Middle School Students SAIL Into Leadership Roles

When does a shoe become more than a just a shoe? The answer is when it defines the social status of the student wearing it. That was just one of the challenges middle school students spoke about at a daylong conference at Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES.

It’s a tough world out there for today’s middle school students and the ongoing barrage of tragic news stories about school bullying just reinforces that fact. Everything from the clothes they wear to the jokes they tell to the extracurricular activities they choose define today’s students, some of whom are bullied or ostracized.

That’s why Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES is working with area school districts on a yearlong project to promote welcoming, inclusive, positive school cultures. To launch the project, nearly 50 sixth and seventh grade students, specifically chosen by their districts for their leadership potential, took part in BOCES’ first Students Acting in Leadership (SAIL) conference.

The goal is to empower students to foster positive change in their own schools. Five area school districts -- Ardsley, Byram Hills, Carmel, Ossining and Irvington -- participated, each sending approximately ten students, along with adult advisors.

“Students have the potential to be schools’ most important allies in their ongoing work to support a positive school culture,” said Kim Fontana, Assistant Director of BOCES’ Guidance and Child Study Center and SAIL program co-coordinator. “While the news stories are often about incidents of bullying and discrimination, and sometimes violence, we don’t hear as much about the many and varied efforts schools continue to make to prevent incidents from happening in the first place.  These districts and others demonstrate a commitment to a strong proactive approach.”

SAIL was inspired by a group of educational leaders throughout the region and New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act, which seeks to ensure that all students experience a safe and supportive environment, free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment and bullying on school property, on school buses or at school functions.

The full-day program shed light on what a day in the life of a middle school student entails. Students readily talked about their views on popularity, fitting in and their place in the unspoken social hierarchy found in schools. Some participants showed remarkable self-awareness, such as seventh grader Patrick Saint Anges from Anne M. Dorner Middle School in Ossining who said: “We are defined by the people we hang out with and I don’t want to be associated with people who exclude others.”

The afternoon featured presentations by a group of adult role models making positive contributions to society – a political campaign volunteer, an alternative high school principal and a middle school counselor and coach. Students had the opportunity to meet in small groups with these adults to learn about how they became leaders.

Santiago Adams, a student from Ardsley Middle School, commented during one such session, “Real leadership is being the first person to do the right thing, which is sometimes hard.”

Both student and adult participants learned how to research their own school cultures. They will return in December to discuss their results and develop action plans for promoting a positive school environment.  In May, a showcase will be held for participants to present the results of the program. The conference is being co-sponsored by BOCES’ Guidance and Child Study Center and the Center for Educational Leadership.