New advisory period to help challenge students to success

By By Candice Youngblood and Tammy McMillen

LITTLE ROCK — The sleepy summer hallways of Greenbrier Junior High School, like most schools around the country, awakened this August with sounds of a new school year - young feet rushing from class to class and new pencils grinding in the sharpeners.

But before the students even hit the front door this fall, the staff of GJHS was hard at work to streamline a system of teamwork that will challenge each student to academic and personal success. The plan - a little 25-minute time span called the advisory period.

In a rapidly growing district in which student enrollment has increased 18 percent in the past five years, GJHS teachers are constantly seeking innovative ways to meet the individual needs of their students. The new teacher/student advisory period has met with success.

During this class, each teacher works with a small group of studentsthat remains intact for the full two years on campus to address individual needs, whether academic or social.

The purpose of the advisory period is twofold. First, teachers engage students in tutoring and enrichment for weak academic areas. Second, it provides a place and time for building community and character - both of which affect a student's personal success in school.

The low teacher-student ratio offers a small group focus that goes beyond testing achievement and into achievement in all subject areas. Teachers monitor their students' progress reports and maintain contact with parents when needed. Teachers also serve as the academic advisers to students and parents when choosing classes for a new year.

The tutoring and enrichment program utilizes a modified version of test prep and test practice to get students ready for standardized exams in the spring. The literacy and math departments work hand in hand withthe whole staff to create a relevant advisory curriculum.

Principal Aimee Dyson said, "Advisory has alleviated some of the pressure from our math and literacy teachers by sharing the responsibility among all staff members : In the past three years, our scores have improved by 6 percent in eighth-grade literacy, 15 percent in eighth-grade math and 21 percent on the Algebra EOC (end of course)."

Three advisory periods per week are devoted to tutoring and practice. The other two days leave time for important school business and character/community building.

Counselor Amy Wilson commented, "Having the same adult as a mentor teacher provides the students with someone they can go to with a need or problem." Wilson also mentioned that plans are under way to incorporate motivational speakers into the character education curriculum.

According to Dyson, the advisory period allows time for student activities. Intramural sports, club meetings, pep rallies and assemblies that used to take time away from the normal class period now occur during advisory.

Staff members are also united in making students a part of the school's new Fish! philosophy - a popular motivational tool developed by a fish market in Seattle, Wash.

The philosophy includes four simple principles to foster efficiency and improvement within a group of students or employees. (1) Be there. (2) Make their day. (3) Choose your attitude. (4) Play.

Callie King, a Spanish teacher in the district, said, "We want students to know that they have control of their lives. The attitude they choose each morning colors their entire day. We want them to be responsible for themselves, to support each other, and to have fun in the process."

(Candice Youngblood and Tammy Mc-Millen are literacy teachers at Greenbrier Junior High School.)Greenbrier Junior High School at a glance

Vision Statement: DRIVE - Destiny Realized in Valuing Education.

Grades: Eight and nine Enrollment: 420 Mascot: Panthers Colors: Blue and white Faculty: 35 Athletics: Basketball, football, volleyball, track Principal: Aimee Dyson Assistant Principal: Brett Meek Address: 10 School Drive Greenbrier, AR 72058 Telephone: (501) 679-3433 Web site: gps.k12.ar.us

River Valley Ozark, Pages 75 on 10/02/2008