Foley High School is implementing a new positive, proactive approach to bolstering attendance.

This initiative comes in the form of meetings with the individual classes within the school. Thus far, the juniors and seniors have been given an attendance pep talk. The sophomores received the same supportive talk Thursday morning, with the freshman class to follow.

County Attendance Officer Lorry Redditt, who led the meeting, said regular attendance has direct correlation with better passing grades.

“The main way you’re going to accomplish that is to be in school,” she said.

The major undercurrent of the meeting was to let the students know that the teachers and administrators are there to help them with any problems they may be having that is affecting their attendance.

Principal Russ Moore was one of many to vocalize that.

“If there’s some kind of problem making you not want to be here, please ask for help,” he said.

But not only is attendance important for grades, it also prepares students for life in the workforce.

“School is not just about math, science, social studies,” Moore said. It’s about life too.”

Alan Lee, superintendent for the Baldwin County Board of Education, reiterated this point.

He said as superintendent, he oversees approximately 3,000 employees and is well versed in what qualities to look for when hiring employees. He said good attendance and grades are indicative of work ethic.

He also shared a personal story of how his father only had an eighth-grade education. He always told Lee to put education first so that when it came time for employment, he could choose the job he wanted and not have to settle for a job just because of his education level.

“You want to be able to choose what you want to do,” Lee said.

Don Blanchard, executive principal of county high schools, told the students that life is not easy and lifelong practices are developed as early on as high school.

“We all have a hill to climb,” he said. “The decisions you make today determine how steep that hill is, or whether you flatten it out.

“We all stand and face the consequences of our decisions alone.”

He said school is a means by which to become a productive member of society.

“Everybody has to learn how to make their way in life,” Blanchard said.

While Redditt said the initiative centers on positive thoughts, supportive action and teamwork, Assistant Prinicipal Lynn Harrison also said there’s a bit of steel behind it.

“It’s a little bit of tough love,” she said.

Redditt said having high expectations for the students will help motivation them and creating incentives for those with the highest attendance will motivate, as well.

Mostly, it’s getting involved with the students to let them know they have help if there’s something causing their attendance to drop, whether it’s happening in the school or at home.

“This is a way for them in a non judgmental, safe environment to hear us and come to us later on a personal level,” Harrison said.

Redditt has worked as the county attendance officer for four years and is responsible for 15 schools in the county.

Foley High School is the largest in the county and Redditt said it possesses a “family environment,” which makes it a prime candidate to be the model for a countywide attendance program.

She said she hopes to take it countywide after establishing it in Foley, upon the approval of her supervisor Pamela Henson, director of curriculum and instruction for BCBE, and Lee.

The discussions with the students will take place quarterly, Harrison said.