MT. Blue Middle School students who met the Strive for 5 challenge were treated to ice cream sundaes Tuesday, June 11. Pictured are staff members Jessica Quimby and Jan Welch serving sixth grade students Taneisha Service and Leyani Robinson. Livermore Falls Advertiser photo by Pam Harnden
FARMINGTON — Tuesday afternoon, June 11, Mt. Blue Middle School students who met the Strive for 5 challenge were treated to ice cream sundaes.
MBMS Principal James Black said the Strive for 5 program encourages students to miss five or fewer days of school this year. He started the program after determining 1,392 days were missed last year.
“The program included days missed for family vacations, sick days, everything,” he said. “I calculated the numbers last week. I thought maybe 40 students would meet the challenge, but 214 kids from all grade levels met the goal.”
Those students received a certificate and participated in the ice cream social.
“I hope to make Strive for 5 an annual event, make it even better.
“If students aren’t in school they struggle, can’t meet graduation goals. Attendance goes right to high grades, graduation rates at the high school level.
“People in the community talked about the program, parents and others, which helped,” he said.
Black said the MBMS Strive for 5 initiative was in response to continued poor attendance at the school over the last 5 years.
“As a new principal, it was important for me to have kids in school. Research shows that students who are chronically absent are much more likely to drop out of school, be addicted to substances and make poor life choices. I knew we had to do something to change the climate and thought process around attendance.
“The first step was to get student buy–in. I chose the Strive for 5 model as it was easy for students to remember and pass onto parents and other students. It also had a lot of research from around the country that supported its implementation.
“Once we decided to use it we made a poster, discussed it with staff and had conversations about it with students. It didn’t take long to catch on. Grade levels competed weekly on who had the best attendance and monthly celebrations were given at the Students of the Month assemblies,” Black said.
Students meeting the Strive for 5 challenge were pretty even among the three grades. The sixth grade had 73 students, seventh grade 69 and the eighth grade 72. There are 550 students at MBMS.
Gifford’s Ice Cream donated four 3–gallon tubs of ice cream for the reward activity. Other supplies for the sundaes were purchased through school fundraising efforts.
“Gifford’s has been very supportive of the schools, the community. I’m very thankful to them,” Black said.
At the strive for 5 ice cream social at MBMS June 11, staff members Jessica Quimby, Jan Welch served sixth grade students Maya Kellett and Sadie Irish. Livermore Falls Advertiser photo by Pam Harnden
MBMS held an ice cream social June 11 for students that met the Strive for 5 challenge. Seen on the left are Stephen Bean, Tate Abbott, Mason Hersey and Felix Piccolo. On the right are Jesslyn Sillanpaa, Grace Howard and Sadie Veilleux. Livermore Falls Advertiser photo by Pam Harnden
Teacher Danita Gilbert at left helps seventh grade students Kylie-Ann Mullen, Katie Yeaton, Abbey Goodspeed, Abby Pease, Milo Thompson-Vought, Davon Service and Alexandria Nile find their certificates for meeting the Strive for 5 challenge at MBMS. Successful students also enjoyed an ice cream sundae June 11. Livermore Falls Advertiser photo by Pam Harnden
Staff from MBMS at left serve ice cream sundaes June 11 to students who met the Strive for 5 challenge. Seen at right is MBMS Principal James Black who introduced the challenge last fall. Livermore Falls Advertiser photo by Pam Harnden
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