Students and staff of Orchard Valley Middle School presented leadership programs, community service efforts at Oct. 30 meeting
At its Oct. 30 meeting, the Washington Township Board of Education recognized students of Orchard Valley Middle School for their leadership, service and compassion.
Orchard Valley Middle School Principal Colleen Cancila presented multiple programs put in place within the past year or two to further engage students with each other and their learning, such as the Panthers Leader program and the seventh-grade genius hour.
Implemented last year, the Panther Leaders program, a specialized ambassador program, encourages students to interact in a kind, inclusive environment. Eighth-grade students who portray empathy, kindness and compassion, as well as have academic success, strong presentation skills and leadership qualities are chosen to make connections with sixth-grade students to bridge the community within the school.
“What we found at OVMS, and in middle school in general, was our high-achieving academic kids and our superstar athletes are always going to have reasons to be celebrated,” Cancila said, “but what about the middle-of-the-road kids that are just great kids, the kids who do well and do the right thing every day.”
The Panther Leaders visit sixth-grade classrooms one Tuesday per month during study hall. The purpose is to lessen anxiety for incoming students who are new to the transition of middle school. The older students provide a friendly face for their peers to seek help and support if needed.
“We’ve seen an increased level of community and culture that has thrived as a result,” Cancila said. “Our kids in previous years were very segregated by sixth grade, seventh grade and eighth grade, and at the end of last year as a culmination of this program, we found a lot more integration in our grade levels because kids felt more comfortable talking with each other.”
According to eighth-grade student Dominic Revelli, being a part of the Panther Leaders program is a “privilege.”
“Our goal this year is to give the sixth graders more knowledge of what our school has to offer, encourage them to get more involved in after-school activities and push them in the right direction for the years to come in the middle school,” Revelli said.
Cancila and the board also recognized eighth graders Anna Goss and Kylie Chavenson, students who participated in the seventh-grade genius hour last year with teacher Linda Wienckoski, where they planned, organized and hosted the Rainbow Connection 5K Color Run on Oct. 14.
According to Cancila, the genius hour allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom. During the problem-based class, students are able to choose what they want to learn. Last year as seventh graders, Goss and Chavenson decided to focus on autism, and how it continues to challenge families in many formats. Through their learning experience, the students partnered with the Orchard Valley Middle School PTO to create the colorful, fun 5K. The event raised more than $1,125 for nonprofit Autism Speaks.
In other news:
• The district has released a strategic planning survey for all community members and residents to aid in creating a five-year plan for the school system.
“The survey is critical,” Bollendorf said. “It gives everyone a voice … we want everybody’s voice because this is our town’s school system, and the direction this school system should go should be representative of our community.”
The survey can be found on the district website, www.wtps.org. Parents, students, staff and community members, with or without children, are encouraged to participate.
“This is our vision for five years,” Board of Education President Ginny Murphy said. “We need your input; the more we get, the better we’ll be able to plan.”
• Board member Danielle Halpin is seeking community members to participate in a dress code committee to address the district’s dress code policy. At this time, Halpin said, there have been three parents who have shown interest, as well as members of the administration, staff, students and additional board members.
Those interested in joining the committee should contact Halpin at [email protected].
