My own history of ACEs is too long for this blog post, but I have a score of 8/10.  What is important though is that this score has brought me strength, purpose, and direction as my position of REACH Program Coordinator at Stewartville Middle and High School in Stewartville, MN.  I grew up in Stewartville and am now raising my family here.

REACH stands for Relationships, Education, Accountability, Character, and Hard work.  REACH is an elective class offered to students in grades 7-12.  Students apply to be in REACH, interview with us about their struggles, and sign a contract that goes into detail about our expectations.

REACH Stewartville started as an academic intervention that focused on homework completion and increasing test scores, but we quickly saw some patterns that concerned us.  We decided to dig deeper into some of the causes for our students who were consistently struggling.  At first we saw attendance and behavior issues, and these struggles went back years for many students.  REACH starts with Relationships.  We spent time developing meaningful relationships with our students, and we learned much about their families and their histories.  The majority of our students have at least 1 ACE.  Many have 4 or more.  This knowledge allowed us to change our focus.  Every single class begins with a character lesson.  These lessons are directly tied to our students lives and teach the importance of working hard to overcome obstacles to become they best individuals they can be.

REACH STEWARTVILLE MISSION: 

"Growing up in today’s world is not easy. The mission of the REACH Program is to make meaningful connections with our students who need support. Our aim is to educate the “whole student” and to help them become the best person they can be through Relationships, Education, Accountability, Character, and Hard work. The personal/emotional needs of our students must be met first so they can find the academic success they are looking for. The tools we use are personal connections, individual support, and patience."

I have paired up with Dr. Sood of the Mayo Clinic and took six months of training from him with his Resilient Living Program (http://stressfree.org/).  I use the pillars of this program with my students in grades 7-12 every day.  We focus on gratitude, compassion, acceptance, meaning, forgiveness, celebration, reflection, kind and joyful attention, and other positive ways to view the world as a way to increase happiness and become more healthy and productive.  This program was written for adults (normally professionals) dealing with stress, not for students dealing with many ACEs, so I have made many adjustments so it best meets the needs of our students in the REACH Program.

Our building social worker has an office right next to mine in the REACH Room.  We spend much time conferencing with students about school and life.  We don't judge our students for their struggles and mistakes.  We see them as learning opportunities.  We also have professional counseling services for those who need them available through the school.

We have a lot of work to do, but we have seen much success.  Attendance is greatly improved, behavior referrals are down, and grades are up.  Most importantly though, our students are learning to become the best individuals they can be.

Follow us! 

I have Facebook and Twitter pages set up to share all of our character lessons and many of the resources I use in REACH.  Our program standards and examples of REACH students serving others can also be found on these pages.  More information can be found on the Facebook page than on the Twitter.  The Facebook page is open to the public; you do not need to be a FB member to access it.

www.facebook.com/reachstewartville    Twitter:  @REACHStewie

Jim Parry

REACH Program Coordinator

Stewartville High School and Middle School

"They are all great kids; some just don't know it yet."