Longmeadow Schools' Special Programs Committee developing three-year plan

Date: 2/19/2015

LONGMEADOW – The Special Programs Committee (SPC) has been working with results from a survey distributed to students and parents regarding areas of interest in order to develop a three-year plan for hosting guest speakers or programs in Longmeadow Public Schools.

“We’re then taking the survey and we’re looking at developing a three-year plan for brining in speakers like [former National Basketball Association star] Chris Herren,” Superintendent of Schools Marie Doyle said. “Our plan is to have a three-year plan developed by June.”

Herren spoke about his personal struggles with addiction and his recovery at Longmeadow High School (LHS) on Sept. 15 and the event was sold out, Shelly Warren, substance abuse response coordinator for Longmeadow Public Schools, said.

Doyle said potential speakers are already being researched by the committee, which includes the cost and time frames for hosting any potential speakers. Committee members will likely report back to the rest of the committee at the SPC’s next meeting.

“The work of the SPC will be invaluable as we strive to become more proactive in helping students understand themselves, with the goal of arming them with the tools and strategies needed to make sound decisions, not only as students here in Longmeadow, but for the rest of their lives,” Doyle added.

Larry Snyder, a professor at Bay Path University, is scheduled to speak about technology in March to talk about Internet safety, she added.
 
Surveys are customized for fourth and fifth grade students, at the middle school level, and for high school students, as well as parents and district staff, Doyle said. They were first made available in early January and closed on Jan. 23.

The SPC received completed surveys from 379 parents, 96 staff members, 196 fourth and fifth graders, 512 middle school students, and 281 high school students, according to a press release from the school district.

Survey results indicated that the top sources of stress for students are academic performance, managing social relationships, and expectations of self and others. Juniors and seniors at LHS also indicated that getting into college was a top stress.

The majority of student respondents indicated that their stress level was a three or higher on a scale of one to five. The responses of students, parents, and staff noted that stress levels increase as students progress through the grade levels while their perceived ability to manage it decreases.

“We recognize the pressure on our students stemming from high expectations in a community with an established track record of exemplary performance in academics, sports, music and other extracurricular activities,” Doyle said. “In addition, navigating the social dynamics of middle and high school can contribute to anxiety and even isolation among students. It is the goal of the SPC to provide programming to help all students deal with these common concerns.”

Warren said the programs of interest for students, parents, and staff include helping in balancing the demands of school, home, sports, and other obligations, anxiety reduction, resiliency and overcoming obstacles, and effective learning strategies.
 
“We seek a hand-in-glove relationship with parents in Longmeadow in this endeavor,” Doyle said. “We understand and appreciate that it takes a village to raise confident and successful children and young adults, and we look forward to working with the community to achieve this outcome for our students.”

The committee was formed at the request of School Committee member Kimberly King, who felt that it was interest to look into student emotional health and wellness issues, she added.

“We put out an email and we have over 25 parent and staff volunteers on the committee,” Doyle said. “We also did a survey to gather information on how students perceive their stress as well as how parents perceive the stress of their children.