The student leaders in Blendon Middle School’s Where Everybody Belongs (WEB) program have a gift for all their peers to celebrate the halfway mark of the school year.
Next week, they will distribute goodie bags filled with candy and other treats to all Blendon students. WEB leaders came up with the idea at their meeting last month and the school’s PTA donated money to purchase items for the bags.
“We thought it would be a perfect winter break gift,” WEB leader Alyssa Niehoff said. “Especially for sixth-graders. I feel like they’ve been stressed because of the new year and new school, homework, letter grades and everything else.”
WEB leaders assembled the bags throughout the day Thursday.
“I hope they get some happiness from it,” WEB leader Emily Hensley said.
The WEB program, which started at Blendon in 2017 before rolling out to the other middle schools the following year, hails from The Boomerang Project, a California-based educational consulting company that trains educators to facilitate peer mentorship at their schools using leadership and group development methodologies. The Westerville Education Challenge, which raises awareness and supports social-emotional learning initiatives in the district, provided funds to bring the WEB program to all middle schools.
The eighth-grade WEB leaders provide support throughout the year, whether it’s giving campus tours to new students, tutoring those who are struggling academically or visiting classrooms to lead discussions on time management, teamwork and other life skills.