Student Culture

Students are critical participants in the development of our new school. Student representatives from Enterprise and Carmichael are members of our core planning team and have contributed greatly to our plans and the content of this website. When we open in August, students will take a active role in developing a strong student culture.

Our students are CHARGERs

C (Create)

Students are Makers. We offer a Makerspace class, share a Makerspace lab, and have two mobile Makerspace carts for all students to engage in engineering design and creation.

H (Harmonize)

Students work together, with their teachers, with their parents, and with community members and industry professionals in harmony so that together we are greater than simply the sum of our individual parts. No one of us is as smart as all of us together.

A (Articulate)

Students express themselves clearly, creatively, and confidently. Students effectively communicate in class, as well as, in public exhibitions and competitions.

R (Research)

Students are able to base their assertions on research. They know how to find relevant information, determine its validity, and utilize the information to further their plans and projects.

G (Grow)

Students hold a Growth Mindset, recognizing that intelligence is flexible rather than fixed, that we all have room for improvement and the ability to improve.

E (Evaluate)

Students evaluate their own work, the work of their peers, their growth as learners, and their development as individuals and members of society. They question everything about the world around them and find room for improvement.

R (Reimagine)

Students utilize the engineering design cycle, along with their inquiry and creativity, to develop innovations that are unique to their life experiences and developing talents. Working together, student help us all to see a world reimagined.

Creating A Culture of Success in Middle School

  1. Teach All Students Problem Solving (SODAS)
      • S – Define the SITUATION.
      • O – Examine OPTIONS available to deal with the problem.
      • D – Determine the DISADVANTAGES of each option.
      • A – Determine the ADVANTAGES of each option.
      • S – Decide on a SOLUTION and practice.
  2. Build Strong Relationships
    • Ice Breaker Activities
    • Advisory for all 3 years
    • Clubs for social development/interactions and a STEAM focus.
  3. Teach Essential Social Skills
    • AVID
    • Part of School Norms
    • Digital Citizenship
    • Growth Mindset
  4. Get on the Same Page
    • Everyone has a say
    • Document process and decisions (have a written copy of everything)
    • Transparency (everyone can see everything clearly)
  5. Provide Structure and Be Role Models
    • Students as Role Models
    • Peer mentors
    • Staff as mentors
    • Growth Mindset
    • Leadership class
      • School spirit assemblies
      • Dances
      • Support activities and athletics (posters)
      • Community support activities (canned food drives, etc)
      • Mentorship/tutoring
      • ASB type structure
  6. Clarify Classroom/School Rules and Set Appropriate Consequence.
    • Grid in handbook (consistency)
    • School norms
    • Incentives
    • PBIS
    • Physical and Digital Citizenship
  7. Embrace Their Social Nature
    • Physical and Digital Citizenship
    • Social Media Integration
  8. Develop Growth Mindsets
    • Integrationtion
  9. Praise Students for Good Choices
    • Certificates, Awards, and Acknowledgments for outstanding accomplishments that students demonstrate in class
  10. Take Time to Breathe
  11. Six Pillars of Character
    • Trustworthiness
      • The ability to keep promises, to be honest, reliable and principled while never inappropriately betraying a confidence.
    • Respect
    • Responsibility
    • Fairness
      • Be ready to counter their complaints by basing rules on the traits of character.
    • Caring
      • The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation provides Educator Resources including project ideas such as RAK Sightings!, which gives students and staff the opportunity to secretly submit students' random acts of kindness and then rewards the doers with special certificates.
      • The Giraffe Project: Encouraging Kids to "Stick Their Necks Out" for Others
    • Citizenship
      • Follow the news. Share stories from your own community and the national news headlines about people who possess the character traits. Ask local leaders to address the students. The Giraffe Heroes Web site has a wonderful collection of Giraffe Profiles that is rich in stories of real people who personify good character and would be an ideal library from which to select tales to share with students.