Dee Ann Patterson
Lawton Public Schools
Odecee Carney Jr., seventh grader at Central Middle School, feels more prepared for high school thanks to a recent visit from several high school juniors.
Members of the Junior Leadership Lawton Fort Sill class, who are all high school juniors, brought their presentations on getting ready for high school to Central Middle School seventh graders on Tuesday. Breakout session topics included Communications, High School 101, Mental Health and Brain Breaks.
Carney said High School 101 was the most informative session. Students presented information on things to do in high school, including joining clubs, making sure you get your credits early and pathways to different careers.
“It helped me understand that if you join a club, you will be more social,” said Carney, 14, who expressed an interest in pursuing a career in real estate.
He said the session on communication also was valuable.
“Communication is more important than it seems,” he said. “Like if you are getting bullied but are scared to say something, if you say something, they will do something.”
Carney, who plays left tackle for the Cougars, said he is looking forward to playing football at a higher level and going to different classes in high school.
Danika Bridges, a student at MacArthur High School and co-spokesperson of Junior Leadership of Lawton Fort Sill, said the presentations were the project for this year’s leadership class. Seventh graders were chosen because “we felt like seventh graders are the least heard group. They are the least seen and talked to. We feel like it is a really important time in their lives,” Bridges said.
Hope Cho, 17, a student at Eisenhower High School, said seventh grade is the perfect time to introduce students to these concepts.
“In seventh grade, it’s the end of the year, and they have some time before high school. They can try to fit some high school credits in their schedule. They have a year to think about what they would like to do,” Cho said.
Christina Guerrero, 16, a junior at Eisenhower High School, offered another reason why seventh graders were chosen.
“Sixth graders are trying to adjust and eighth graders are getting ready for high school next year. Seventh graders are trying to figure it out on their own,” Guerrero said.
Making sure seventh graders don’t have to figure it out all by themselves was one of the goals of the presentations, which were given to about 750 seventh graders in Lawton’s three middle schools over the course of three school days.
In the communication presentation, students talked about setting boundaries, conflict resolution and relationships. To illustrate the importance of communicating, students were asked to line up according to their birth month, but they couldn’t use words to communicate. Most held up their fingers to indicate in which month they were born and then lined up.
Presenters also talked about the importance of tone of voice when speaking with others and how requesting rather than commanding makes for better communication.
The concept of kindness was stressed in the mental health session. Students were asked to write down one kind thing on a sticky note. The notes were then added to a board, which will be displayed in the hall for all students to see. Students also were encouraged to reach out to others for help and were given information for mental health resources in the community.
Because all work and no play is not good for your mental health, students did a session on giving your brain a break. They were given a list of several items to find and sent on a scavenger hunt in the school library. Those who found all the items were rewarded with a piece of candy.
Guerrero and Cho said they already have received feedback from teachers on the success of the presentations. Guerrero said teachers tell them they are seeing some behavioral changes such as students who were quiet in class are speaking up more.
“We didn’t know if they would listen to us,” Cho said of the younger students.
The seventh graders are not the only ones whose behaviors have changed. Guerrero and Cho said the presentations have made an impact on them as well. They have a better appreciation of what their teachers experience everyday, especially in trying to hold students’ attention.
Cho and Guerrero said they have discovered what a distraction cell phones can be.
“They have to put them down and focus on us,” Guerrero said. “We are trying to grab their attention. They get more out of this presentation when they don’t have their phone. Now I’m wary of grabbing my phone (in class). My teacher deserves that respect.”
Guerrero and Cho said they signed up for Junior Leadership Lawton Fort Sill because they want to be more involved in the community and to connect with their peers at the other high schools.
In addition to the lessons they have taught the seventh graders, they will take some lessons they have learned about leadership back to their high school.