Touch Board for Teacher Appreciation: Complete Guide to Modern Educator Recognition in 2025

Modern teacher appreciation extends beyond annual events and generic thank-you gifts. Schools that excel at educator recognition create visible, ongoing systems where teaching excellence receives the same prominence as student achievements, athletic victories, and institutional milestones. Digital recognition solutions like interactive touch boards make comprehensive, lasting teacher appreciation achievable for schools of all sizes and budgets.

Interactive touch boards create engaging teacher appreciation experiences that celebrate educator contributions throughout school communities

What Are Touch Boards and Why Schools Need Them for Teacher Appreciation

Understanding what makes touch boards fundamentally different from traditional recognition helps schools make informed decisions about modernizing educator appreciation systems.

The Evolution of Teacher Recognition

Teacher appreciation has evolved significantly as schools discover limitations of traditional approaches:

Traditional Recognition Challenges

• Limited visibility confined to staff lounges or administrative areas students rarely visit
• Static displays offering no storytelling or depth beyond names and years of service
• Space constraints preventing comprehensive recognition as faculty grows
• Recognition that becomes outdated quickly as teachers earn new achievements
• Minimal engagement from students, families, and community members
• Administrative burden maintaining multiple physical displays across buildings

These limitations cause many schools to struggle with teacher appreciation that adequately honors all educators. When only milestone achievements like retirement receive prominent recognition, the daily dedication that defines teaching excellence goes largely unacknowledged.

The Digital Touch Board Solution

Interactive touch boards overcome traditional limitations through technology that enables unlimited recognition capacity for all educators, rich multimedia storytelling displaying teaching impact, interactive exploration encouraging community engagement, flexible content organization accommodating diverse recognition, real-time updates honoring achievements immediately, and prominent placement creating visibility matching teacher importance.

Solutions like Rocket Alumni Solutions provide comprehensive digital recognition platforms combining touchscreen displays with cloud-based content management, enabling schools to honor every educator appropriately while creating sustainable systems serving communities for decades.

Digital touch boards eliminate space constraints while providing engaging interactive experiences for teacher appreciation

Core Benefits of Touch Board Teacher Recognition

Schools implementing interactive touch boards report significant improvements in educator appreciation effectiveness and community engagement:

Comprehensive Faculty Recognition

Traditional displays accommodate limited numbers of teachers before running out of space. Touch board systems recognize unlimited educators across career stages without physical constraints. Single displays present entire faculty through searchable interfaces enabling students and families to find specific teachers instantly, creating comprehensive inclusion impossible with traditional installations.

This unlimited capacity ensures every teacher receives appropriate acknowledgment, from first-year educators to veteran staff members, building cultures where all teaching contributions are visible and celebrated.

Engaging Multimedia Storytelling

Touch boards enable recognition extending far beyond name listings including teacher photographs and biographical information, video testimonials from students explaining impact, classroom innovation documentation, award and achievement celebrations, extracurricular involvement and club sponsorships, professional development and advanced credentials, and alumni reflections on teachers who changed their lives.

This storytelling capability transforms teacher appreciation from simple acknowledgment to meaningful communication about educational impact and professional excellence. When communities see specific examples of how teachers affect students—lives changed, passions discovered, challenges overcome—recognition becomes more meaningful than name placement alone.

Learn about comprehensive storytelling approaches in digital recognition displays that translate effectively to educator appreciation.

Student and Family Engagement

Interactive touchscreen systems create engagement traditional plaques cannot match. Students can search for favorite teachers, explore educator backgrounds and interests, view classroom highlights and student testimonials, discover teacher hobbies and community involvement, and share appreciation digitally with family members.

This interactivity encourages students to spend time engaging with recognition displays, increasing awareness of teacher dedication while creating opportunities for students to express gratitude inspired by learning about educator contributions beyond their own classroom experiences.

Touchscreen interfaces make exploring teacher recognition intuitive and engaging for students, families, and community members

Sustainable and Cost-Effective

While initial investment in touch board systems may exceed traditional plaques, long-term costs strongly favor digital approaches. Traditional displays require physical updates as teachers earn new achievements, costly replacements as faculty changes, and limited flexibility accommodating growing staff. Touch board systems eliminate these recurring expenses while providing unlimited capacity and enhanced functionality traditional installations cannot match.

Schools report that digital recognition typically achieves cost parity with traditional approaches within 3-5 years, after which the savings and enhanced capabilities compound significantly.

Prominent Placement Possibilities

Touch boards enable teacher recognition in high-visibility locations where students, families, and visitors naturally gather—main lobbies and entrances where everyone passes daily, cafeterias and common areas during lunch and activities, libraries and media centers where students study, outside administrative offices where families visit, and near auditoriums and gymnasiums hosting community events.

This prominent placement ensures teacher appreciation receives visibility reflecting educator importance to school success, moving recognition from hidden staff areas to positions of pride throughout buildings.

Key Features of Effective Touch Board Teacher Appreciation Systems

Understanding essential capabilities helps schools select digital recognition solutions that meet current needs while remaining flexible for future growth.

Interactive Display and Search Functionality

User-friendly interfaces make exploring teacher recognition intuitive for all community members:

Search and Discovery Tools

• Name search enabling students to find specific teachers quickly
• Department or subject area filters showing educators by discipline
• Years of service searches highlighting tenure and experience
• Award and achievement filters revealing recognition earned
• Club and activity sponsorship searches finding advisor information
• Alphabetical browsing organized clearly for easy exploration

Natural Navigation

Effective systems enable easy navigation through simple touch gestures familiar from smartphones, clear visual hierarchy guiding attention appropriately, consistent design patterns reducing learning curves, featured content spotlighting priority recognition, and random teacher profiles ensuring all educators receive visibility beyond search-based discovery.

Student-Friendly Design

Touch board interfaces should accommodate diverse users including appropriate screen heights for elementary through high school students, large touch targets easy for younger users to select, simple language and clear instructions, engaging visuals maintaining attention, and age-appropriate content presentation.

Explore accessibility best practices in digital recognition systems ensuring inclusive teacher celebration.

Thoughtfully designed interfaces encourage students and families to explore teacher recognition displays throughout school buildings

Comprehensive Content Management

Cloud-based platforms simplify recognition administration and content updates:

User-Friendly Administrative Interfaces

School staff should be able to manage teacher recognition without technical expertise through simple dashboards requiring no coding knowledge, drag-and-drop content organization, bulk import tools for faculty data, role-based permissions enabling appropriate staff access, automatic backups protecting information, and preview functionality showing changes before publication.

Flexible Content Organization

Touch board systems should accommodate diverse recognition structures including departmental organization by subject area, recognition by years of service and tenure, award and achievement categories, extracurricular and club sponsorship sections, special recognition for mentor teachers and department chairs, and retired educator halls of honor maintaining connection to legacy.

This organizational flexibility enables comprehensive recognition across all educator types and contribution categories within unified systems.

Real-Time Update Capabilities

Cloud connectivity enables immediate recognition updates including adding new teachers at hiring, updating credentials and advanced degrees earned, celebrating awards and recognition received, acknowledging milestone years of service, featuring classroom advances and projects, and refreshing content maintaining engagement over time.

According to education technology platforms, real-time update capability dramatically improves teacher satisfaction by ensuring timely recognition that acknowledges accomplishments promptly rather than waiting for annual events or physical display updates.

Multimedia and Impact Storytelling

Rich content capabilities distinguish digital recognition from traditional plaques:

Video Integration

Touch boards can incorporate teacher welcome videos introducing themselves to school communities, classroom tour videos showing teaching environments and approaches, student testimonial videos explaining teacher impact, professional development highlights, alumni reflection videos from former students, and retirement celebration videos honoring career contributions.

Video content creates emotional connections impossible with text-only recognition while demonstrating the profound impact teachers have on student lives.

Photo Galleries and Visual Documentation

Image displays showing classroom activities and engaged students, field trip and experiential learning moments, club and activity highlights, staff collaboration and professional development, special events and celebrations, and historical photos documenting teaching careers help families and students visualize teaching dedication and excellence.

Teacher Profile Content

Individual teacher pages can include professional photographs and department identification, educational background and credentials, teaching philosophy statements, subject specialties and grade levels, extracurricular involvement and club sponsorships, awards and recognition received, personal interests and hobbies humanizing educators, and inspirational messages for students.

Rich profiles transform recognition from simple name listings to meaningful celebration of teachers’ professional excellence and personal dedication to student success.

Learn about effective impact communication through academic recognition programs that strengthen school communities.

Student Contribution Features

Advanced touch boards enable student participation in teacher appreciation:

Student Testimonial Submissions

Some systems allow students to submit appreciation messages that, after administrative review, appear on teacher profiles. These authentic student voices provide powerful recognition that colleagues and administrators cannot replicate, creating meaningful appreciation directly from those teachers serve.

Digital Thank-You Notes

Touch boards can include features enabling students to write digital thank-you notes viewable by teachers through administrative dashboards. This creates ongoing appreciation opportunities beyond formal recognition, building cultures where gratitude becomes regular practice rather than annual event.

Alumni Reflections

Schools can incorporate features allowing graduates to return virtually and share reflections on teachers who influenced their lives, creating recognition that spans decades and demonstrates long-term teaching impact.

Implementation: Planning and Installing Touch Board Teacher Recognition

Successful implementation requires thoughtful planning and systematic execution ensuring recognition systems meet school needs effectively.

Needs Assessment and Planning

Begin with comprehensive evaluation establishing clear requirements:

Current State Assessment

• Inventory existing teacher recognition approaches and limitations
• Identify recognition gaps and missed opportunities
• Evaluate teacher satisfaction with current acknowledgment
• Assess physical spaces available for recognition displays
• Review technology infrastructure and capabilities
• Analyze budget availability and constraints

Stakeholder Input Gathering

Engage key constituencies in planning including teacher perspectives on recognition preferences, administrative input on organizational priorities, student feedback on what makes teachers memorable, parent perspectives on educator appreciation, facilities and IT staff technical considerations, and school board input on budget and values alignment.

Comprehensive stakeholder engagement ensures recognition systems align with diverse school community needs while maintaining broad support.

Recognition Philosophy and Categories

Establish principles governing teacher recognition including commitment to honoring all educators regardless of tenure, balance between professional achievements and personal dedication, permanence standards for long-term recognition, flexibility enabling personalization within consistent frameworks, and ethical guidelines ensuring all teachers feel valued.

Clear philosophies prevent ad hoc decisions creating inconsistencies or approaches conflicting with school values.

Strategic planning ensures teacher recognition spaces become destinations encouraging community engagement

Technology Selection and Vendor Evaluation

Choosing appropriate solutions requires careful consideration of options:

Hardware Considerations

• Display size and resolution appropriate for viewing distance and space
• Touchscreen technology quality and responsiveness
• Commercial-grade components ensuring continuous operation reliability
• Mounting options including wall-mounted displays or freestanding kiosks
• Connectivity requirements for network and power
• Warranty coverage and expected equipment lifespan

Software Platform Requirements

Evaluate content management capabilities including simple administrative interfaces requiring minimal technical expertise, reliable teacher data import and management tools, customization options for school branding and design, multimedia support for photos, videos, and diverse content, security features protecting personnel information, and web integration enabling online access.

Vendor Assessment Criteria

Select providers with relevant experience including portfolio of educational recognition installations, technical support availability and responsiveness, training resources for staff and administrators, content creation assistance and design services, long-term viability and platform development roadmap, and integration capabilities with existing school systems.

Solutions like Rocket Alumni Solutions specialize in comprehensive recognition displays for educational institutions, offering platforms designed specifically for teacher appreciation with proven implementation processes and ongoing support.

Budget and Timeline Development

Establish realistic financial and schedule expectations including initial hardware and software investment, installation and integration costs, content development and design services, training and change management expenses, ongoing subscription and maintenance costs, and phased implementation coordinating with school calendar or events.

Comprehensive budgets prevent surprises while ensuring adequate resources for quality implementations that honor teachers appropriately.

Installation and Content Development

Professional installation ensures optimal functionality and appearance:

Site Preparation

• Electrical infrastructure for display power requirements
• Network connectivity through hardwired ethernet or reliable WiFi
• Mounting surface preparation and reinforcement if needed
• Cable management and concealment planning
• ADA compliance verification for accessibility
• Lighting considerations ensuring optimal display visibility

Display Installation Process

Professional mounting at appropriate heights and viewing angles, screen calibration and touch functionality testing, media player and computer configuration, network connection setup and security implementation, quality assurance testing before launch, and staff training on basic operation and troubleshooting.

Initial Content Creation

Comprehensive content preparation including faculty database cleanup ensuring accuracy, recognition category establishment and naming, teacher profile information gathering with permissions, impact story content collecting testimonials and achievements, design template customization reflecting school branding, and multimedia content curation from photos and videos.

Thoughtful content development ensures recognition feels polished and professional from launch while establishing frameworks for ongoing updates.

Professional installation ensures teacher recognition displays integrate seamlessly with school aesthetics

Launch and Ongoing Management

Successful launches create excitement while establishing sustainable management:

Soft Launch and Testing

Before official dedication, conduct staff and leadership previews identifying issues, gather test user feedback on usability and functionality, verify content accuracy catching errors before public display, test technical performance ensuring reliable operation, and incorporate feedback making refinements before broader announcement.

Official Dedication and Promotion

Formal launches should include teacher appreciation events celebrating educators, faculty meetings introducing the new recognition system, student assemblies demonstrating how to use touch boards, parent communication explaining appreciation features, media coverage amplifying recognition visibility, and integration into school communications and marketing.

Celebratory launches demonstrate institutional commitment to teacher recognition while maximizing awareness among students, families, and community members.

Sustainable Management Protocols

Establish ongoing administration including clear role assignment for content updates, regular update schedules maintaining currency, quality assurance processes preventing errors, teacher communication about recognition opportunities, technical maintenance ensuring reliable operation, and content refreshment keeping displays engaging over time.

Systematic management ensures recognition remains current, accurate, and effective long after initial implementation excitement fades.

Learn about sustainable management approaches in touchscreen software systems ensuring long-term success.

Creative Teacher Appreciation Content Ideas for Touch Boards

Diverse content keeps recognition fresh and engaging while honoring different aspects of teaching excellence.

Professional Achievement Recognition

Celebrate formal accomplishments and credentials:

Advanced Degrees and Certifications

• Master’s and doctoral degrees earned
• National Board Certification achievements
• Specialized teaching endorsements
• Professional development milestones
• Continuing education accomplishments
• Research and publication contributions

Teaching Awards and Honors

• District and state Teacher of the Year awards
• Subject-specific teaching excellence recognition
• Professional association honors
• Grant awards for classroom innovations
• Community service recognition
• Alumni association teaching awards

Years of Service Milestones

• 5, 10, 15, 20, 25+ year anniversaries
• Career dedication highlights
• Institutional history contributions
• Multi-generational teaching families
• Retirement celebrations
• Legacy educator recognition

Student Impact Storytelling

Focus on how teachers change student lives:

Student Testimonials

Collect and feature student reflections explaining teacher impact through video testimonials from current students, written statements describing specific help received, graduation reflections on influential teachers, college acceptance stories crediting teacher support, career inspiration statements, and life lesson acknowledgments beyond academic content.

These authentic student voices provide recognition more powerful than administrative praise, demonstrating real-world teaching effectiveness.

Classroom Excellence Highlights

Display teaching excellence through project-based learning documentation, experiential education examples, technology integration stories, differentiated instruction approaches, culturally responsive teaching practices, and student engagement strategies.

Academic Growth Documentation

Feature stories demonstrating teaching impact including struggling student success stories, advanced placement program growth, standardized test improvement results, student competition achievements, college acceptance and scholarship wins, and skills developed beyond curriculum.

Compelling content design encourages students to explore teacher profiles and learn about educator contributions

Beyond-Classroom Contributions

Recognize the extensive work teachers perform outside instruction:

Extracurricular Involvement

• Club and organization sponsorships
• Athletic coaching and team support
• Drama, music, and arts program leadership
• Academic competition coaching
• Student government advising
• Service learning coordination

School Leadership Contributions

• Department chair responsibilities
• Curriculum development leadership
• Mentor teacher programs
• Committee service and governance
• School improvement initiatives
• Professional learning community facilitation

Community Engagement

• Volunteer work connecting to teaching
• Community partnership development
• Parent engagement initiatives
• Local organization leadership
• Alumni mentorship programs
• Community event participation

Personal Connection Features

Humanize teachers beyond professional roles:

Teacher Interest Profiles

Help students connect with teachers personally through hobbies and interests shared, family information teachers choose to include, educational journey stories, inspiration for becoming teachers, favorite books, music, or cultural interests, and advice for students pursuing education careers.

Fun Facts and Personality

• Unique skills or talents
• Travel experiences
• Hidden talents
• Favorite subjects as students
• Memorable teaching moments
• Personal mottos or philosophies

These personal elements help students see teachers as whole people, strengthening relationships and increasing appreciation for dedication required to serve students effectively.

Special Recognition Categories for Touch Boards

Thoughtful categorization ensures diverse teaching excellence receives appropriate acknowledgment.

Career Stage Recognition

Honor teachers at different points in professional journeys:

New Teacher Welcome

Feature first-year educators with welcoming profiles introducing them to school communities, educational background and preparation, teaching philosophy and approach, excitement about joining faculty, subjects and grade levels taught, and previous experience or student teaching placements.

This immediate recognition helps new teachers feel valued while helping students and families learn about educators joining their school.

Mid-Career Excellence

Celebrate established teachers demonstrating sustained excellence through effective teaching practices developed, department leadership emergence, mentor teacher designation, professional development leadership, curriculum contributions, and consistent student success patterns.

Veteran Educator Honors

Recognize experienced teachers providing institutional knowledge through decades of service milestones, institutional history preservation, multi-generational student and family relationships, teaching philosophy evolution, professional legacy documentation, and preparation for retirement transitions.

Subject-Specific Recognition

Organize appreciation by academic departments:

STEM Educator Recognition

Celebrate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers through laboratory and hands-on learning innovations, student competition successes, college STEM major inspiration, career and technical education connections, research project mentorship, and industry partnership development.

Explore STEM-specific approaches through CTE program digital displays adaptable to recognition.

Arts and Humanities Appreciation

Honor teachers in English, social studies, languages, fine arts, and performing arts through creative project showcases, performance and competition highlights, writing and publication mentorship, cultural awareness development, artistic growth documentation, and historical thinking cultivation.

Physical Education and Health

Recognize educators promoting student wellness through lifetime fitness skill development, sports and athletics coaching, health education impact, team building and character development, adaptive PE programs, and wellness program creation.

Special Recognition Categories

Create distinction for exceptional contributions:

Mentor Teacher Recognition

Honor educators supporting beginning teachers through new teacher coaching and support, professional development leadership, demonstration lessons and modeling, reflective practice facilitation, retention contribution, and profession strengthening.

Innovation and Excellence Awards

Feature teachers recognized for outstanding contributions including district and state teaching awards, grant-funded program development, published curriculum resources, conference presentations, research contributions, and community impact honors.

Legacy Educator Hall of Honor

Maintain connection with retired teachers through career retrospectives, student impact stories, continued community involvement, institutional history preservation, legacy celebrations, and ongoing relationship maintenance.

Learn about maintaining connection with former educators through alumni recognition programs adaptable to retired teacher appreciation.

Integrating Touch Boards with Broader Teacher Appreciation Programs

Digital recognition works best as part of comprehensive educator appreciation strategies.

Complementary Recognition Approaches

Touch boards should enhance rather than replace other appreciation:

Personal Recognition Practices

• Handwritten thank-you notes from administrators
• Personal phone calls celebrating achievements
• Faculty meeting public acknowledgments
• One-on-one conversations expressing gratitude
• Surprise classroom visits delivering recognition
• Personalized gifts for milestones

Special Events and Celebrations

• Teacher Appreciation Week activities
• New teacher welcome receptions
• Milestone anniversary celebrations
• Retirement tributes and ceremonies
• End-of-year faculty appreciation events
• Department and team celebrations

Professional Development Recognition

• Conference attendance support
• Professional learning community leadership
• Advanced credential celebration
• Peer observation and feedback opportunities
• Innovation grant programs
• Leadership pathway recognition

Touch boards provide permanent, visible recognition while personal gestures and events create meaningful moments that, together, build comprehensive appreciation systems.

Student-Led Appreciation Initiatives

Engage students in teacher recognition:

Student Recognition Programs

Encourage student-initiated appreciation through student government teacher recognition initiatives, student-created thank-you campaigns, peer-nominated teacher awards, student-designed appreciation events, digital appreciation message campaigns, and graduation tribute opportunities.

Classroom-Based Appreciation

Support appreciation activities including appreciation letter writing assignments, video testimonial projects, end-of-year thank-you campaigns, class appreciation presentations, student-created recognition art, and service learning projects honoring teachers.

Family and Community Involvement

Extend appreciation beyond school walls:

Family Appreciation Opportunities

• Parent-organized teacher appreciation events
• Community thank-you campaigns
• Local business partnerships supporting appreciation
• Alumni-led recognition initiatives
• Foundation or PTO-funded appreciation programs
• Community media features highlighting teachers

Social Media Recognition

Amplify touch board content through school social media teacher spotlights, student appreciation post campaigns, community celebration posts, achievement announcements, milestone recognitions, and retirement tributes.

This multi-channel approach ensures maximum visibility for teacher appreciation while reaching diverse community audiences.

Comprehensive recognition programs combine digital displays with personal appreciation creating cultures where educators feel genuinely valued

Measuring Touch Board Teacher Recognition Impact

Regular assessment ensures recognition programs achieve intended goals and justify resource investment.

Teacher Satisfaction Metrics

Recognition Awareness and Impact

• Teacher awareness of recognition programs
• Satisfaction with appreciation received
• Perceived value of different recognition types
• Preference feedback about recognition approaches
• Suggestions for recognition improvements
• Comparison to previous school employment experiences

Professional Climate Indicators

• Teacher retention rates and turnover data
• Job satisfaction survey results
• Professional community strength
• Collaboration and collegial relationships
• Institutional commitment levels
• Recruitment effectiveness for positions

Community Engagement Metrics

Touch Board Usage Data

• Daily interaction counts and patterns
• Average session duration per user
• Most-viewed teacher profiles
• Search term analysis
• Peak usage times and locations
• Return user frequency

Broader Awareness Indicators

• Student awareness of teacher achievements
• Parent recognition program knowledge
• Community appreciation campaign participation
• Social media engagement with teacher content
• Event attendance at appreciation celebrations
• Volunteer participation in recognition initiatives

Cultural Impact Assessment

Qualitative Indicators

Observe changes in school culture including student-teacher relationship quality, staff morale and positivity, community respect for educators, professional collaboration increases, parent engagement improvements, and institutional pride enhancement.

Regular assessment enables continuous improvement ensuring recognition programs remain meaningful, effective, and aligned with teacher preferences and school community values.

Conclusion: Building Cultures Where Teachers Thrive

Effective teacher appreciation programs represent strategic investments in educator retention, professional satisfaction, and ultimately, student success. When schools systematically celebrate teaching excellence through visible, engaging recognition systems—from interactive touch boards showcasing educator accomplishments to personal appreciation gestures demonstrating genuine gratitude—they create environments where teachers feel valued, students develop deep respect for education professionals, and communities recognize that quality teaching drives student achievement and institutional excellence.

The strategies explored in this guide provide comprehensive frameworks for building recognition systems that honor diverse educators while remaining sustainable, genuine, and aligned with school missions. From digital touch boards that eliminate space constraints to multi-faceted programs ensuring appreciation across career stages to student-led initiatives strengthening teacher-student relationships, these approaches shift acknowledgment from occasional events to continuous culture woven throughout school communities.

Building effective teacher recognition requires moving beyond annual appreciation weeks and generic gifts that quickly become forgotten. Touch board technology makes comprehensive recognition achievable across unlimited educators and contribution types, while systematic approaches ensure consistent implementation reaching all deserving teachers.

With teacher retention challenges affecting schools nationwide and educator satisfaction directly impacting student outcomes, recognition programs deliver documented benefits through improved retention and professional climate. These benefits flow from recognition that feels genuine, timely, personal, and proportional to teaching dedication. Technology enables scalability while maintaining the visibility and engagement that make recognition meaningful.

Start where you are with recognition improvements you can implement immediately—improving personal thank-you practices, establishing teacher spotlight programs, creating basic recognition displays—then systematically expand to create comprehensive approaches your educators deserve. Every teacher who receives meaningful recognition for their contributions develops stronger connection to your school community and greater motivation to continue providing excellent instruction that changes student lives.

Your teachers’ dedication makes student success possible. With thoughtful planning, appropriate technology, and consistent implementation, you can create recognition systems that honor every educator while building the appreciation culture where teachers thrive, students flourish, and your school community excels.

Ready to begin? Explore digital recognition displays for schools or learn more about comprehensive teacher appreciation programs that celebrate educators and strengthen school communities.