1. DUNN addressed many rumors and questions during a recent interview. One rumor around school lately said that Dr. Dunn was leaving. Allow this to be put to rest right now: “Never was there an intention, never was there a plan, never was there a thought,” Dr. Dunn said. “I don’t know where rumors start, but never was there a thought of leaving.”

Starting off this new year, Dr. Dunn and Granger’s faculty have been working on ways to improve school. “We will continue to find ways to reward students,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re celebrating good behavior.” Although G-Cards are no-longer useful in the G-Store, Dunn indicates that students will be rewarded, whether “through G-Cards or a point system.”

“I think that we always have to deal with the sheer size of the school.” Although, at this time, no specific new reward systems have been carved in stone. “When you’re doing positive things, it can cost a lot of money, depending on how you set it up,” Dunn said.

However, if students do the right things, rewards will come next year. “There are key things that I value in every student: they come to school, they learn, they have fun, and they’re safe.”

He hints at a plan in the making, saying, “I think we’re going to find ways to have activities each term to recognize students for good attendance or good grades.”

As for testing, it seems that Granite School District will be keeping SchoolCity for another year, despite the frustration it has brought to teachers and students at Granger. “I think School City is there,” Dr. Dunn said, “and we can look at it as a tool to inform us and give us information on how we’re working with students. It helps identify if students are learning or not.”

Granger also has new staff members at the school. “Right now, we may be on track to get 13-15 new teachers,” Dr. Dunn added. “There’s only going to be about two really new positions. The rest are replacing teachers who are retiring or moving to a new place.”

A couple of those teachers include Mr. Parker and Mr. Clapier.

There will also be a few new classes. “Because of the size of our student population, we needed to expand a few class offerings and sections.”

One thing that has happened every year since Granger was rebuilt has been the increasing lunchtime restrictions. Some students are concerned that their time and space will only get smaller in the upcoming year. “You really can’t shrink it more,” he said. “Our goal this past year was to just keep our academic halls clear, and now we don’t have food in the stairwells.”

Speaking of lunch, Mr. Pace will no longer be running the G-Store, and everyone is uncertain about who will take his place. “It’s still in transition. We have to consider what kind of classes this person will be teaching.” It all depends on what classes Mr. Pace will be teaching next year. “Some of those things aren’t completely clear yet.”

Though next year’s plans are still in their early stages and will be fine-tuned during the next few months, Granger is working for two specific goals. “We need to continue to make this school a safe place and teach students to take pride in their education,” Dunn said.

Granger is always striving to keep the peace and show pride. If students can just do a little better every year, whether by improving their behavior or doing just a bit more in their classes, that’s all the administration asks for.