Principal Dan Sadler: Carson Middle School creating positive culture to support students

It’s my honor to be completing my fifth year as the principal of Carson Middle School (CMS), the same school I attended as a student in the late 1980s (formerly Carson Junior High School). Like many of you, I’m proud to share in the memories and traditions that have been an integral part of our schools’ success for many years. While we are proud of achievements at CMS, we are always striving to improve our school to better serve our students, families and community.

Carson City School District’s mission states, “In partnership with the community, we will make the most of every day for every student by empowering them with the skills, knowledge, values and opportunities to thrive.”

At Carson Middle School, our staff is driven by the vision we are preparing today’s learners to be tomorrow’s leaders. We believe all students are capable of academic growth and achievement, and developing positive student/adult relationships is paramount to our students’ success. It’s essential all members of the educational community are aware of their roles in working towards the common vision of our school and our quest for success.

Schools must be safe, positive environments in which to work and learn. The culture of our school is contagious, whether positive or negative, so this year we are working hard to create and maintain a positive school culture to support our students. I would like to share a few ways our staff and students are working to make CMS a place where students have fun and feel connected:

We have Leadership classes at all grade levels. The students in these classes work hard to sponsor school events such as assemblies and dances. These students also keep our school bulletin boards decorated and sponsor student awareness campaigns. We recently participated in the “Month of Respect” to raise awareness against bullying.

CMS Leadership students also sponsored the Trick-or-Treat for canned foods drive. This is an opportunity for our students to participate in community outreach by supporting local families in need.

The CMS leadership students also raised more than $900 for ALS by challenging staff and administrators to the ice bucket challenge. This was a fun event that served to build school spirit and raise awareness for this debilitating disease.

Dress for Success wristbands are being distributed by teachers to reward students for doing what’s right. Each teacher has the ability to recognize up to six students per week allowing them to dress down on Friday.

Students, staff, families, and community partners participated in the third Annual U.S. Green Buildings Council’s Green Apple Day of Service and prepared the CMS Wetlands Habitat area for winter.

CMS students honored our local veterans with our annual Veterans Day Honor Celebration.

At Carson Middle School we believe creating family and community engagement is a fundamental building block in supporting student academic success. These highlights are just a small sample of some of the wonderful things that are happening at CMS every day. We look forward to strengthening our partnerships with families and community members this year to create additional supports for our students outside of the school walls.

Dan Sadler is principal of Carson Middle School.