Aligning Public Recognition With Student Identity to Improve Retention

In this culture minute, Mike DeJohn challenges school administrators to recognize that institutional culture is defined by what they celebrate in public, not by their private values. When schools prioritize athletics over the arts in their public recognition, they send a systemic signal to students that their specific passions and identities are secondary. This creates a risk of silent attrition, where students who find their purpose in the arts feel alienated from the school itself. For administrators, the advantage of diversifying public celebration lies in increasing student engagement and retention. By shifting the focus from extracurricular activities to educational environments, leadership can foster a more inclusive culture that captures the passion of every student and helps them feel they truly belong.

The Hidden Cost of Selective Celebration

Most school administrators assume their support for students is equitable, but they often fall into a trap of visibility. They focus on what is easy to measure or what has historically dominated the public stage, such as athletics. DeJohn argues that this creates a feedback loop: students observe what is announced, posted, and highlighted, and they internalize those priorities as the true values of the school.

"Students notice what we celebrate. They notice what gets announced over the intercom. They notice what gets posted on social media or what gets recognized at student assemblies. And then they also hear what gets highlighted inside of board meetings. And eventually those students begin to believe that those things matter more."

-- Mike DeJohn

When schools consistently elevate one domain while treating the arts as mere activities, they unintentionally signal to a large segment of the student body that their developmental journey is less significant. This is a systemic issue rather than just a matter of hurt feelings. The arts are classrooms where students learn the same resilience, teamwork, and discipline found on the field. When these environments are ignored in the public narrative, the school loses the ability to use those spaces as primary drivers of student success.

Why the Obvious Fix Makes Things Worse

The conventional approach to balancing school culture often involves trying to force arts and athletics into competition. Administrators might try to split resources or airtime, but this misses the systemic reality. DeJohn notes that the arts and athletics are not mutually exclusive; they often share the same students. A student can be a captain on the field and a leader in the band room.

The real danger is treating the arts as extracurricular. By framing them this way, administrators create a barrier for students who find their primary motivation for attending school within those programs. The downstream effect of this classification is a decrease in student retention. If a student's reason for coming to school is treated as an afterthought by the administration, their commitment to the entire educational system weakens.

"For many students, the arts aren't just something that they do after school. The arts in many cases are the reason they even come to school."

-- Mike DeJohn

The 18-Month Payoff: Building an Extraordinary Culture

Shifting the culture requires patience and a deliberate change in how leadership communicates. This is not a policy change that yields results in a single week; it is a long-term investment in the social fabric of the school. By intentionally highlighting arts-based achievements with the same fervor as athletics, administrators can shift the student body's perception of belonging over 12 to 18 months.

This creates a competitive advantage for the school: a culture where every student feels seen is a culture with higher engagement, lower disciplinary issues, and stronger student-teacher relationships. The payoff is a school environment that feels extraordinary because it no longer forces students to choose between their identity and the approval of their school.

Key Action Items

• Audit your public recognition channels: Over the next month, track the ratio of arts-related to athletics-related content on social media and intercom announcements. If the gap is wide, acknowledge it as a blind spot.
• Reframe the language: Stop referring to fine arts as extracurriculars in board meetings and staff communications. Begin calling them educational environments to signal their importance to staff and parents.
• Conduct a Passion Audit: In your next leadership meeting, ask: "Does every student in this building believe their passion matters here?" Use the answer to identify which student groups currently feel invisible.
• Diversify your visibility strategy: Over the next quarter, make a point to highlight a student who bridges two worlds, such as the athlete who is also a musician. This breaks down the us vs. them identity silos.
• Invest in the Backstage narrative: Focus on the behind-the-scenes problem-solving and leadership skills developed in theater tech and band. This reframes the arts as a training ground for professional life, not just performance.