Lawrence County Schools

BES: Student Leadership & Mentoring Program

Blaine Elementary School has initiated a student leadership and mentoring program for the 2025-2026 school year, which has significantly impacted both elementary and middle school students. The program is gaining traction within the school, providing middle school students with personal and academic growth through structured guidance, peer support, and skill-building activities. Mr. Jewell, the principal of BES, shared his observations of a middle school student who previously displayed behavioral issues. Since joining the program, this student has shown remarkable improvement in behavior and is developing positive relationships with elementary students. Mr. Jewell noted, “Witnessing the positive change in this student's personal growth has been incredible!”

Mrs. Withers, a middle school IDEA teacher, is one of the program's founders. She detailed how it operates: “Blaine Elementary has implemented a leadership program that harnesses the talents and skills of our 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students. This program helps in building leadership, responsibility, and school-wide motivation. It also helps our 8th graders prepare to transition to high school by increasing their independence and accountability. Middle school students have been assigned primary and intermediate classrooms. During breakfast, the teen leaders sit with their assigned classrooms and help to monitor the students. They help with tasks from opening milk, help with homework, or just talk with the students. The leaders also help keep students seated until it's time to line up for class. Leadership students line them up, take them to the bathroom, and then to class. We have had lots of positive feedback from the teachers. We can also see the positive effects in the gym during breakfast. It is much calmer; fewer kids are running around the gym. Also, we can see relationships forming not just in the gym but also in the hallways, as the little kids say hello and give hugs to the teen leaders each day.”

Continuing his discussion of the program’s success, BES Principal, Mr. Jewell, stated, “Our mentoring program provides academic support, positive role modeling, and social-emotional guidance. This program is designed to strengthen student leadership, improve academic outcomes, and promote a positive school culture through structured, supervised student mentoring relationships. I feel that this has had a tremendous impact on our school. Our elementary students benefit from individualized attention, increased confidence, improved academic skills, and stronger connections to school. Whereas middle school mentors gain valuable leadership experience, enhanced communication skills, and greater empathy and responsibility. Overall, the program promotes a culture of collaboration, respect, and inclusion. We have a remarkable group of students and staff who enable our program to flow smoothly and help to build relationships across our building. I am so proud of our mentoring program here at BES!”

Save the Date! LC Schools is excited to celebrate Music in Our Schools Month (MIOSM) to celebrate the significance of music education in our schools. LCHS music teachers, Mr. Smith and Mr. Pack, along with our district music teachers, warmly invite the LC community to the MIOSM Concert, a wonderful occasion to collaborate and honor our students throughout the district on their musical accomplishments. Also, this year, the LC Music Hall of Fame will recognize the outstanding contributions of Ms. Angel Opell and Mrs. Sean Harris. Be sure to plan for a morning filled with amazing performances by our talented LC students! It promises to be a fantastic program!

Admission is FREE of charge!
Location- LCHS Gymnasium
Time- 10:00 AM
Date: Thursday, March 26th

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Constitutional Convention Reenactment in LCHS Government Class!

Mr. McCoy’s LCHS government students were transported back in time to the era of the Constitutional Convention, which took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, PA. The class reenacted the convention, with students assigned specific roles representing various historical figures. These individuals represented diverse states and regions, each assigned the responsibility of voicing various interests. Initially convened to revise the Articles of Confederation, this event ultimately sparked debate and led to the drafting of the United States Constitution, making it one of the most significant events in American history.

Student Perspectives:
Lara-Mae Ben Aoun, a current LCHS junior and international exchange student from Germany, shared, “To further immerse ourselves in the subject matter, we each took on the role of a different historical figure. By embodying these individuals and delving into their perspectives, I gained a much deeper understanding of the complex issues and debates that shaped the US Constitution. It was engaging and an effective way to learn, bringing history to life in a way that textbooks simply cannot do. As someone from Germany, it was fascinating to see the foundation of the American government. And through each of us playing a different person, it made it even more fun!”

Piper Waugh, a LCHS senior, explained, “It was a great learning experience! I was able to understand new things about the convention that I had never realized before. I learned more about our founding fathers, the process of how the convention unfolded, and how decisions were made to form our new government.”

Luisa Straeten, a current LCHS junior and also an international exchange student from Germany, noted, “I think reenacting the Constitutional Convention was a good way to understand how decisions were made. Through us, the students, representing people who were involved in the convention, we were able to learn about each individual's opinion on the different topics. We also learned the rules on the procedures, such as saying aye for agreement and nay for opposition. I found I was way more fun, easier to remember, and better able to understand the whole concept by acting it out than by just reading about it. This was something I wasn’t really familiar with because it's not really discussed in Germany, so it made it a lot easier.”

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