A few questions answered

I received an e-mail from a rising eighth grader last week who had a few questions about some things that are going to be taking place at Henley next year. Unfortunately, since I'm just beginning the process of learning about Henley Middle School and its programs and traditions, I couldn't answer her questions right away. I enlisted the help of one of our assistant principals, Dr. Clare Keiser, who filled me in on the answers so that I could get back to this young lady. As I was e-mailing my reply, it occurred to me that many of you may have the same questions, and I wanted to post the questions and answers here for all to see, so here they are:

What exactly is STING?

STING stands for study, teach, improve, nurture, grow. It is a 30 minute remediation/enrichment/study hall period that will meet Monday through Thursday next year. On Fridays we will have mentor groups meet during STING. We are following a plan in which some students are involved with assigned remediation or enrichment activities with specific teachers. Students who are not involved in those assigned activities are expected to work in a study hall. We're still working on the details and expectations, and will have much more information about this program at the beginning of the year.

My personal vision for a program such as this, particularly the mentor group aspect of it, is that all students will find an adult in the building with whom they can connect. I have worked with many programs in other schools that are similar to this and have often asked participating students what they felt helped them the most after they had completed the program. While many mentioned that they appreciated the extra academic help, the overwhelming majority said that the greatest benefit they reaped from the program was that they knew at least one person in the school who really got to know them on a personal level. Hopefully, STING will help us to strengthen that atmosphere at Henley.

Is it true that next year the students will take social studies one semester and science the next?

While other schools in the county are doing this, we are not planning on implementing this at Henley next year. We will continue to collect data from other schools and from educational research studies to see if this will be something that will benefit Henley students in the future.

Is the eighth grade still going to go to Busch Gardens at the end of next year?

This has been a tradition for our middle school students for many years, and, as far as I know, there are no plans to change it. I feel that a trip such as this is a great way to celebrate our success as middle school students and to have one last time together as Henley Hornets before we move on to high school. Personally, I can't wait to be a chaperone on this trip, and to ride the Griffon!

So, I hope this had provided some insight into some happenings at Henley next year. As always, please feel free to contact me via my e-mail link if there are any questions that I can answer.

Have a great summer break! Go Hornets!