In an effort to increase parent involvement, a new program has been created to help parents feel more welcome on campus.

“My job is to enhance parent engagement to get more parents involved,” Head of the Parent Involvement Program Eric Hurst said.

Assistant Principal Darwert Johnson is also involved.

“We need someone who can go out into the community to be an advocate for our school and to be our voice to the community,” Johnson said.

Junior Alex Taylor said family involvement is necessary.

“It’s important to show parents and their kids that school is not as bad as people make it out to be,” she said.

Hurst said he hopes the new program will bring about progress.

“The statistics say campuses do not improve without parent involvement,” Hurst said.

Taylor said it is important to show parents that their children can be successful at this school.

“It’s great (to) inform (parents) about what the school is really capable of and show that we have a good academic and athletic program,” he said.

Features of the program have already begun.

“We’ve just started campus tours, Wednesdays at 9 a.m.,” Johnson said.

Starting April 24, parents will be able to have coffee with the principals.

“We created a system where we communicate with parents more effectively,” Hurst said. “We have meetings once a month.”

Hurst said that parents need to stay updated.

“A lot of parents still think that school education is like it was when they were going to school,” he said. “So much has changed.”