It’s not just the inspiring posters in the hallways, it’s the opportunities for students to use their voices and be heard. Old Saybrook Middle School (OSMS) received a recognition award for its positive school climate earlier this month from the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS).

Each year, each of the three town schools conducts a climate survey of students, staff, and parents. According to results from the 2017 to 2018 OSMS student survey, 96 percent of students view the school as a “positive and supportive place to learn,” 98 percent feel safe in school, and 94 percent say that there is an adult they feel they can approach if they have a problem.

The school’s application to CAS detailed the programs it has in place to address various aspects of school climate, such as safety, security, welcoming atmosphere, and the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical support of students. This was supported by documentation amounting to “probably 200 pages,” said Dr. John Sieller, CAS’s interim assistant director of Middle Level Programs and Services. The application was reviewed at CAS by a team of middle school principals and assistant principals who then traveled to Old Saybrook for a site visit on March 6.

“When we first arrived there, we got a tour by five of the student government officers,” Sieller said.

The CAS group also met with several parents, another group of students, teachers and support staff, the school resource officer, and the directors of the town’s Park & Recreation and Youth & Family Services agencies. Principal Dr. Krista Bauchman and Assistant Principal Matthew Walton then led the committee through the school’s application and supporting documentation. The visit began at 9 a.m. and finished at around noon.

“By the time you’re done, you get a very thorough picture and feeling for what the school is doing...to build a positive school climate,” Seiller said, adding that the school has built “programs and pathways” that allow students to be “part of the dialogue.”

“Not only is the administration and the teachers working together to boost school climate, but there’s a really nice relationship between the students and the faculty in regard to what they’re doing, why they’re doing what they’re doing, and how it’s working,” Seiller continued. “And the kids can speak to that, too. It’s unusual that a group of kids can come into a room with a group of school administrators and speak so knowledgeably about why they do what they do and the goals and vision for the school from a students’ perspective. That was really special. You don’t see that too often.

“The school is firing on all pistons as far as what you can do to make a school feel like a community where everybody matters,” said Seiller.