“Take the Lead!”
Every morning without fail, this phrase fills the classrooms of GRC, inspiring students to be their best selves as the school day starts.
This phrase has become a staple of the morning announcements, and we can attribute our principal, Mr. Luke Toy, for the daily reminder.
This last school year was Mr. Toy’s first year as the GRC principal. With him he brought new admin, new ideas, and a new energy, and now we can get a glimpse into what he plans to bring to the 2024-2025 school year.
“Our top priority is to continuously enhance the safety of our students at GRC. This remains our foremost objective and the foundation of all our efforts,” says Mr. Toy. “We are committed to cultivating a positive culture among staff and students, making GRC a place where everyone feels excited and proud to be part of. Additionally, we plan to refine the structures and processes within our building to improve how we operate and achieve our goals.”
These priorities are vital to bring our school together. This year George Rogers Clark welcomed a number of new staff, which brings the question of how we can use this to form a positive and encouraging environment throughout the school.
“Our new administration has the potential to bring fresh ideas and approaches that can invigorate our school,” says Principal Toy. “With their different experiences and backgrounds, they can introduce innovative strategies for teaching, learning and student engagement.”
Change is often viewed as uncomfortable; however, Mr. Toy sees these changes as a force that will only push us into a better direction.
“The staff’s new perspectives can help identify areas where we can improve and offer solutions that have not been considered before,” he says. “This ultimately leads to positive growth for our school community, as new leadership often inspires everyone to think creatively and embrace change.”
In addition to new perspectives, community growth can also be fostered by reflecting on the environments of the past. With all of the changes this last year, we can look to Mr. Toy to provide insight on his first year as principal.
“We’ve made significant strides as a school this year,” he says. “When I first stepped into this role, I encountered a variety of perspectives, but I quickly realized just how incredible this school and community are. After meeting our students and staff, it became clear to me that they deserve the very best, and it’s been our priority to ensure they receive the support and opportunities they need to thrive.”
Giving students the recognition they deserve is how we can push kids to try their best. Luckily, GRC has a plethora of teachers and admin who are willing to put in the work. By giving kids more opportunities for growth, the sense of community in our school will only increase.
“I believe creating strong connections within the school starts with fostering a sense of community,” says Principal Toy. “This can be achieved by organizing more school-wide events that bring together students from different grades, such as themed assemblies, clubs, or group projects.. Encouraging open communication between students, teachers, and staff through regular town hall meetings or suggestion boxes might also enhance the feeling of inclusion and connectedness.”
Connection has been a recurring theme in the district. The beginning of the school year is the perfect time to implement and promote that connection.
“This is the year we get connected as a student body,” says Mr. Toy, “whether that’s clubs, pep rallies, or anything else, we have to connect back to this building because I think that connection was something that was missing last year.”
Mr. Toy has shown he is making an effort this year to promote new perspectives, student involvement, and connection. Still, he hasn’t overlooked the efforts that go into improving education for students.
“Another key priority of our is instruction,” he says. “We want our students to experience education at the highest level. While we already perform well, we will continue to seek the resources, training, and personnel necessary to provide our students with an outstanding educational experience.”
The goals the administration are working toward this year perfectly embody the phrase “Take the Lead.”
But to truly make a difference in GRC, we ALL have to take the lead — principals, counselors, teachers, and most important, students.
“There are so many things to be positive and happy about that GRC does…we have amazing athletics, a facility that cannot be outmatched, and great teachers,” says Mr. Toy, “but we have these great things because we have great students. Clark County is special, our students are special and that is my favorite part of GRC.”
