École Fox Run School staff and students over the past year have experienced a transformation in their school.
During the 2024-25 school year, the school has seen an increase in student and staff satisfaction with the school culture, because of a plan that was executed throughout the year.
This year, staff decided to proactively address the challenges created by the pandemic and other external events that had a dampening impact on how students and staff felt about Fox Run.
So during the summer of 2024, a group of staff members took their own time to attend the Josten's Renaissance Global Conference in the United States, which was a conference focused on school culture, and specifically developing strong, positive relationships and connections to the school.
Thanks to the conference, Fox Run staff members who went were able to collect best practices from schools all over North America, to develop a potential plan for Fox Run when they returned and presented their observations and thoughts with the rest of the staff in August.
"Our goal was simple but powerful: build a school culture where every student and staff member feels seen, valued, and connected — every single day,” Fox Run Principal Don Rattray said.
"We wanted to shift from ‘managing’ behaviour to nurturing belonging. After some challenging years, we knew that deep relationships and a united sense of purpose had to be at the heart of everything.”
To plan fun and engaging activities meant to build strong school spirit, staff, and leadership, students worked together to provide various activities throughout the year, including:
- Dividing the students into five coloured 'houses' to create camaraderie and friendly competition across various classrooms and grade levels at assemblies
- 'Hungry Hippos' live game at a month-end recognition party
- Mobile treat cart for staff/faculty
- 'Oilers Jersey' Day
- 'Rhyme without reason' rhyming day, where students partnered up with one or two other students, dressing as rhyming characters
- Month-end celebrations to recognize students who consistently met their goals. 90 per cent of students attended these
- Every staff member choosing to actively participate in school spirit activities
- Staff members volunteering for events with students after school at the school and in the community
- Staff members planning and organizing 'Student Leadership Nights' at the school and in the community
Thanks to the changes, over the past year, the school has seen a 20 per cent increase in the satisfaction of students, staff, and parents with how safe and caring Fox Run School is.
"You can feel the difference — this is a place where people want to be. This has been a successful year with strong connections and relationships," Grade 8 teacher Cody Reynolds said.
"This year, we saw strong relationships grow between staff and students, and that sense of connection has transformed our culture. We’ve had a noticeable decline in behaviour incidents and a clear increase in positive feedback from both students and families through our survey data. It’s been a successful year, not because of one program, but because our whole staff leaned in, stayed consistent, and made the day-to-day moments matter.”
Throughout the school year, there has been a very happy and connected vibe, Rattray said.
"Students and staff comment about how great this school year has been, and we have had visitors to the school comment on how welcoming the school feels when walking into it and around it. In our meetings with individual staff members in May, many commented on how they felt that this is the best year they’ve had in a while.”
“The impact of this work has been much larger than we initially anticipated. What started as a focus to strengthen relationships and build culture grew to more and can be seen in all corners of the school. The atmosphere feels more positive and welcoming, and students love being a part of it.”
