Mennona, Thompson, Waldroup 1

Advisory Program - GET AMPED UP!

CI 3910-101
Dr. Robert Heath
Zachary Mennona, Ashley Waldroup and Olivia Thompson

Mission Statement:
Abstract and Theme: Advisory will empower and enlighten students to accept
themselves and others. We will amp-up student involvement and spirit. Advisory will
encourage students to shine in their classroom, school, community and world.
This program exists as a response to the middle school model as outlined in This
We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents. It is our deep conviction that
advocacy programs are an indispensable characteristic of implementing the successful
middle school model and an essential safeguard in providing our students with a firm
foundation in genuine citizenship, honest service, and life skills necessary for navigating
an increasingly dynamic and challenging life outside of school. It is vital to the lives of
our students that advocacy is more than just a program; it must encapsulate the
mentality of the school -- its teachers and its students. As This We Believe states,
Advocacy is not a singular event or a period in the schedule, it is an attitude of caring
that translates into actions, big and small, when adults respond to the needs of each
young adolescent in their charge. (AMLE, 2010, p. 35) Therefore, we want our
advocacy program to inspire a systematic adaptation; it must become more of a mindset
than a program.
An integral element of the program involves community outreach and field trips
to promote ethical behavior, responsibility within a community, and mutual respect of
students. We affirm that a life of service is a life well-lived, and conclude that middle
school students should be exposed to service projects and outreach events as a means
to garner interest in lifelong citizenship. This We Believe views service as a major goal
of the middle grades model when it states that a young adolescent should Understand
local, national, and global civic responsibilities and demonstrate active citizenship
through participation in endeavors that serve and benefit those communities. (AMLE,
2010, p.12) Since our students of the present will become the leaders of tomorrow, it is
important that advocacy help teach them what the most essential element of leadership
is: service.
Finally, as the theme of our project suggests, we want students to shine in
interpersonal and intra-personal relationships. Healthy minds create healthy bodies -our students need to know how to respect themselves, their peers, and their elders.
Unequivocally, the best way to ensure a safe learning environment is to foster an
atmosphere of mutual respect and appreciation for all students. In a culture where selfimage -- especially pertaining to physical appearance -- is in short-supply, it is
paramount that advocacy teaches students to love themselves for who they are and

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seek to apply the golden rule to everyone else within and without the learning
community. This We Believe addresses this point well when it states that,
A school that fosters physical and psychological safety strives to build resiliency in
young people by maintaining an environment in which peaceful and safe interactions
are expected and supported by written policies, scheduled professional development
and student-focused activities. (AMLE, 2010, p. 39)
For the sake of our students, we need to provide responsive instruction and
resources that can motivate and inspire model behavior based on respect. This
advocacy program will show adolescents how to be proactive in responding to bullying,
negative peer pressure, and other potential flashpoints. Through our advocacy program,
we will develop healthy self-esteem and body image for our students.

Goals/Objectives:
In determining the success of this advocacy program, we have created a criteria of
evidences that point to a well-developed advocacy program. Below is our mapped-out
goals for this project:
- We will encourage our students to believe in themselves by lifting their
self-esteem and thus, provide greater autonomy through an internal locus of
control. In turn, this increased self-believe may promote student success in the
classroom and greater community.
- We will raise awareness for potentially harmful actions that young
adolescents are susceptible to, possible consequences to actions, and effective
solutions to counter dangerous situations.
- We will develop a greater sense of civic responsibility in our students by
having them engage in service projects and develop a broader sense of
community involvement through regular field trips.

Advisors Role:
What does it mean to be an advisor?
Advisors should be able to shed light on difficult subjects for young adolescents
and guide them through this confusing time period. In order to fulfill this role, advisors
should embody the principles laid out in the following acronym:

Leadership
Advocacy
Mentorship
Possibilities

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First of all, advisors should display a high level of leadership within their advisory
groups. This encompasses a wide variety of concepts. According to This We Believe, a
leader in middle level education is committed to and knowledgeable about this age
group, educational research, and best practices (AMLE, 2010, p. 28). An advisor needs
to understand the trials and tribulations that occur within this developmental period and
understand how to work with these students. Leadership also involves being
courageous and collaborative when it comes to working with young people and other
advisors. Advisors should not be afraid to approach difficult subjects and should be
willing to work with other advisors if needed. Some leadership duties include initiating
activities, supervising discussions, presenting any materials, and taking responsibility
for what goes on within the advisory group.
Secondly, advisors need to be advocates for their students. Every student
deserves an adult figure whom they can turn to if they have questions or needs. As a
student advocate, the advisor should properly support the students within their group or
any student in general. Based on information provided in This We Believe, an advocate
is a model of good character who is knowledgeable about the development of young
adolescents, enjoys working with them, and easily comes to know students well as
individuals (AMLE, 2010, p. 35). Advisors should be prepared to guide their group of
students to make positive decisions.
Third, an advisor should be a mentor to young teens. Oftentimes, this age group
will be compelled to take risks and/or engage in unsafe behaviors. As a mentor, it is the
advisors duty to point these students in the right direction. However, it is important to
note that being a mentor is different than being a guidance counselor. If a student needs
help from a counselor, one should direct them to the guidance office. An outstanding
mentor works to foster positive relationships with the young people in their advisory
group and models appropriate behaviors and actions. This wayside teaching will prove
valuable to these students and impact them for the rest of their lives.
Last but not least, an advisor should provide students with possibilities. This is a
very open-ended concept, but it is very critical because students should have
opportunities to explore themselves and the world. Possibilities can be created various
ways. It can be as simple as rotating advisory group duties/responsibilities among
students to encouraging club involvement to inviting community members to the
classroom in order to explore volunteer and career opportunities. It is important for
young adolescents to feel as if they have the chance to explore the world around them
and their own identity. An advisor should introduce possibilities for students to become
involved with the school and greater community.
An exceptional advisor should be a LAMP for their students and light the path to
success.

Activities:

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In order to strengthen the bonds between all members of advisory, there are a
number of special activities that will be held throughout the year. Below is a list of these
activities that are grade level-specific:
6th Grade - career day, Relay for Life, volunteer work around the school,
selected speakers, volunteer work at a soup kitchen, and inflatable day
7th Grade - career day, Relay for Life, volunteer work around the school,
selected speakers, volunteer work at an assisted living facility, and inflatable day
8th Grade - career day, Relay for Life, volunteer work around the school,
selected speakers, college field trip, If You Really Knew Me Day, and inflatable
day
Much of these activities are common amongst the grade levels. However, there are
differences which make each grades activities list unique.
Because young adolescents are exploring themselves and it is the advisors duty
to present these students with possibilities, every grade is obligated to have a career
day. Dependent upon available resources, the career day can take numerous forms.
Adults representing various occupations throughout the community can host booths in
the gym for students to explore or students can go out into the community and shadow
someone in a field of their interest. While students may not necessarily know what they
want to be when they grow up, it presents the perfect opportunity for them to begin
thinking about this.
Relay for Life, volunteer work around the school, and selected speakers are also
shared by all of the grade levels. These special activities get young adolescents
involved in the school and greater community. Relay for Life is always a major
community event aimed at battling cancer. Teams within the school can compete with
each other by participating in penny wars and pie days aimed at fundraising for this
cause. In addition, volunteering around the school is another great way to get students
involved. Teams/grades can alternate duties of landscaping, picking up litter, decorating
parts of the school, cleaning the cafeteria, and anything else that needs to be
accomplished. Also, selected speakers need to be featured among all grades. These
can be various community members, such as police officers, who come and speak to
students about an issue.
While each grade shares common activities, there are several that differ. 6th
grade will have the opportunity to volunteer in a local soup kitchen once a month after
school. Advisors and administrators will provide students with transportation to and from
the soup kitchen so everyone has the chance to participate. Instead of continuing the
soup kitchen, 7th graders will volunteer their time in an assisted living facility. This could
be done during the actual advisory period or after school. Because they are older, 8th
graders will get to participate in two special activities. 8th grade advisory will be working
on transition to high school, which involves thinking about college. For this reason, the
8th grade will be taking a field trip to an in-state college. By doing so, they will have the
opportunity to experience a college campus first-hand. In addition to the field trip, there

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will also be an If You Really Knew Me Day. For this day, time will be set aside (perhaps
the advisory period or elective period) for the 8th grade to come to the gym. They will all
participate in the step-to-the-line game in order for them to recognize that they are not
that different from their peers. Questions will progressively become more intense
throughout the game (Who watches Girl Meets World? to Who has ever been bullied
at school?). In order to lighten the mood, there will be a short dancing intermission after
this game featuring songs like The Cha Cha Slide and The Cupid Shuffle so that
everyone can join in the fun. After this, students will break out into randomly assigned
small groups headed by an advisor in order to discuss their specific fears about
transitioning to high school. The purpose of this day is to get students to realize that
they have common thoughts with people they perceived to be vastly different than
themselves.
Lastly, everyone will end the year with an inflatable day. After end of the year
testing, grades will take turns on separate days enjoying inflatables, slip-and-slides, and
possibly some snow cones. This event should be free and available to all students. It
serves as a way to bring everyone together before school lets out for the summer and
gives everyone a chance to end on a good note.

Logistics:
Advisory is a planned time within the week where students address and discuss
societal, behavioral and community issues. It informs students of problems and
solutions to situations that may appear within their lifetime. Our advisory program will be
held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. From 8:00-8:45 AM, students will participate in
discussions, activities and field trips. On Tuesday mornings, groups of students will
meet with either a core or exploratory teacher. Groups will be separated randomly by
grade level. During Thursday morning advisory, students will be grouped by sex and
grade level. By separating the sexes, children will be given the opportunity to discuss
biological issues more in depth.
As stated above, advisory will be split by grade levels. We are implementing this
tactic because we have differing curriculum for each grade level. Differing curriculum
allows teachers to discuss specific issues with each age group.

Curriculum:
We decided to use differing curriculum for each grade level. Middle grade
students are all at different periods in life. It is important to focus on specific topics for
each grade level to provide a constant flow of new and relevant information. Although
we are differing curriculum, we do focus on certain topics through each grade. Bullying,
health/nutrition and study skills are discussed throughout every advisory curriculum,
regardless of grade level. Each year, teachers will discuss different aspects of each

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topic. We feel that all of these subjects are critical in the development and involvement
of young adolescents in the middle grades education system.
Including the topics above, the structure of advisory is listed below for each
grade level:
6th grade - bullying, study skills, health/nutrition, transitioning
to middle school (roles and responsibilities)
7th grade - bullying, study skills, health/nutrition, identity,
drug/alcohol use, healthy relationships
8th grade - bullying, study skills, health/nutrition, character
building/identity, transitioning to high school
In the sixth grade, the major focus will be on transitioning to middle school. In this
topic, discussions will involve what the roles and responsibilities are as a young
adolescent in the middle grades setting. Students will be coming from an elementary
school setting to a whole new school model. Middle school provides new
responsibilities, procedures and jobs for young adolescents. Advisory is a chance for
sixth grade students to become aware and practice these new roles.
During the seventh grade, students will begin to discuss their identity and role in
society. Young adolescents are developing their identity at a constant rate. During this
curriculum, students will focus on interpersonal and community relationships. These
social situations will help them to see the world around them. These experiences may
give them a chance to explore their identity and role in the world.
Finally, in the eighth grade, students will begin their transition into high school.
This aspect of advisory will include discussion on the new roles and responsibilities that
students will face in high school. Topics of college and involvement may also come into
play during this advisory time.

References:
AMLE. (2010). This we believe: Keys to educating young adolescents. United States:
AMLE.