<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">LaGrange High School will implement a new approach to school leadership this year. It will be the first in the district to completely follow the “transformational model” and begin the process from scratch.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">LaGrange has three new administrators, and all five of the administrators decided to use the model to lead the school, said Chief Academic Officer Tommy Campbell.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“The most important part of it — and the basis for the whole process — is something that’s called ‘idealized influence,’ ” Campbell said. “Basically that means the administrators here at the school will set for themselves a set of rigorous expectations.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">These expectations include professionalism, work ethic and integrity. Campbell said the model will be good for the school and the students. Once administrators follow this model well, he said, the faculty will be able to imitate the ideals. In turn, the students will likely create better expectations for themselves as well, he said.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The school is also being led by an 18-member team made up of faculty and administrators. One thing the team does weekly is have a huddle to “fire ourselves up,” said Principal Samuel Baynes.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“We’re ready to go,” he said. “I just need support. I just need people that want to make a difference, not only here at the school, (but) the community we have an impact in.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Erin Harless, academic director at LaGrange, is part of the leadership team. She said it will work together to make decisions about issues at the school.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“What we’ve realized as teachers is that we are the best model for our students,” she said. “We have to show them what it means to be professional, what it means to have respect, what it means to work with your peers, to be collaborative. So we have to not only hold our student expectations high, but we have to have even higher expectations for ourselves as teachers.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The Link Crew, made up of juniors and seniors, helped create student expectations.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“We were especially proud of what they came out with,” Campbell said. “They were very willing and very eager to have a school where students are held to a high level of accountability.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Renee Simien, a Link Crew leader and junior at LaGrange, said being a part of the process has been rewarding.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“We’re so excited that our leaders have come together,” she said. “And we’ve had so many examples of what we want our students to live by: taking ownership of your education, aiding one another, be respectful.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Baynes said this school year will be different because of the attention to detail in the procedures and rules on campus. He said to change the social issues at the school, administrators have to change the way the leadership looks at those issues. Smith added that having so many leaders will make it easier for students like her to have their voices heard.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Campbell said he hopes the transformational model will be used in the future around the district, including the schools that feed into LaGrange.</span>

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<p class="p1">Follow Shannon Roberts on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/ShannonAmPress"><span class="s1">twitter.com/ShannonAmPress</span></a>

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