Four years ago, Kathy Longenbaugh took the role of high school principal at East Noble High School. Since she stepped into that position, the student body has noticed multiple changes to the face of the school. One of them is a series of vinyl panels around the building.
“Culture is very important to me,” Longenbaugh said, “I feel students want to see we care about the environment.”
Longenbaugh is doing this with a fresh and clean atmosphere.
It started with vinyls on the door. This was for school safety. “We don’t want outsiders to look in and see kids, especially at passing periods.”
Last year, students returning to school noticed a large panel in the entry hallway. It is the class of 2017 pulling the confetti sticks.
“One thing I love about East Noble is the confetti sticks (at graduation),” Longenbaugh said. “I thought about how cool would it be to have that on the wall?”
That was the start of the new decorating tradition. A vinyl was added to the guidance area that same year.
This school year, students noticed pictures that have lined the entry hallway were gone and a new Knight Pride vinyl was in its place. Two televisions were placed, one for announcements and one to run the academic accomplishments of the past.
She also added a set devoted to the poem “Roots and Wings” in the hall near the cafeteria.
“Every year, we honor the top ten seniors and have a ‘Roots and Wings’ dinner. They bring their parents and a teacher who has impacted them,” she said. “During the dinner, we talk about the contributions each student has made to the school and they talk about the teacher they brought.”
Longenbaugh said she got the idea about the roots and wings for the wall because it is a culmination for seniors. On the left is a tree with roots turning into butterflies flying away. The other are butterfly wings with multiple academic images.
Longenbaugh said the trend is spreading to the athletic department as well.
“The coaches have seen this and liked it. It’s a hidden treasure.”
In the football and boys basketball locker rooms and the weight room there are vinyls that inspire our athletes.
Longenbaugh said she tries to save a little money every year to add to the adventure. She said she would love to redo the cafeteria eventually.
She said she would like student input about future decorations.