Join the conversation for Vandegrift and its feeder schools, open through March 2

The rules for calculating grade point averages impacts course selection and mental health, one Vandegrift High School student shared at Monday night’s Community Conversation on Student Experience.

Everyone in the VHS community and feeder schools can enter the conversation about transformation in Leander ISD using Thoughtexchange, an online sharing platform that allows you to share your opinions and rate the ideas of other VHS community members. Click here to participate by submitting as many thoughts as you’d like and reviewing other comments by March 2 at 11:59 p.m.

“More student fun and relaxation – no more rank, fun student activities games and more spirit,” one community meeting participant wrote in the Thoughtexchange. “Vandegrift is incredibly competitive and has a problem with mental health, we‘d like more fun activities and spirit that doesn’t just focus on football.”

Attendees in the meeting, which included students, parents, teachers and staff in the VHS community and feeder schools, centered discussion around mental health; communication to parents about course offerings and curriculum; and more course options at all levels (elementary, middle and high school). 

The VHS Community Conversation on Student Experience is taking place in alignment with similar initiatives in the district’s other five high school communities. The district hosted meetings at Vista Ridge and Leander High schools earlier in the month. We will be at Cedar Park High School, Feb. 18; Rouse High School, Feb. 24; and Glenn High School, March 2.

To help us remain accessible, inclusive and transparent, we are asking the VHS community to help us share the Thoughtexchange link with your friends, neighbors, family and peers at www.leanderisd.org/vhsconvo/. After the conversation closes on March 2, the district will share the results online and in email to the VHS students, families, teachers and staff on March 10. We will have a districtwide report at the end of March and a State of the District on June 10.

“Listening to our parents and hearing our students talk about how our systems impact their academic choices and their mental health was a powerful moment,” said Superintendent Bruce Gearing, Ed.D. “Everyone has a voice and we need as many people as possible to enter this conversation.”