Every class at Great Bend Middle School is a tiny community with its own culture. The staff at GBMS – and every other school in Great Bend USD 428 – are learning how to improve relationships in those communities through a program called “Capturing Kids Hearts.” GBMS Principal David Reiser called on staff and students to talk about the program when the middle school hosted the USD 428 luncheon school board meeting Thursday.
“Its purpose is to develop relationships between students and staff, and between students and students,” he said. “If you have a child’s heart, you have the child’s mind. It’s not just for students; it’s what we model as staff and how we treat each other.”
All of the staff received Capturing Kids Hearts training at the start of the 2021-2022 school year and follow-up training will keep it going, Director of Teaching and Learning Tricia Reiser said.
To demonstrate how it works at GBMS, a student Welcoming Committee was at the front door Thursday to greet guests coming for the board meeting.
Students showed guests how to get their lunch and guided them to the GBMS Library, where the board would meet.
These students also help newcomers to the school learn their way around, Principal Reiser said. On the staff side, teachers stand at the classroom doors and greet students as they enter. Normally, they would shake students’ hands but because of the pandemic they are skipping that, limiting physical contact to a fist bump at most, he added.
Girls’ physical education instructor Tera Arnberger had the board members interact with her as if they were students. The class starts by asking everyone if they have any good news to share. Comments can be followed by two claps from everyone, or the more quiet version, waving “spirit fingers.”
Teachers start each class on a positive note that sets the tone, the principal explained.
There are also plans for ending a class on a positive note. During the day, there are opportunities to give fellow students (and staff) affirmations. There’s also a technique for helping more introverted students to feel support when it’s time to make a presentation.
Catherine Lewis, who teaches seventh-grade English, expressed enthusiasm for the teaching techniques.
“It’s not new but it helps you to be intentional,” she said. Beyond that, good, old-fashioned instruction is still at the core of what teachers offer.
A key piece of Capturing Kids Hearts is the social contract that they create for every class they attend. GBMS science teacher Brandy Proffitt talked about that, showing one of the poster-sized “contracts” from her fourth-hour class. Students chose the behaviors they agreed were important for their class, using words such as “kind,” “respect” and “helpful.” Proffitt came up with the final item, “no put-downs,” but the rest of the choices were from students, who all signed the poster.
“You come to an agreement as a class (as to) how you’re going to treat each other, and how you want to be treated,” Proffitt said. If she is about to teach a difficult lesson, she will let her students know it and remind them they have agreed to be attentive. If there is a conflict in the classroom, she might remind them that their social contract calls for everyone to stay calm.
“It’s a way for them to self-regulate,” she said. “I found it very useful in my classroom.”
Contributions
In action items, the board approved the following contributions and grant applications:
• Jefferson Elementary School received $25 from Eldridge Fencing and $25 from 10th Avenue Boutique for the Student of the Month Program.
• Lincoln Elementary Student Council received a $100 contribution from Kristen Yarmer for shirts.
• Great Bend High School received an anonymous $10,000 contribution for the Theatre Department.
