In 2024, Jim Corkum realized there was a problem at Concord High School. Almost half of its students felt like they didn’t matter.
The realization came from the results of the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. About 53% of high schoolers in the “capital area” answered that they felt they mattered to people in their community, and Concord High School was in line with that percentage.
At the time, Corkum was assistant principal at the high school and shared the result with parents, students and staff. After 10 years in that role, Corkum stepped into the principal position in July. He said now, his goal is to make students feel like they are seen and heard.
“If you don’t feel like you belong, how can we then ensure that you’re getting educated and being able to move on to everything you’re capable of?” Corkum said.
One avenue in doing so is adjusting the school’s advisory program, which allows a small group of students to meet with a designated teacher or staff member focused on a central topic or theme. A change Corkum is implementing this year will let students choose the advisory class they attend. Corkum said the change will allow connections to build out of common interests.
He said students and staff seem excited about the switch based on conversations he’s had going from the summer into the fall.
“I can remember a teacher being like, ‘Oh, so I could run an advisory around fantasy football and my kids sign up and check out the top point getters and we could talk about setting our lineups,'” Corkum said. “I’m like, ‘Absolutely.’ If that’s something where you have that common ground to then start building the connection, I’m all for it.”
Corkum will continue focusing on restorative justice practices, an initiative started by superintendent Tim Herbert when he was in leadership at the high school. When an incident happens, these practices are used to teach students how to make things right and talk through how to move forward.
“It’s definitely a process in getting people on board and training, but I think it’s been a positive piece of how we do things here in the culture of the building,” Corkum said.
Through both advisory and restorative justice practices, Corkum said he wants more students to feel like they have a connection with a trusted adult.
A challenge for the high school this year is navigating a tough budget, Corkum said. He said about 12 teaching positions, an administration position, a counseling position and a variety of support staff positions were cut from the high school this year.
The loss of positions led to an uptick in class sizes, Corkum said.
“I know that there was some staff not feeling the most positive morale at the end of last year going into this year,” Corkum said. “I feel like they’ve really stepped up. I think it’s been a positive start to the year.”
The feedback from staff so far is that their classes are going well, Corkum said. He hopes to ride that momentum.
Corkum has always been tied to Concord High School as a Crimson Tide graduate himself. Beyond it being his alma mater, he said its diversity makes the school special to him.
“They grow together, they experience failures together, they’re resilient together,” Corkum said. “… Just the diverse experiences and backgrounds of the students who come here every day makes it really rewarding.”
