When Brent Daniels came to PHS, he was determined to add his support in the improvement of the school.

This support came in the form of 3-2-1 surveys: three things you want to tell about the school, two things you want to tell about yourself, and one thing you want changed about the school. Teachers and parents have both responded, however student responses have been few and far between, according to Daniels.

“I wanted to also hear from students, but in terms of rollout, it could have been a lot better,” he said.

The surveys, which were sent to the students’ school email accounts, were imperative to the process for re-assessing the standards and practices at PHS and would also create benefits for future students.

“The primary message that I want to convey is – If the students were principal, what’s the one thing they would want to change?” Daniels said.

Both sophomore Alex Rickard and junior Max Canty-Hilchey said that they were not sent the email, while junior Tiffany Zhou said she receive it, but chose not to respond.

“I check my email on my phone and I don’t like doing surveys and things like that on the small screen, so I skipped it,” Zhou said.

Discussions around the 3-2-1 surveys have taken place during the monthly School Site Council meetings that junior Amanda Champion attended.

“We meet to discuss school goals and get input from different groups about issues like school climate and school improvements that could be made,” Champion said.

Champion was among the few students who filled out the surveys and was able to participate in a discussion about improvements that could be made around the school, while teachers and parents listened in.

“If there is a particular theme that comes through the responses, then we can look at our current practice and see if we can make a shift based on the student voice,” Daniels said. “That’s versus making the assumption that we know what’s best for the students.”

Daniels hopes to gain a comprehensive idea of what the school and its student body need, to help with his decision-making.

“Hearing from the students would be more powerful,” he said.