SUMMERS COUNTY W.Va. (Hinton News) – The Summers County School District often faces unfortunate challenges. Principal Dr. Kevin Green shares his vision for the future.
Summers County Comprehensive High School (SCCHS) was required to hold classes in a single location for all four years of high school and all three grades of middle school due to the insulation risks at the original middle school. The school district and state raised funds to expand the campus, providing more space for both high school and middle school students. This expansion project has been finished as of earlier this school year (24’-25’). With the new campus layout being finalized, SCCHS has implemented several goals dedicated to seeing overall improvements across various areas. Their primary goal is attendance. Dr. Green and his staff, who extend to the entire school district, as well as other principals and personnel, have impressed the importance of attendance for many years. As a result, the number of chronically absent students has dropped by 11% at the half-year mark, showing steady improvements.
After addressing some of the current challenges that SCCHS has both faced and resolved, it’s important to focus on the future. Not to undermine or disregard what may be happening day to day on campus, but to keep looking ahead, and to continue the trend of progression. “The full implementation of our school improvement initiatives, such as our PBIS model to manage student conduct.” Dr. Green notes that when asked what challenges he’s ready to face next year. The main reason for the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiation is to both “Increase the rigor of our classroom instruction” and directly develop and improve “social-emotional skills.” Despite being introduced earlier this school year, students and faculty expect a full application of PBIS, which is known to yield a beneficial result in test scores and a decline in behavioral referrals.
The school’s expansive project, along with other challenges they have overcome, leads Dr. Green to believe that he is “More equipped to better manage our time to support the growth of our staff and students.” This insight is essential at the end of the school year in order to help improve conditions for the upcoming year. The administration, empowered with new skills and experience, feels confident in its ability to “examine the reasons for students not coming to school and work to eliminate those barriers.” They aim to significantly reduce student absenteeism, having already spent “the last two years building systems to support students’ social and academic needs.” Dr. Green emphasizes addressing this issue directly.
The new direction for SCCHS under Dr. Green and his faculty has already shown positive results. As Hunter S. Thompson said, “A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.” While often overlooked, the school district is progressing in the right direction.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Aspiring journalist and local student Henry Jones conducted an interview with Dr. Green which he used to compose this article.
