Activities Related to the School Culture
(These are all found in Peterson and Deal, 2002, The Shaping School
Culture Fieldbook.)
1. What 6 adjectives describe your school? What were the main themes that
came up with your staff?
2. What songs did teachers think characterized the school? What was the
message in those songs? [What songs would characterize your school in
five years?]
3. What is the mascot (or flag) for your school? How does that mascot
connect to and reinforce the mission and values of the school?
4. What are the ceremonies, traditions and celebrations distributed over the
year? Which are the most important ceremonies that reinforce the
culture? Why are those important?
5. Provide an “advertisement” (or several) that staff has written about your
school. What is the core message of these advertisements?
6. Provide a history of the school for the past three decades based on what
staff has developed. What are the key themes about your culture that you
learned from the history?
7. Produce a PowerPoint that details the mission, values, and norms of the
school. Include photos, artifacts, and quotes from teachers, students and
parents.
8. What are the best ways that you communicate and reinforce the mission
of the school (newsletters, speeches, websites, etc.)? Provide examples
and a reflection on recommendations for improving this communication
focus.
9. Provide photos or a video of key school celebrations. Describe what
happens in the celebration.
10. Put all of your “Principals’ Columns” from the school newsletter into a
single Word file to show what you wrote to your staff and community.