rising seventh-grade class was invited to get a “jump start” on the school year this week.
About 150 students showed up to make friends, learn their way around Hughes and generally get ready for the new year in a new school.
Hughes assistant principal Margaret Barnes said she hopes the Jumpstart program will really “set the tone for the new school year.” While Hughes has offered summer academics opportunities before, this is the first time that Jumpstart encompassed more than academics or remediation.
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The program was open to anyone “new to Hughes,” and approximately one-third of the new seventh-grade class - arriving from six elementary schools - attended the week-long session.
The presenting team (teachers, administrators, counselors) focused on the social aspects of being a middle-schooler, meet new people, learning how to get around, “practicing" lockers.
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Each morning started with team-building exercises to break the ice and get students comfortable with each other. One day the students created a “human knot” on the parking lot or completed tasks without words, using only signs or body language.
The final day included a panel discussion with Hughes eighth graders, who would give their advice to the new Hughes students and answer their questions, peer-to-peer.
