Goodrich – The students in the first annual high school ‘Boot Camp? learned the camp wasn’t about exercise.
The summertime two-week intensive training course turned out to be a course to prepare incoming ‘at risk? freshman to be better equipped for high school.
The program was started by high school Principal Dave St. Aubin, Vice- Principal Mike Ellis and Curriculum Director Beth Zito, who focused on middle school students with a consistent history of struggling academically.
‘These students don’t have any behavioral problems,? said Ellis. ‘This is just another step to ensure their academic success. We don’t want anybody to slip through the cracks.?
With intervention programs already in place at elementary and middle school levels, Ellis said they didn’t have an intervention for middle school students going into high school. ‘We want all of our freshmen to be at the same skill level,? said Ellis. ‘It’s all about being pro-active and not reactive.?
High school psychology and U.S. history teacher Greg Yelland was selected by the administrators to teach the class.
‘These kinds of students lack motivation in the classroom. So it was my job to get them motivated again,? said Yelland. ‘It is harder for freshmen to see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow when they are 14-years-old, so we talked about the academic goals they want to accomplish over their four years at Goodrich High School.
Yelland said he made sure his students didn’t do the same activity more than once.
‘We did all sorts of activities. Some on the computer, some in discussion groups, it was all about keeping these kids on the edge of their seat during this course,? said Yelland. ‘I also felt it was ‘We did all sorts of activities. Some on the computer, some in discussion groups, it was all about keeping these kids on the edge of their seat during this course,? said Yelland. ‘I also felt it was important to teach these kids how hard it is to bring a G.P.A. up when it is down too far.?
Able to relate to these kinds of students, Yelland said he was not a very academically-focused high school student, either.
‘I was that kid. Academics didn’t click in for me until college,? said Yelland. ‘I was the first person to graduate from college in my family. I was only .05 away from graduating with honors at Central Michigan University.?
Yellands? advice to parents who have children who are struggling academically:
‘You have to take an interest in your child and remember what it was like and then work as a team. If a student is on their own, it is a lot harder for them to succeed.?