A new year and a new era has begun in the euphoric history of Paint Branch High School

With our beloved principal, Ms. Jeanette Dixon, retiring after more than a decade of living and working for this school, we were left unsure as to who would take the reins and lead our school further into greatness. Then, on June 8^th, an announcement came from the Board of Education as to who the new principal would be: Dr. Myriam A Rogers.

The question on everyone’s mind became: What would our new principal bring?

The answer: High expectations across the board.

One aspect of Dr. Rogers’ tenure that has been a bit of a wake-up call to students is her focus on enforcing some specific regulations a little more strongly than in years past.  This, in turn, has students watching themselves more carefully in regard to what they wear to school, how quickly they get to class, and even how they speak.

One of these focal points is making sure students are not in the hallways without passes and that they are getting to class on time.  If a student is caught out of class without a pass or is late arriving to class, s/he may face detention as a consequence.  Another focus is on student conduct – especially the use of profanity in class and in the hallways as well as being more attentive in what they wear to school.   This call, by Dr. Rogers and the administration,  for more proper attire asks students who are dressing lackadaisically or scintillatingly in school (short-shorts, sagging, naval exposure, suggestive clothing, profane clothing, and spaghetti straps – for example), to leave those clothes at home.

These rules have put students on alert regarding their personal conduct around their friends and their teachers. As for the reception of these new rules, students have mixed reactions. Some students are glad that a new principal has come to Paint Branch and enjoy the new atmosphere.  These students believe that the code of conduct that Dr. Rogers seeks is easy to follow and is actually more lenient than Ms. Dixon’s rules.

Like all things, however, there are supporters, and there are detractors. Those who see the new levels of rule enforcement as too much to handle believe that Dr. Rogers is bringing down the hammer too hard.  Some of these students even long for the days of Ms. Dixon.

However, while Dr. Rogers has clearly emphasized a sense of appropriateness, she has also been more liberal with some of the new policies she has put in place.  One popular new policy she instituted allows both juniors and seniors to leave campus at lunchtime – with parent permission – if they satisfy the academic and school-based criteria.  Of course, any misconduct on a student’s part may result in the revocation of this privilege.

As one would expect, students have mixed views on our new leader. Some are content with the expectations that Dr. Rogers has set for this school, and some question them. However, one group has little complaint: juniors, who reap the benefit of being able to leave campus for the first time at lunch.

As the year progresses, some of the students who have been slow to adjust will learn to become comfortable with the new principal and the new feel of PB, while others, well, they’ll need more time to adjust.