restrooms compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and ensuring that the school site and plant support all aspects of the education program – a reference to the athletic fields which are off campus.

The visiting committee also noted that while the school has sufficient supplies, staffing is not adequate to ensure that all students are able to gain access to the appropriate curriculum.

Gordon said he doesn’t know how realistic it is that some of these issues will be addressed in the next five years considering the local economy and an anticipated reduction in state subsidy.

“We already do the most we can with a little, but I don’t know how we can do more with less,” Gordon said.