Three weeks before school was set to start, Jackson High School freshmen were in the halls and classrooms, learning and laughing.
The Everett School District, whose dropout rate of 10 percent annually is one of the highest in Snohomish County, offered a new program Aug. 15-25 called Summer Success Bridge. Its goal was to curb the dropout rate by helping students gain resources and confidence as they begin high school.
With 80 students participating, Jackson’s student success coordinator Bobbie Bawyn is hopeful the extra time with the students will garner results.
“It’s a prevention program in a sense that we are trying to help connect these kids to high school,” Bawyn said, “both by feeling comfortable with their surroundings, meeting some of the staff and getting to know a core group of the kids.”
The Bridge program brought the students together four hours a day for eight days. It was scheduled to wrap up Thursday night with a culminating barbecue.
The program, which was voluntary and cost $10, split students into six groups of a dozen, each led by a school counselor or teacher. During the first week, the students got to know each other by participating in team-building exercises and discussing ways to succeed in high school.
Bridge utilized a curriculum called “Why Try?” It outlines a number of metaphors representing situations students might find themselves in while in high school, such as positive choices, motivation struggles and finding a support group. These topics and many others were discussed in the small groups.
“We did one whole week of ‘Why Try?’ because we felt that was the piece that was going to get kids connected to each other,” said Bawyn, who organized Jackson’s program along with English teacher Wendy Organ.
Although they were giving up a portion of their summer, several students said they believed it was worthwhile.
Danielle Johnson, 14, attended Valley View Middle School in Snohomish last year, and decided to attend Bridge as a way to meet people and become comfortable at Jackson.
Zach DeYoung, 14, and Gabe Rochon, 14, attended Gateway Middle School, but also enjoyed getting to know new friends from Heatherwood Middle School and from schools outside the district.
“I’m meeting a lot of people,” Rochon said.
During the second week of Bridge, two small groups combined so that students could attend curriculum-based classes. English teacher Keith Gerhard, math teacher Jeff Mackey and technology teacher Maggie Thorleifson instructed the students during classes. They each utilized the “Why Try?” themes in their lessons.
Gerhard said it was an opportunity for students to get back into the swing of things academically, while still focusing on ways to succeed in high school.
As a ninth-grade teacher, he sees students struggle as school begins, and he hopes this program will catch some of those struggles in advance.
“You see the pitfalls kids fall into,” Gerhard said. “I can see from these kids they are getting less anxious and more comfortable.”
For the teachers, this was the first time they had integrated “Why Try?” into their lessons, and Mackey said it helped the students examine their work and think critically.
“It helps them think about what’s really important and why they should try,” Mackey said.
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