Activities Related to the School Culture

Activities Related to the School Culture

(These are all found in Peterson and Deal, 2002, The Shaping School Culture Fieldbook.)

1. What 6 adjectives describe your school? What were the main themes that came up with your staff?

2. What songs did teachers think characterized the school? What was the message in those songs? [What songs would characterize your school in five years?]

3. What is the mascot (or flag) for your school? How does that mascot connect to and reinforce the mission and values of the school?

4. What are the ceremonies, traditions and celebrations distributed over the year? Which are the most important ceremonies that reinforce the culture? Why are those important?

5. Provide an “advertisement” (or several) that staff has written about your school. What is the core message of these advertisements?

6. Provide a history of the school for the past three decades based on what staff has developed. What are the key themes about your culture that you learned from the history?

7. Produce a PowerPoint that details the mission, values, and norms of the school. Include photos, artifacts, and quotes from teachers, students and parents.

8. What are the best ways that you communicate and reinforce the mission of the school (newsletters, speeches, websites, etc.)? Provide examples and a reflection on recommendations for improving this communication focus.

9. Provide photos or a video of key school celebrations. Describe what happens in the celebration.

10. Put all of your “Principals’ Columns” from the school newsletter into a single Word file to show what you wrote to your staff and community.