• Attendance Rates
• Discipline Rates
• Number of FARMS students
• 9th Grade Pass or Promotion rates

• Socio-Economic Issues (employment, income levels, housing costs)
• Access to transportation
• Limited English proficiency for students and/or families
• Families in Crisis (mental, physical emotional, financial)
• Substance Abuse
• Inclusion of Clubs

Due to the challenges and conditions that some of our students are facing in their homes (poverty, lack of transportation, limited English proficiency, family crises, substance abuse) and their need to feel a part of our school community, we are committed to providing a positive, inviting, and understanding atmosphere in our school building. This takes place in many forms – starting with an understanding of our community and its needs, through professional development for staff. Additionally, a connection to an adult, club, group, organization, or peer is critically important for all of our students as it creates a stronger sense of belonging for all. It is also our hope that our anti-bullying/Kindness Campaigns, initiation of mentoring programs, access to resources and staff during Bulldog Block, involvement in student leadership opportunities that provide students with a voice, and incentives through our Bulldog Beliefs program all contribute to our students feeling like valued members of the school community and ultimately increase student attendance at school.

Key Challenge #2:  Substance abuse

 Substance abuse in South County and the Southern feeder continues to be a key challenge.  This part of the county has not been immune to the opioid epidemic. In addition to the opioid epidemic, students are susceptible to both alcohol use as well as tobacco and marijuana products through the use of electronic delivery systems, such as vape pens and Juuls.  Southern has partnered with various community groups in the past and has implemented Project Purple, consisting of student pledges and guest speakers to address this growing problem in our local area. We are also in the process of establishing our own chapter of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) for the 2019-20 school year.  There is significant interest in creating this student-led organization among our students, staff, parents, and community members. 

Key Challenge #3:  Families in crisis (mental, physical, emotional, financial)

Our number of families in crisis is increasing due to several of the key challenges mentioned above.  In addition to rising poverty levels, lack of transportation, and substance abuse, limited resources are available for mental health and financial support within our feeder area.  In order to access a variety of supports and resources, our families must travel up to 20 miles to the Annapolis area, out of county, or beyond. Additionally, our students are often impacted by their experiences at home, and seek support from our counselors and psychologists during the school day.  As a result of the growing support needed, we do provide therapeutic services to students through the Children’s Guild therapist, and we connect families to multiple community-provided resources through our Pupil Personnel Worker. 

• Significant changes over time in student/community demographics
• Access to (or lack of access) to public transportation

Key Challenge #1:  Access to transportation

In part due to the expanse of the rural region, transportation in South County continues to be an area of need.  Limited access to private transportation is a result of the rising poverty level in our area. Some of our students and their families have limited access to transportation to school if they miss the bus. Their ability to attend evening informational events, extracurricular activities, or social events are also impacted by their limited access to transportation. There have been several trial runs of public transportation in our area, but none of the previous routes have had enough ridership to continue their respective programs.