The Perry School District will be instituting a new program this coming school year, with an aim towards improving the working relationships between staff and students.

“Capturing Kids Hearts” will be rolled out at the middle and high schools this year in two parts, after the School Board recently approved funding for the program. Superintendent Clark Wicks says for part one of the program, there will be a two-day training session as part of their yearly inservice in August. Part two will then be held later in the year, and Wicks says it will dive into more detail on the relationship-building process.

Middle school teacher Kathy Pantzar, who had training in “Capturing Kids Hearts” prior to her arrival in Perry, presented the program to the Board, claiming it will help the District improve its overall learning environment. Wicks says he felt it was worth a try, and he’s hopeful it will increase every student’s opportunity for success. “We know that if there’s positive relationships, there’s going to be positive results. And that’s what we want to continue to build on. And I think we have a lot of that already going on, it’s just trying to go from good to great and to make sure that students know that the staff members at Perry Community Schools care about them.”

The total cost of the program is $67,000, which will be paid for through the Teacher Quality Categorical Fund.