Student leadership development and training is provided throughout the school year to address issues that hinder the academic, social, and emotional well-being of all students. The following are among the opportunities made available.
o Kindness Matters
The Kindness Matters Campaign is designed to reinforce the behavior of students that display kind deeds. At the start of the school year, fifth grade students sign a pledge card and receive a gel bracelet. Throughout the year, students are nominated by their teachers or peers for showcasing kind deeds. They are recognized with a t-shirt and certificate.
o Move2Stand
MOVE2STAND (M2S) is an interactive training program of STARS that challenges students to examine their attitudes toward bullying. This four-hour event has a goal of creating empathy and helping students understand how bullying impacts individual students, their school climate, and their overall school community. Though the target audience for this training is middle school, in special cases, training is provided for incoming high school students. Thanks to funding from the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga and Coordinated School Health for enabling an expansion of this program.
o Peer Mediation Training
Students at all grade levels can be trained to understand the nature of conflict and the steps to peaceful resolution. Training occurs on school campus with a cross section of students chosen by school personnel to mediate a conflict before it escalates to more physical aggression
o Youth Summit
A team of high school students (including the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council [SSAC] and additional student leaders) are trained annually to serve as catalyst in fostering a healthier school climate. With an overarching goal of engaging students in creating solutions for improving the school learning environment, action plans are created and efforts throughout the year are targeted at the issues identified during the leadership training.