Tyler Gomez

“Our project will provide multiple strengths-based leadership opportunities to students that are at risk for dropping out due to factors such as race, EL Status (English Learners), and academic performance. It is designed to teach and reinforce Social Emotional Competencies through community building, culturally diverse experiences and teamwork. We will use risk factor data such as attendance, major/minor behavior events and academic performance along with data collected from the universal screener to identify students that are most at risk for dropping out of school before graduation. We will then use student interest surveys and student interviews to create differentiated leadership teams based on their strengths and interests. These teams will consist of students, staff members, and community volunteers. The events, collaboration, and operation of these groups will in turn provide the entire school community with opportunities to grow and connect in ways that were previously unavailable to the majority of our population. Our hope is that this will then have a major effect on our schoolwide engagement and promote increased attendance and in the long term, reduced dropout rates. We will create a school community focused on relationship building and responsible decision making.”