Rebecca Guest’s work to support a collaborative and supportive culture at Vienna High School has been so successful that the school earned “Strong” ratings in all five categories of Illinois’ 2024 5Essentials Survey. The annual survey of students, teachers and parents is used to identify areas of improvement for learning environment and culture at schools across the state.
Guest has also played a key role in developing comprehensive plans to expand computer science and cybersecurity education with a focus on equitable access for all students, said Phillip Hosfeldt, dean of system programs at Vienna High School.
Guest’s “Get Into the Learning Zone” campaign, aimed at refocusing students in the wake of COVID-19, highlighted the importance of distraction-free learning environments through policies that limited cellphones and backpacks during instructional time.
Furthermore, student engagement efforts like an “End of Summer Beach Party/Club Rush” have helped to build connections among students and staff, boosting engagement to the point that only eight out of 390 students reported no participation in school activities during the last school year, Hosfeldt said.