Educational opportunities extend beyond the classroom to enrich learning, develop student awareness of the global community and promote intellectual and civic engagement.
Goal: Participate in Tri-State Consortium professional development and member consultancies and plan for a district visit/consultancy.
- Throughout the school year, district staff participated in virtual meetings and stayed in touch with leaders from other high-performing schools that are consortium members. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the consortium held the meetings quarterly and in person. The consortium switched to the virtual model and increased the meeting frequency to monthly so members could better support each other as they navigated the challenges of educating students during a global public health crisis.
Goal: Establish student service learning opportunities that are aligned with the curriculum and enhance classroom learning.
- With most students remotely learning for much of the academic year, forming social connections was critical to their mental health and beneficial to their academic success. Enders Road and Mott Road elementary schools partnered with F-M High School to create mentoring programs that partnered high school students with elementary students who were struggling socially or academically. The high school students volunteered their time to periodically check in remotely with the younger students, creating a much-needed social connection and providing another layer of academic support.
Goal: Create community service partnerships to support personal and social growth and development.
- For more than 30 years, F-M High School students have organized a months-long fundraising campaign that culminated in a 12-hour dance marathon event. Most of those campaigns have benefited Camp Good Days & Special Times, a not-for-profit organization that provides a summer camp experience to children whose lives have been affected by cancer and other life challenges. The dance didn’t happen in spring 2021 because of COVID-19. Instead, students organized and ran a livestreamed phonathon that featured a mix of live and pre-recorded segments, such as dance and comedy routines, interviews with student athletes and club members and families and children who attended Camp Good Days. The students raised nearly $17,000.
- As part of their character education program, Enders Road Elementary School students brought in spare change to help make a difference for two local organizations: Helping Hounds Dog Rescue and the Enders Road Home and School Association, which organizes extracurricular activities and events for students. Several Enders’ staff members agreed to partake in various challenges, like scooter races, hula hoop competitions and a pie-eating contest, if students raised $500. When students exceeded their goal, a new one was set with another incentive: Principal Deborah Capri agreed to “get slimed” if students raised at least $1,500. In two weeks’ time, they raised a total of $2,313, which was split between the two organizations.
- As a part of Wellwood’s character education program, the school each year adopts a local charity. For the past two years, the Wellwood school community has selected In My Father’s Kitchen, supporting its work with the homeless population. The not-for-profit organization provides food and basic necessities to homeless individuals where they live on the streets until the homeless individual is comfortable accepting help and working with community agencies to secure housing.