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JCMS helps incoming 6th graders find where they belong

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One of the largest transitions our students make is going from elementary to middle school. These students have spent years inside the same classroom, and most of their time with one teacher. That changes when they reach 6th grade and suddenly have multiple classes for different subjects.

This transition is a significant event for our students and our district aims to ease this period for our new 6th graders. This is where WEB, or Where Everyone Belongs, comes in. WEB is a middle school orientation & transition program that aims to help incoming 6th graders feel safe, welcome and comfortable in their first year.

6th grade students are welcomed in by 8th graders, who are WEB leaders. These students are ones who’ve shown they are approachable, friendly, reliable, and act as a positive role model. This year there were more than three dozen WEB leaders.

"Our aim is to recruit a cross-section of leaders that represent all corners of the school so that each incoming 6th grader sees at least one leader they can relate to," Head WEB Coordinator Christa Rohrbach said. "The most important thing we look for in leaders is kindness and willingness to help others. Leaders apply with a short statement about why they want to be a WEB Leader and the selection committee makes final choices based on applications, overall citizenship, and teacher feedback. Attendance requirements for leaders are also very strict, and they cannot miss any training days if they'd like to be a leader." 

The first day of school started with every 6th grader coming to the gym for an assembly. They played multiple games to get comfortable and break the ice a little bit as nerves were high being at a new school. 

After about an hour and a half, the students were split into smaller groups. Each group was led by two WEB leaders. The groups dispersed into various classrooms where the fun activities continued. They played multiple games that helped them learn more about one another.

Two of those WEB leaders were Carter Anderson and Sofia Rosales Lima. They remember what it was like when they first started at JCMS after spending years at Buff Elementary.

Two teenagers stand in front of a blanket hanging from the wall. The blanket has a white buffalo on it. The teens are wearing white t shirts and jeans.

WEB Leaders Sofia Rosales Lima and Carter Anderson.

“I had some really good WEB leaders when I was a 6th grader, which helped me feel like I belonged,” Anderson said. “They really gave a really good explanation of how it is to be a middle schooler and it made me want to be like them and help sixth graders get used to middle school life.”

“I kind of felt lost in sixth grade, so I decided to be a WEB leader because I didn't want other kids to feel that way,” Rosales Lima said.  “I thought if I could help them I wanted to help them feel like they belonged.”

The transition to middle school looks different for every student. For Anderson, he was worried about getting bullied, but he quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen. 

“It's nothing like how I thought it would be. It's a lot better, might be a little harder in some aspects, but not really a bullying environment, which is why I really, like, am thankful to this school district because they're very good about the non-bullying policy.”

For Rosales Lima, she came into middle school feeling a bit shy. She knew there were going to be many more students at her new school and that scared her. 

“I feel like JCMS has helped me become more social and now I have a lot more friends,” she said.

All throughout the school, the small groups were playing different games so the 6th graders could learn more about one another. These games were focused on learning one another’s names, interests, and hobbies. The WEB Leaders underwent training during summer to be prepared to lead this time.

One of those games was a version of ‘Tip of my Finger." Leaders have students practice names by passing the balloon to another student in the circle using their index finger only. The game escalates in difficulty by later having students also not able to move one foot, then not able to move either foot. Leaders also facilitate a strategy discussion to help the group see what patterns are working and what they might need to change.  This game was Rosales Lima’s favorite. 

“That's the game that brought out their personalities the most,” she said. “They were all very excited and at the end of that game, they were all very happy.” 

While leading fun activities and games on the first day of school may seem like a small thing to do, the success of WEB programs is evident. The program directly establishes relationships between 6th graders and older students. Having a peer network can help their new school feel less intimidating. 

New students also get a positive role model in their WEB leaders. They can learn from them, ask them questions, and not have to go through new situations without someone to lean on when they need some extra help or encouragement. Our district prides itself on creating spaces where our students flourish. WEB is one program that not only helps our incoming 6th graders feel welcome at their new school, which can lead to them flourishing there, but it also helps our WEB Leader students work on critical skills they’ll need later in life. 

“It has improved a lot of my skills. especially leadership. I really showed that I could do it and I'm happy that I was able to,” Anderson said. “I learned what it means to be a leader. It really taught me how to be one and it just helped me in general.” 

“It also helped me a lot with my social skills, because I didn't really like talking to people unless I already knew them,” Rosales Lima said.

WEB Leaders will continue to visit 6th grade homerooms and host social events throughout the year to stay connected with the younger students.