Author: Jessica Cooney, Principal, Prairie Heights Middle School, 2026 School to Watch

At Prairie Heights Middle School, we have found that something that makes us special is the connections we have built both to the community of families that make up our school and to the greater community as a whole. Nurturing these connections requires focus and purposeful actions to create mutually beneficial relationships. Bill Ayers said,  “It is the connection between schools and communities that creates greatness in schools.” We wholeheartedly believe that this is true and strive to ensure that we have thriving connections with these communities.

Oftentimes, middle school is the place where families begin to disconnect from school.  Kids become more independent, opportunities to volunteer, class parties, field trips become fewer, and students don’t want their parents/guardians to come to school. At Prairie Heights, we believe that middle school is a critical time to ensure that the bond between school and home develops rather than disappears. In order to do this, we have created systems far beyond family conferences, weekly newsletters, and emails home about assignments:

• Position the Parent/Guardian as the Expert: We know that our families are the keepers of knowledge about their students.  Rather than telling them what they should do to support their students, we ask them what works at home.  We honor their efforts and rely on them to help us make plans to support students.  

• Non-Traditional Family Engagement Opportunities: Sometimes, families just want to come to school to connect with us.  Not for a meeting or information, but just to be part of the community.  We host a giant potluck where families are encouraged to bring a favorite dish to share and join us for bingo.  Staff also brings food to share and sits with families to enjoy bingo and conversation.  We host a chili cookoff and arts night where staff makes the chili and families vote for their favorite recipe.  As entertainment, our band and orchestra play, and we display student art.  We also host smaller showcases and nights for families to view students' work and enjoy time together. 

• Positive Family Communication: Our goal is that each family receives a minimum of 3 positive individual communications from staff.  This could include a positive postcard, phone call, email, or other communication.  We track and monitor this on a spreadsheet to ensure that we reach our goal.

• Outstanding Parent/Guardian Awards: Our teachers and staff nominate parents/guardians monthly for their work to support their students and our school.  Families receive a certificate, a magnet, and a letter recognizing their work. The reaction to this has been incredibly positive and is a means to ensure that families feel valued by our school.

The greater community wants to be involved in our schools.  We have found that it is our job to create and publicize opportunities for that involvement.  It is our responsibility to ensure that those relationships are maintained and beneficial not only to our school but to the community partners as well.  At Prairie Heights, we are proud of what we have done to foster a community connection:

• Invite the community into our school: When we have events at our school, we include our community partners.  Whether it’s an assembly, judging holiday door decorating contests, or our annual Chili Cookoff, our community partners are invited and recognized.  They come because they feel that they are part of our school community.  They continue to give and support us because they see firsthand the work that we do and they are connected to our school.

• Communication with community partners: We share our successes with our community partners and recognize them as part of the reason for that success.  We send them emails, write thank you letters, and ensure that they know that they are an integral part of our success as a school.

• Recognition of and service to our community partners: Social media, banners in our gym, and thank you letters are a great way to recognize our partners. We publicize their support to our staff and families. This also helps our staff to feel supported by the community and encourages more community groups to get involved.  When our partners ask for our support, we are glad to reciprocate their generosity.  Whether it's the use of our facilities, a presentation to their staff or constituents, or simply ongoing communication and invitations, we ensure that the relationship with community partners is beneficial to them as well.

At Prairie Heights, we know that it is our responsibility to ensure that we create and maintain a strong community both with the families we serve and with the community that surrounds our school. This is part of a wider district focus in our strategic plan around family and community partnerships led by our superintendent.  We are stronger because we are part of a larger community and we believe that this is part of what makes our school successful.