The kids have been taking part in a pioneering orientation program designed to ease the sometimes-daunting transition from elementary to middle school.
“This is something we're using to ease the anxiety of coming into sixth grade,” said Porter assistant principal Lisa Hendrix, who will welcome about 180 new sixth-graders next week. “It can be hard, coming from smaller schools and being mixed with kids from all these other schools.”
With the new program, which runs 10 days, students spend time with their homeroom teacher, meet other new students and teachers, learn to work their lockers and get a sense of how a day at middle school will go.
“These kids are going to feel so far ahead when they show up for class next week,” Hendrix said. “They know teachers, they've made new friends, they've learned to navigate the building.”
Even better, they'll be able to help kids who didn't attend the orientation.
“We're calling them camp counselors and hoping they'll be able to ease the way for the other kids,” Hendrix said.
On Thursday, the students were learning the finer points of GPS navigation and transferring an art project they'd done by hand and computer to T-shirts.
“This helps them get the sense that they're not coming to some strange land,” said art teacher Carla Getz, who helped the students create a Porter logo for the T-shirts.
Most of the kids had drawn some semblance of a cougar, the school mascot, topped by a line of type saying something like “Cougars Rule.”
“It's been fun mostly,” said Tyler Vaneps. “I've learned my way around and gotten to meet a lot of the kids.”
Tyler and buddy John Hutchins were partnered up Thursday for the ironing aspect of their art project. They both seemed entirely sure that ironing wasn't their future calling, but it was OK for now.
“I don't want to go into ironing,” Vaneps said. “I want to sell football cards.”
Hutchins said the orientation program made him “less nervous” about starting class next week.
The orientation program was funded with federal Title I money that Porter receives because a percentage of its students are from low-income families.
Hendrix said Porter officials will do a debriefing after the program ends to determine what worked well and what can be improved.
“I think for the kids, we saw a little hesitation at the start, but now they're really into it,” said computer teacher Susie Graham. “I think they'll be much more prepared for school when we get started next week.”
Reporter Michael Moore can be reached at 523-5252 or at mmoore@missoulian.com.
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