Staff Writer
The new Wellness Center although not officially opened yet was recently home to a program for Caribou High School and Caribou Middle School students.
Aroostook Republican Photo/Andrew Dyer
Caribou High School students recently met with Caribou Middle School students at the Caribou Wellness Center to help to make their transition to high school easier through peer advice. Students shown here explaining to middle school students what to do and what not to do in high school are from left: Courtney Hamilton, CHS junior; Kellie Moody, CHS sophomore; Danielle Lane, CHS sophomore and Keagan Wakana, CHS senior.
The program, which was held on Monday, Feb. 25, was part of an initiative sponsored by Caribou Middle School and the Partnership for College Success through a grant from the Nellie Mae Corporation.
The program which was a student run event with the help and guidance of Troy Cunningham brought students together to discuss changes as they move up to the next level of their educational experiences, through a number of events throughout the day. Cunningham who specializes in the field, guided students through their discussions, and planned the events for the day.
As part of the event high school students spoke to a group of middle school students about what to expect when they get to high school, and how to behave. Students received a number of tips, which spanned from more serious, such as “never be afraid to ask teachers for help,” to slightly less serious, such as “don’t shut the lights off in the hallway when people are trying to get into their lockers.”
Students highlighted a number of faux pas committed by incoming freshmen which grate on the nerves of upper classmen and negatively impact the social climate at the high school. Middle schoolers also received a few tips that their teachers might not want them to hear, such as “always sneak food into class.”
“Be careful that you don’t create monsters at your school next year,” cautioned Cunningham.
However if tips such as these help students to feel more at ease in their new environment, they will accomplish their goal, as students who feel comfortable in a new environment are much more likely to be successful.
Contributing to student success is ultimately what the program is all about as staff at the Caribou High School Transitions Center work to smooth the transition for students from elementary to middle school, middle school to high school and ultimately high school to college.
This includes programs such as this one as well as providing tutoring to students, who have educational gaps to fill and also speaking with teachers about needed curriculum changes to better prepare students for the next level.
The Feb. 25 event included making of plans for Step-Up Day, a day in which students in grade 4 spend a day at the middle school and eighth-graders spend a day at the high school. This day allows students to get used to their new environment, and relieves first-day jitters, that could negatively impact students.
Through planning for the event, middle school students have also found themselves working with high school students, which may have a positive impact on their comfort level and socialization in high school as well.
“The beauty of this project is that middle school and high school students have been working together on this throughout the year,” said Mike McCormick of the Transitions Center.
McCormick noted that the center hopes to welcome Cunningham back to the school district in a couple of weeks for further programming of this nature.
