A couple of new meet-up groups at Sangaree Middle have boys and girls connecting with staff mentors and working on improving self-esteem and personal growth when they come to school.
Young Men Rise and Like a Boss are the names of the two groups that meet for an hour every Monday morning in separate classrooms, and staff members from both groups can attest that the students in the programs are benefitting, big time.
January is National Mentoring Month, so staff members from both groups recently weighed in on what it means to them to make a positive impact on students in ways that go beyond academics.
Young Men Rise is a program run by Lowcountry Youth Services. Sangaree Middle decided to implement the program within the school this year after hearing positive feedback about it from other schools that have offered it to boys.
There are 20 boys who make up the group and are being guided by program director, Danell J. Miller, plus a handful of male staff members at the school, including Principal Shawn McCombs and Assistant Principal Kevin Covington, a school counselor and the school resource officer. The program is free and is offered in fall, winter and spring cohorts.
McCombs is an avid supporter of mentor opportunities and was excited to have something in place for the boys this school year.
“I think the big thing for the boys is to hear about the men going through stuff that they’re going through,” he said.
The group has navigated issues pertaining to relationships, friendships, family and home life and more. They talk about social skills, problem-solving, impulse control, and anger and conflict management skills.
On Jan. 23, Miller led a discussion about what it means to be a “hero”, and got the boys involved in giving examples of people who might be looked up to as a hero, like a fireman.
As he spoke to students, Miller also led a recap on topics the boys have previously talked about, like communication with their parents. He asked the boys if they had any progress reports to share, and a lot of hands shot into the air. One boy said he was getting better at letting his parents know where he is going whenever he leaves the house, another said he was getting better at expressing himself with his parents.
McCombs said it is important for middle school-aged boys to have a male mentor they can speak to. It has also become a perk to the adults in the group as well.
“We tend to deal with negatives all day long,” he said. “Young Men Rise is a bright spot for us.”
After Young Men Rise got started at the school, seventh-grade math and social studies teacher Laniesha Smith decided she wanted to start something similar for the girls.
Like a Boss meets in Smith’s room at the same time as the Young Men Rise group meets up down the hall. Smith said the group originated when sixth-grade teacher Juanita Waring inquired about the possibility of getting a girls mentoring group up and running. Smith showed her the ideas and curriculum that she had been building herself; the curriculum is based on a self-help book Smith wrote, called “Live Life Like a Boss,” geared toward adolescent girls. Smith would like the curriculum to become available in every school.
McCombs approved the initiative, and Like a Boss group members officially started meeting in January.
The overall goal behind Like A Boss is similar to Young Men Rise. Smith and co-advisor, special service teacher Sebrenia Varner, work to build girls’ self-esteem in a way that they feel strong enough to be their true authentic selves in middle school and beyond.
“It takes a lot of courage to go against the crowd in middle school, but those who can find that courage can change the climate around them simply by not being afraid to be themselves,” Smith said.
Smith has also gotten other female staff members in the school to sign up as mentors to these girls as needed. Like A Boss has covered similar topics that Young Men Rise has gone over, like comfort zones, communicating with parents, growth mindset and health and wellness.
On Jan. 26, while the boys were talking about what it means to be a hero down the hall, Smith’s girls had a discussion about reacting to issues that are inside and outside their own control.
Smith has been told by teachers and parents that the girls seem excited to be in the group. There have been more girls inquiring to join as well.
Smith has had a few situations where another teacher was able to intervene in a situation and call her for support. In the end, the student was able to vent and reflect and the situation was resolved before a referral was written or a parent had to be called.
“So far, I consider it a success simply because the girls are excited about coming and expressing their excitement to their teachers and peers,” she said. “It’s rare to see middle school girls excited about positive discussions and team building."
Smith said she is excited to have a way to reach these girls.
“Sometimes it's difficult to teach students when you know there are so many things on their minds besides math,” she said. “I am happy to be able to work through some of these core issues in a new way.”