The WEB Program (“Where Everybody Belongs”) is entering its second year at Duanesburg Jr.-Sr. High School following a successful launch last year.
WEB is a nationwide initiative adopted by thousands of school districts across the United States. Its goal is to help students transition to middle school by creating a supportive environment and providing a built-in network of friendly faces from day one.
At Duanesburg, 7th- and 8th-grade students serve as WEB leaders, helping incoming 6th-grade students make the transition from DES to the Jr.-Sr. High School.
HS math teacher Kristina Crane and HS English teacher Laura Hopkins serve as co-advisors of the program and emphasize the value of the lessons learned by both student leaders and their mentees—with older students developing leadership skills and younger students building confidence as they navigate the transition to high school.
After spending a couple of days in training last week, WEB Leaders welcomed the incoming 6th-grade students on Wednesday for their orientation. The 6th graders toured the building to become more familiar with their new surroundings and feel more comfortable heading into the first day of school. The orientation concluded with the distribution of schedules, with WEB Leaders on hand to answer questions and help ease the transition.
“Year two is off to a great start,” said Crane. “Our WEB leaders are very enthusiastic about being role models for our incoming 6th graders.”
New this year, WEB Leaders will host WEB Wednesdays, when they will wear their WEB-branded T-shirts and lead fun team-building activities with 6th-grade students during their academic period.
“This will give our leaders time to help 6th graders with anything they’re struggling with,” Crane added. “We really want to build a relationship between the 6th graders and their WEB leaders and work toward a middle school model where ‘students are helping students.’”
Leaders will also join forces this year with guidance counselors to give presentations and run activities in 6th grade classrooms relating to respect, empathy, and other important character-focused lessons.
