Farmington Students Get by with a Little Help from a Friend

Some 400 students in have taken on the task of welcoming their younger peers – and, with a little luck, making the first year of middle school or high school easier.

Members of the WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) middle school team and the high school Link Crew gave school officials a recap of their activities during Tuesday's Board of Education meeting.

The eighth grade WEB volunteers welcome incoming seventh graders, give them school tours and help them get acquainted through "ice breaker" games. During the upcoming weeks at the high schools Link Crew students are organizing "cram sessions", complete with cookies or cocoa, to help freshmen study for their first round of trimester final exams. They've already hosted dances and tailgate parties, and try to stay in touch with their younger counterparts via email, phone and Facebook.

The idea is that a friendly face will make a new – and sometimes overwhelmingly large – school feel more like home.

Mark Wilson, executive director of instruction, said the transition teams also help the new students plan to be successful. And they serve in an important advocacy and outreach capacity.

A couple of years ago, Wilson said one of the Crew leaders came into his office, let out an exasperated sigh, and flopped herself down into one of his chairs.

"Wilson," she said. "We've got to talk."

One of her freshmen charges was not doing well in school, and the Crew member was frustrated.

"She said, 'This kid has so much potential and I'm just not seeing him produce. You need to call his mom,'" Wilson said. He did, and the pair were able to help the student get on-track for the remainder of the school year.

Board member Karen Bolsen said that the work could do much more than saving a student's grade point average.

She recently attended one of the district's workshops to address teen depression and suicide. And she noted that one of the most important factors in prevention is for students to feel connected to each other. At the same time, school districts will likely soon be mandated to adopt anti-bullying policies, because bullying often makes students feel isolated.

"You're creating these connections which battle against depression," Bolsen said. "You're like a little anti-bullying task force."