School should not feel like jail. This is one strong belief that Dr. Lisa Roberts, Grandview’s principal, believes in.

“Students should feel comfortable at school and should feel free to grow and learn,” Roberts said. “As students you are afforded all the freedoms you deserve so long as they are handled responsibly.”

These were the standards in which Responsible Freedoms- Grandview’s previous honor system- were based upon. While these ideas are still applicable to Grandview’s community, Roberts, along with other staff, continued to evolve the idea of Responsible Freedoms. 

“Teachers believed ‘Responsible Freedoms’ as a concept was too vague.  We developed ‘The Way of the Wolf’ as a guide for students to see what it means to be a wolf and what we all expect of each other,” Roberts said. 

W.O.L.F. is an acronym- each letter standing for one pillar students or staff can be identified for; wellness, ownership, leadership, and focus. Roberts believes that by highlighting the good instead of punishing the bad is more effective. 

“If you are always told ‘Don’t do this and don’t do that,’ then you will always feel like you are doing something wrong.  Instead, we explain what wolves do and present it in a positive light. It hopefully helps you see that this is already who you are and what you do,” Roberts said. 

In order to be W.O.W’d (Way of the WOLF’d) the individual must be nominated.

“[The nominator] lists which criteria they are awarding and writes a kind note on the form about what specifically [the nominee] has done to earn this high praise,” Grandview’s Activities Director, Alison Beaird said.

W.O.W.s were originally implemented at the beginning of the year, but there have already been changes made to the system. In the past, only student-to-staff and staff-to-student nominations were recognized, but not anymore. 

For the first time last week, a student-to-student W.O.W was accepted. 

“We hope they bring positivity to and recognition of students and staff doing great things.  We know there is so much good happening, and when it’s recognized it feels even better,” Roberts said. 

While staff-to-student and student-to-staff W.O.Ws indicate who the nominator was, student-to-student W.O.Ws are completely anonymous. To nominate someone for W.O.W, the process is different for students and staff. 

“There is a slide in every Wednesday advisory for students [where students can submit nominations], and the W.O.W nominations form goes out to staff every Monday,” Beaird said. 

W.O.W awards not only show appreciation, but can also be put on college applications. Those who win the award receive an email from “GVH W.O.W. Award”.

“The ‘You Got Wow’d Certificate’ is attached, and they get to read in the body of the email what the nominator said about them. We have had positive feedback on replies from students on this,” Beaird said. 

Beaird hopes that the award will help have a positive impact on the Grandview community, facilitating positive connections between students and staff and even student to student. 

“My hope would be that it is a new way for a lot of different people to get recognized and celebrated,” said Beaird. “In our world today, there is a lot to be frustrated about, but if for a brief moment people can be celebrated and acknowledged by peers or staff, I hope will go a long way.”

Students can nominate staff and other students as this link:

Click here