Dear Saint Joe Community,

Thank you, again, to all who offered their input, perspectives, and heart-felt testimonies during our Town Hall meetings. Your feedback was heard and is integral to our decision-making process as a committee.

The Town Hall on February 14th hosted the entire student body and faculty, with seven students who chose to speak. At the February 15th Town Hall for parent and alumni audiences, about fifty people were in attendance, fifteen of whom spoke. The virtual Town Hall on the following evening hosted thirty people, twelve of whom provided public feedback. The final, in-person Town Hall on February 16th heard the perspectives of Saint Joe’s faculty and staff, fifteen of whom offered their perspective publicly.

At each in-person venue, individuals were offered the platform to speak before the Town Hall attendees and committee members. Directly following public testimonies, attendees were welcomed to gather in a small group format to foster more in-depth dialogue with committee members. Participants engaged, spoke, and listened respectfully. We are particularly proud of the students who notably set a precedent for civil discourse during the first Town Hall.
We have received 174 emails and 2,600+ survey responses across the student and alumni networks which have provided valuable points of access to the Saint Joe community’s voice. The survey and the committee email (nickname@saintjoehigh.com) are now closed as we complete the data collection portion of the committee’s evaluation process. The survey results are being reviewed in our meetings.
  
Prominent themes emerging across testimonies include the following:
  • Expressions of love and pride for Saint Joseph High School
  • Respect for the Pokagon Band and attestations of the importance of their published resolution
  • Urgings of the importance that all aspects of Saint Joe, including its nickname, be representative of our Catholic values

The community’s feedback, which has been heard, recorded, and discussed at recent committee meetings, has fostered rich discussion regarding a decision. Looking forward, an official recommendation will be presented by the committee to the school board in April or May.