TeamUp 2014          

Sligo Middle School

S'TEAM Sligo

 

Lead Partner: Big Learning

 

Partners: Class Acts Arts, Passion 4 Learning, and Sligo Middle School. 

 

Project Description: S’Team Sligo  was designed to develop a corps of student leaders who represented a cross section of the Sligo community and who could model academic excellence, collaboration and engagement for their peers, families, and students within Sligo. The target group was 26,  6th and 7th graders who comprised a mix of ‘high flyers’ and ‘tipping point’ students.  Approximately 70% of the selected students were low income as indicated by free and reduced meals at school. The team of students was ultimately responsible for planning and executing a Community Learning Day held in the Fall. 

 

S’Team Sligo was structured as an 18 week after-school program from December – May; a five day a week, three week summer camp; and four more weeks of an afternoon program the month prior to the Community Learning in the Fall.  

 

S’Team Sligo’s Year 1 project focused on environmental issues through the Maryland Green School program providing a real world platform for the youth to be engaged through “STEAM” activities such as outdoor adventure, artistic creation, scientific exploration and multi-media communications as they developed their leadership and team building skills.

 

      Year 1 Highlights:

• Most notable was the growth in the students and their confidence levels and expanded abilities. 

• A number of selected students defied expectations that they would not succeed in the project and they demonstrated significant growth in teamwork, leadership, and work ethic.  

• Community Day Survey results showed a broad representation from the Sligo community and the feeder schools--97% of those who responded said that attending and participating in S’Team Sligo Day made them more excited about Sligo Middle School.

                                                                                                                               

S’Team Sligo’s Year 2 project components included science and engineering sessions focused on renewable and alternative energy sources; digital media communications to bring the project to the larger Sligo community; a therapeutic outdoor adventure program to develop the team; poetry, spoken word and musical composition centered on energy; and a mosaic installation mirroring program themes.  A number of the 8th grade students from the first year cohort are serving as program ‘mentors’. 

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Funding:

TeamUp funding was awarded for the first two years.