Middle School students are working with their teachers to help design their own remote learning experiences.

Student involvement and feedback have been essential in developing activities that are engaging, rewarding, and impactful. Members of the Student Council took ideas from classmates and suggested activities that teachers could facilitate during mentor time, and they designed a virtual Chinese New Year celebration that involved the whole Middle School.

“Mentor time has helped to keep students stay connected by enabling them to check in with each other and enjoy bonding activities that allow for a bit of fun,” teacher Jodie Zuccato said. Jodie has started each morning with her group doing silly yoga poses.

Teachers Corrie Salerno and Tracey Brown agree. During mentoring time online, they remain flexible in their planning and make sure they are listening to students’ needs. In a recent meeting, the students reported being stressed and mentioned the need to practice singing a song for music. The teachers encouraged them to practice on the spot, during their mentoring time.

“They had to sing in unison online, and it was really a challenge. But, we saw how they worked together as a team, and they were so supportive to each other. It was such a great moment,” Corrie said. “We’ve noticed that through these types of interactions, they are showing small acts of kindness like encouraging one another and giving each other a thumb’s up.”

Teacher Kamil Rudolf uses mentoring time to share announcements for students as well as for some socialization. Several students "bring their pets to school" during mentor time, which is a fun addition to the group.

"We want to make sure that the students have a home base where they can share their experiences, relax, chat, ask questions, get a sense of belonging. We start each mentoring group with asking how they're doing, how they feel, what they for breakfast, how they slept, what their workload is from other classes, what their weekend was like, or their plans for the upcoming weekend."

Another initiative the Student Council planned was a celebration for the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday. They designed a Sprit Day competition, encouraging students to dress up and show their festivity. The winning class would get a full page in this year’s Middle School yearbook.  

“Anytime students are allowed to lead, they feel independent. When we are on campus it is easier to find ways for students to be in charge of activities,” Jodie said. During remote learning we need to be more creative, but any time we can find ways for students to take a leadership role, it teaches them so much about themselves, and allows them to contribute to the community. When students are contributing ideas for mentoring they are building relationships with their peers at the same time as they are managing expectations for a group of people; a great life skill.”