December15-18

Shadowing Mrs. Sankovich at Scott Carpenter for the last two weeks has been very enjoyable. Meeting the kids and learning about them has been wonderful. We went on a field trip to CU Denver and I think the kids enjoyed themselves. I think everyone is ready for their holiday break. See everyone in 2016.

November 30th - December 4th

Our first week back from Thanksgiving break was filled with diligent work by the YESS students! The scholars performed their usual duties like participating in Kagan structures to encourage teamwork and tutoring one another, but they also engaged in an informative mini-unit on listening.

The lessons in this unit are geared toward helping students identify how well they listen to others. Many were surprised to learn that they functioned as a lower-level listener than they first believed, which led to some interesting dialogue. Coming up, they will be writing and performing skits that will enable them to teach other students the importance of listening.

We also completed a lesson called "Heart. Mind. Soul." The activity that accompanies this lesson requires students to work as a team to create a body that includes information about each member of the team. Some things that were discussed by the students include: Favorite food, how they want others to see them, and dreams for the future. They really had a great time bonding with their mentor/mentee partners and personalizing their bodies.

Behind the scenes, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Streno lined up a long-term substitute to take over the class while I'm on maternity leave. I'm extremely grateful for their hard work! I'm also partnering with the AVID program to plan a field trip for all YESS Institute and AVID students. We'll be going to the University of Colorado, Denver on December 16th. The students are beyond excited and I can't wait to help expose them to the wonderful world of higher education!

November 9th - 20th

The last couple of weeks before Thanksgiving break were fabulous! The YESS scholars completed their Life Map projects, which turned out very well. All the students presented their projects, as well. Even though, the students don't really enjoy speaking publicly, I'm working with them on this skill since, as we all know, it will be vital to their professional success.

We also incorporated several Kagan team building activities to help increase synergy within groups. Take a look at some of the kids playing one of the word games below.

The highlight of the week, however, came when several mentors from each class taught a lesson. The lesson was planned by a mentor, Mariza, and me to answer the question "Why do we come to school?" and it went extremely well. The mentor-teachers worked with me prior to their presentations and memorized the lesson plan. They also collaborated with each other to make sure the lesson was as polished as possible. I'm extremely proud of the hard work Mariza put in to create such a meaningful experience, as well as the efforts of the mentor-teachers to deliver the message!

November 2nd - 6th

This week, YESS scholars began working on their Life Map projects. We were able to incorporate multiple Thinking Maps and a writing assignment, which is challenging the students to describe how they overcame a significant obstacle in their lives. Many of the students have embraced the project and are eager to continue working on it in the coming days. Stay tuned for finished projects.

Friday, we took a break from the Life Maps to participate in a relay race. The kids had a blast working with their mentor/mentee to compete against the opposing team!

October 26th - 29th

Even though it was a short week, the YESS students got a lot done! The mentors are working extremely hard to make strong connections with their mentees and it seems to be working, as our mentees are getting excited about coming to class.

Activities this week included a tutoring/homework day, as well as an EQ Self-Assessment and discussion. Additionally, the mentors worked on some special projects that will be featured at the District 50 Showcase!

October 12th - 16th

This week, YESS scholars explored the concept of emotional intelligence, otherwise known as EQ. They read a story about Phineas Gage, a railroad foreman who lost a large part of his frontal lobe in an accident, and practiced using context clues to identify and define unfamiliar words. Then, we discussed the four key skills vital to good EQ: Self-awareness, self-control, social awareness, and relationship management. The students worked in small groups to create posters that demonstrated their understanding of one skill, then presented the information and graphics they came up with. Take a look at some of the kids working and their presentations below!

October 5th - 9th

The weather may be cooling off, but the work being done between Scott's mentors and mentees is just beginning to heat up. This week, the scholars explored the concept of metacognition by learning about thoughts, emotions, and the subtle differences between the two. By the end of these lessons, students were able to define the word ruminate; describe how thinking could be useful to us, as well as a hindrance; identify where we feel the physical symptoms of emotions; and differentiate between thoughts and emotions. Take a look at some of the kids' work below.

September 28th - October 2nd

This Monday, the mentors and mentees had their first small group sessions. The mentees began the Why Try curriculum with CRC and Julia while the mentors worked with me by continuing to explore the importance of empathy in the mentoring relationship. We practiced using empathy in role-playing scenarios and by watching a short video, which can be found here. I've already noticed a positive shift in how many of the mentors respond to their mentee's issues, which is very encouraging.

On Tuesday, the scholars strengthened their bonds with each other by building towers out of spaghetti and marshmallows. Their goal was to build the tallest tower and each mentor/mentee pair did a fabulous job of solving problems and demonstrating creativity. Take a look at some of their photos below!

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were spent discussing trust. The students talked about the meaning of trust, why we trust some people and not others, how to earn someone's trust, and then built trust bridges. This art project allowed the students to continue their dialogue and demonstrate their understanding of characteristics of trustworthy and untrustworthy individuals.

September 14th - 25th

The past two weeks have been extremely busy here at Scott Carpenter! Behind the scenes, the community liaison, CRC therapist, SCMS administrators, and I worked very hard to collect parent consent forms for the class, as well as parent surveys and student surveys. I was extremely relieved when we met our goal this week!

In the classroom, the mentors and mentees have been forming bonds with each other. We've done a lot, even though we missed the 6th graders this week, as they embarked on new adventures at Outdoor Ed.

Last week, our scholars explored how mentoring might be used in the wider community. Everything from training young police officers to mentoring new retail employees came up in their discussions. It was really fascinating to witness their creativity in this endeavor.

This week, we focused primarily on building mentor/mentee bonds before the 6th graders left for camp. The students practiced communication skills by creating Back-to-Back Drawings. This activity is great for building listening skills, as well as speaking skills.

The scholars also worked as mentor/mentee pairs to create bridges out of newspaper and masking tape. The challenge here was to build the longest bridge that could stand on its own and support a 4 ounce applesauce cup. They loved problem-solving and the longest bridge of the day was more than 36 inches!

September 8th - 11th

This week, the YESS scholars were very busy. They started by writing letters to themselves, which were included in time capsules. At the end of the year, each student will be able to open their letter and reminisce on their first few weeks of school. They had a great time deciding what other trinkets they might like to include in their capsules, as well.

Areli, Alicia, and Vanessa performing for the camera!

In the middle of the week, we explored who would make good mentor/mentee pairs. We used a lesson called Speed Matching to allow every mentor to meet each mentee. The scholars were then tasked with analyzing the potential relationship and providing private feedback to me regarding whom they would work well with. The kids' feedback was surprisingly insightful and is tremendously helpful as I assign partners.

On Friday, the students were given some time to design their 2015-2016 YESS t-shirts. They really enjoyed being given artistic license and I've already received some fabulous designs. They've been given this week to work on their creations at home and we'll vote on the students' favorite next week.

These are some creative kiddos!

August 31st - September 4th

Our second full week of school was another successful one, with students working collaboratively to identify their personal values, as well as their needs in the classroom. I was able to collect data regarding what individuals cared about using some Kagan strategies and will use this information as I pair up the mentors and mentees over the coming days. Each class also explored what it means to be a scholar and came up with lists of shared agreements. These agreements have been made into posters, signed by all the students, and hung in the room for reference.

Two awesome mentors!

August 24th - 28th

Things are off and rolling at Scott Carpenter Middle School! The mentors are already beginning to step into a leadership role within the classroom, which many of the 6th graders are visibly grateful for. I'm so pleased with this group of mentors; I've got high hopes for them.

This week was all about team building, which means loads of games. The kids played games like The Great Wind Blows, Who Am I?, The M&M Game, Human Bingo, and conducted interviews. We even incorporated some awesome Kagan strategies and structures into class with Square Balances, Mix-Pair-Share, Team Sentences, and Round Robin. Of course, this week was also important for setting classroom expectations and practicing procedures. We'll continue to explore those expectations for the coming days and weeks.

Mentors and Mentees bonded over a friendly game of Jenga on Friday afternoon!

May 18th - 22nd

What. A. Year.

I'm so fortunate to have gotten to bring the YESS program to the kids at Scott Carpenter. The staff of Adams 50 has been extremely supportive and professional, which has made this experience a joy.

Since it was the last week of school, there were many activities planned and we celebrated our many successes in a variety of ways. Monday, the Student Services department purchased breakfast burritos and pizza. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were spent cleaning the room and wrapping up the kids' experiences. Today, we had an ice cream party and watched a movie.

Even though this is bittersweet for the 8th graders and me, the week has had a celebratory tone and I'm looking forward to working with the new recruits!

May 11th - 15th

I'm still struggling to believe it's the end of the year! This week was extremely busy for the YESS Institute. We celebrated our Year-End Party at Westminster High School on Wednesday and had a wonderful turn-out! It was fabulous to honor the work put forth by all the students and they enjoyed meeting Bronco player, Corey Nelson.

In class, we worked on Emotion Sculptures, which allowed students to choose a basic emotion and then create a three dimensional representation of it. Take a look at some of the kids' work below.

Cristian's "Emotion Tree" represents all the feelings he experiences.

Valerie color-coded all her emotions.

This week, I was also able to finish up the recruitment process and submit a list of names to the school administrators. If all the kids get approved, I'll be able to hand out acceptance letters on Monday!

May 4th - 8th

 Really? There are only ten days of school left?  This week was jam-packed with events at Scott Carpenter. There were field trips, PARCC assessments, and even Cinco de Mayo celebrations. Activities specific to YESS included more mentor interviews, completing our YESS superheroes, and we had a little Cinco de Mayo fiesta, too! Take a look at some of the kids' handiwork below.

On Tuesday, we made paper flowers to honor the Mexican Army's victory over the French Army at the Battle of Puebla.

Mariza, a mentee, wrote me a little note and left it in my mailbox.

Jezzy, another mentee, is working on her YESS superhero, who has two sidekick bunnies.

 Christian has made huge improvements in YESS over the last few months. I'm impressed with his efforts in my class and I'm happy to see him interacting with his peers more often.

These mentors are currently in 7th grade and I'm extremely happy that they've decided to return for the '15-'16 school year. They are awesome leaders!

Speaking of recruitment, there are approximately fifty students who have applied to be mentors next year. We'll be continuing the recruitment and interview process next week, then announcing the mentors during the last week of school.

April 27th - 30th

The kids' energy levels are rising right along with the temperatures this week, which makes me happy to be working with such mature mentors. Most of them are doing a wonderful job of keeping the mentees focused and working, though I have had to speak with a few kids to remind them that school isn't over, yet.

Monday, the mentors and I began our first round of interviews for next year. Each candidate was asked to answer five questions, four of which were posed by current mentors. Everybody was very serious during the process and I'm excited to meet with the next round of candidates. So far, I've received more than forty applications, as well as dozens of teacher recommendations. Next week, the mentors and I will meet with more applicants and speak with the students referred by teachers.

The bulk of class time was spent working on our YESS Superheroes. As usual, I'm impressed with the students' creativity and workmanship. For this assignment, they were asked to identify which EmoDwarfs and Hot Buttons they fall victim to most often and invent a superhero that can help them overcome their issues. Take a look at their efforts below:

April 20th - 24th

I can't believe how quickly this semester is going! It seems like just yesterday that the mentors and mentees met each other for the first time.

This week, we focused solely on Emotional Dwarfs in class. The students practiced looking at pictures and identifying the EmoDwarf on Tuesday, then created comic strips that highlight the behavior of one EmoDwarf. Check out some of the their creations below!

They really did a fabulous job on this project and I can't wait to hang these up in the hallways. Plus, they've been using the lingo in their conversations, which demonstrates that they're learning!

I've begun the recruitment process for the '15-'16 school year and have received more than 40 mentor applications. Most of these students will be interviewed by current mentors and me on Monday. The teachers have been extremely helpful with this endeavor, so far. Next week, I'll be collecting teacher recommendations and working with the students they suggest. Not only are the teachers supporting the YESS Institute, but the administrators have been supplying me with books and a DVD about emotional wellness.

April 13th - 17th

Even though we had more testing this week, the kids were marvelous little learners, in part because the subject matter was so relevant to them. The topics we covered included Hot Buttons and Emotional Dwarves. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we explored which Hot Buttons they had and then discussed ways to turn their Hot Buttons into Cool Buttons.

On Thursday, I had the privilege of introducing the Emotional Dwarves to the students and we completed an activity to learn how each EmoDwarf behaves. Next week, we'll be continuing our discussion and identifying Dwarf behaviors in ourselves and others.

April 7th - 10th

What a wonderful week here at Scott Carpenter! Many of the students came back from spring break feeling refreshed and ready to learn. In YESS, we reviewed the accountability ladder and created skits that demonstrated various levels of accountability. They did a wonderful job of writing and acting out their pieces and audience members were given the chance to guess which level of accountability they were witnessing. The kids had fun and solidified their knowledge of accountability.

Today, the students discussed what makes them happy, then they decorated hot air balloons to show what lifts their spirits.

The highlight of the week occurred on Thursday morning when two YESS students from SCMS were featured in the YESS Institute Road to Success Breakfast. The young men that spoke demonstrated maturity and grace while presenting their personal stories to a crowd of over 200 people. Naturally, the staff and students at Scott have given these two boys more kudos than they know what to do with and I couldn't be more proud of them.

This week also marked the beginning of recruitment season. The mentors and mentees have helped me distribute over 100 mentor applications and it seems that many of the current participants will be returning to YESS in the fall!

March 23rd - 27th

How are we already starting spring break? This semester is flying by so quickly! This week, we studied accountability. The students learned what accountability is and explored some examples in the YESS Institute workbook. Then, I introduced the Accountability Ladder, which treats accountability as a spectrum. Take a look at the image below to see what it looks like. 

Once the kids had a basic understanding of the Accountability Ladder, they shared their own accountability stories with their mentors/mentees. Next, I provided each student with a handout on which they would draw a picture or tell a story about a time when they had an opportunity to be accountable. When they completed their handout, they placed it on the correct rung of our classroom accountability ladder.

To complete the conversation, I asked the students to analyze each handout to see if it was placed in the appropriate place on the ladder.