Running Head: LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

LEADOnandBeyondtheBell
LEADProposal
LaurenMailloux(103410065)
April13,2016

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

LEADProposalLEADOnandBeyondtheBell
Introduction
AtUrsulineCollegeChatham,thereisaneedtoengagestudentswhoareatriskback
totheirschoolandcommunity.LEADOnandBeyondtheBellisthenameofthe
proposedprogram,whichwillbeimplementedfromSeptember2016toMay2017,in
hopestoaddressthisneed.
Thesecondaryschoolstudentswhowillbeparticipatingintheprogramwillbe
studentswhohavebeenidentifiedasbeingatrisk.Manyofthesestudentswillhave
sufferedfromtheconsequencesofbeingbornintolowsocioeconomicfamilies.These
studentsmaysufferfromacombinationofgenerationalpoverty,lowacademicsuccess,
poorpeer/teacherrelationships,andalowlevelofschoolinvolvement,amongother
factors.Asweknow,studentswhoareidentifiedasbeingatriskofnotcompletinghigh
schoolareatahighrisktobecomeinvolvedwithsubstanceabuse,aggressiveandviolent
behaviors,andmischief.Itisatourbestinteresttoengagethesestudentsbacktotheir
schoolandprovidethemwiththesameopportunitiesastheirpeers.
TargetAudience
Forthisprogram,studentswhoareinGrades10and11willbethetargetparticipants.
Teachersandadministerswillhaveanopportunitytonominatestudentswhotheybelieve

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

fitapredeterminedcriteriafortheprogram.Wedonotwanttoexcludeanypotential
candidatestotheprogram.Wewillspeaktoandinviteallofthenominatedstudents.Our
goalistobringthisopportunitytoapproximately20students.
Asecondtargetgroupofelementarystudentswillalsobeinvolvedintheproject.
ThesestudentsarecurrentlyenrolledintheYMCABeyondtheBellprogram.Beyondthe
BelltargetschildreninGrades15whoarefallingbehindacademicallyandsocially
againsttheirpeers.ThestaffandvolunteersthroughtheYMCAprovidetheadditional
helpkidsneedtokeeppacewiththeirgradelevelandpeers.Currently,theprogram
servesapproximately30studentscombinedfromSt.UrsulaCatholicSchool,Chatham,
andA.A.WrightPublicSchool,Wallaceburg.ThestudentsparticipatinginBeyondthe
BellwillhaveanopportunitytoparticipateintheLEADprogram,whichwillbe
discussedintheRationalesection.
Timeline
StudentTeachersfromtheUniversityofWindsorwhoareenrolledinLEADwillbe
continuingtheirplacementsatUrsulineCollegewithintheStudentSuccessdepartment
andtheirspecializedsubjectareas.ThisinvolvementinStudentSuccesswillallowusto
meetwiththenominatedstudentsfrequently.Figure1.1isaproposedmonthlytimeline
ofgoalsforeachmonth.Duringplacement,theStudentTeacherswillmeetwiththe
studentsonceperweek(eitheratlunch,orafterschool).WhiletheStudentTeachersare
studyingattheUniversityofWindsor,anattempttomeetwiththestudentsonceper
monthwillbemade.Somechangestothetimelinemayberequireddependingonwhen

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

placementsarescheduled.Leadinguptoeventdays,moreinteractionswillbemadeto
accommodatetheneedsofthegroup.

Rationale
AsdiscussedintheIntroduction,educatorsareawareofthetrendsofatrisk
students;wearealsoawareoftheconsequencesatriskyouthfaceafterhighschool
withoutintervention.LEADOnandBeyondtheBellisaprogram,whichhopesto
engageatriskyouthbackintotheirschoolcommunityandlocalcommunity.To
accomplishthesetwogoals,theprogramwillgiveatriskstudentstraininginLeadership,
FirstAidandCPR,andwillallowanopportunitytobeapartofateam.Theprogramwill
givethemexperiencessimilartothoseexperiencesgiventostudentsinMuskokaWoods,
ortheLancerLinkprogram,byallowingthemtoorganizeaneventattheSarnia
LeadershipandChallengeCentre.
BeforeLEADOnandBeyondtheBell,atriskstudentswouldnotfitthecriteriaor
maynothavehadtheconfidencetoapplytobeapartofMuskokaWoodsorLancerLink
programs,whichweknowreapsgreatbenefitsforthestudentsinvolved.Manyoftheat
riskstudentsatUCChavenotyetidentifiedtheirnicheofpeersbecauseoftheirlackof
academicand/orsocialinvolvementandsuccess.LEADOnandBeyondtheBellwill
giveatriskyouthtrainingtobeabletogainconfidenceandbeleaders.Itwillconnect
themtopeerswhosharesimilaracademicandsocialstruggles,aswellaspositive

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

relationshipswithadultsandpeers.Hopefully,theseskillswillincreasetheirconnection
withtheirpeers,teachers,andtheschool.Inturn,thesefactorsmayhelpthestudents
academicandsocialsuccess.
Thepositivementorshipandtrainingwillallowthestudentstoplanforvarious
fundraisingandvolunteeringevents.BypartneringwiththeYMCA,thesecondary
studentswillhaveanopportunitytoleadagroupofelementarystudentsattheSarnia
LeadershipCentreinMay.AlthoughtravellingtoSarniawillbeamemorableexperience
forallofthestudents,itwillnotbethehighlightoftheprogram.Thestudentswillbe
abletodiscoverhowgooditfeelstogivebacktoacause.Theywillhaveasecond
opportunityinJunetovolunteerattheirlocalYMCA,oranorganizationoftheirchoice.
Throughtheseexperiences,notonlywilltheyfeelmoreconnectedtotheirschool,but
theywillalsobeconnectedtotheircommunityaswell.
TheoreticalFrameworks

The theoretical framework being used to support the project is the Teaching
Physical and Social Responsibility model, as well as the Strengths Based approach. The
lessons provided to the participants throughout the year will follow the TPSR hierarchy
model of Respect, Effort, Self-Direction, Caring, and finally, Transfer. The first 4 stages
will be delivered progressively to the students in multiple different ways including
icebreakers, case studies, debates, and by listening to public speakers. This will be
accomplished within the weekly and monthly meetings. The levels will also be facilitated
as the students begin to self-direct themselves when planning for various events, and

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

working together as a team to accomplish various goals. Through this process, especially
in the Respect and Self-Direction levels, they will also be continuously reminded of the
Strengths-Based approach to collaboration and learning. As they get to know one another,
they will see that they all have differences and varying interests, which make them
uniquely valuable to their team. The transfer will take place in May at the Sarnia
Challenge and Leadership Centre, as well as when the students resume their volunteering
in the community after the event.
TPSR and the Strength Based Approach relate to the Ministry Documents in two
ways. The first is within Growing Success where we are encouraged to provide growth in
students learning skills and work habits: The development of learning skills and work
habits is an integral part of a students learning (pg. 10). As much as possible, teachers
need to take into consideration that work habits and academic achievement are
independent of one another. Furthermore, It is expected that teachers will work with
students to help them develop the learning skills and work habits identified (pg. 10).
These skills include: Responsibility, Organization, Collaboration, Self-Regulation,
Independent work and Initiative. With the TPSR model, these work habits are addressed.
The high school students participating in this program will gain not only learn about the
appropriate work habits needed to complete a task, but they will practice implementing
the skills. The second way that the theoretical frameworks are addressed within the
Ministry documents are through the various Curriculum documents where standards
require a dimension of organization and/or communication. For example, within the
English courses, in all of the strands, there are various requirements which this program
will be able to strengthen: Using Active Listening Strategies (Oral Communication, 1.2),

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

Understanding Presentation Strategies (Oral Communication, 1.9), Interpersonal

Speaking Strategies (Oral Communication, 2.2), Metacognition and Interconnected Skills
(Oral Communication, Reading, and Writing), Research (Writing, 1.3), Organizing Ideas
(Writing 1.4), Reviewing Content (Writing 1.5). It is evident that participating in a
program, which uses the TPSR and Strengths-Based theoretical framework, will benefit
students academically throughout the remainder of their future courses.
Key Roles and Institutes in the Project
Ursuline College Chatham is one of two secondary schools within the St. Clair
Catholic District School Board, and the only Catholic secondary school within ChathamKent. The school has approximately 1200 students enrolled. UCC is the first school to
host a University of Windsor LEAD student (Lauren Mailloux) within the St. Clair
Catholic District School Board.
Currently, Lauren Mailloux has been coordinating the program through Ursuline
College, the YMCA, and the University of Windsor. Her connections with the YMCA
stem from her past role as an Aquatic Coordinator at the Chatham-Kent YMCA from
2013-2015. In September 2015, she enrolled into the Bachelor of Education Program, and
was interested in the LEAD program offered at the University of Windsor. LEAD was
originally an opportunity only available for those conducting their placement through the
Greater Essex District School Board. After speaking with Ray Power, the Principal at
UCC, they both agreed to introduce LEAD at Ursuline College. Lauren has spent five
weeks in placement working in Student Success with Paul Teetzel, who has mentored her
in the coordination of the program. Vice Principal Ed Freeburn has also played a role in

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

helping shape the project. Liz Fletcher, Vice President of Operations for the YMCA of
Southwestern Ontario, has confirmed her interest in the LEAD program and her
enthusiasm for a successful partnership. Next year, we hope to gain more student teachers
from the Faculty at the University of Windsor to help facilitate the project through the
year.
Needs Assessment
The needs that this project specifically addresses are the following:

Allowing at risk youth equal opportunity to be leaders.

Integrating the smaller sub-communities of the school into the larger school
community and Chatham-Kent community.

Detaching the stigmas associated to pathways; understanding that students in

workplace or college pathway have the same potential as a university pathways
student.

Figure 2.1 is the full needs assessment conducted January 2016 by Lauren Mailloux.
Financials
Thanks to the partnership we have established with the YMCA, we are teaming
up to ensure that cost is not a barrier to students participating. The YMCA Beyond the
Bell program has funds set a side for recreational event days, which can be used for the
program. Ideally, these funds will cover the cost to attend the Sarnia Leadership and

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

Challenge Centre. There are Outdoor Recreation and Student Success grants, which can
be accessed as well to allocate towards the cost of bussing, guest speakers, and First Aid
and CPR training. The University of Windsor LEAD students will be able to complete
any grant writing necessary to access funds. The high school students will coordinate a
fundraising initiative towards the cost of the program. A letter will also be written to
various local organizations asking for financial assistance. Organizations such as the
Knights of Columbus, The University of Windsor Faculty of Education, the Lions and
Lioness will be contacted. Appropriate steps will be taken to ensure that organizations are
not contacted more than once. Below is a breakdown of the approximate cost to run the
program:
All costs are current estimates only, and will need to be reconfirmed in 2017.
Item
YMCA Sarnia Leadership
Centre

Breakdown

Total Cost

$27.00 per person

$1620.00
27 X 60 = $1620

Claude G. Pearson Bus Ltd.

4 hours total of travel

$650.00

Team T-Shirts, Team Varsity $8.00 + tax per shirt

Sales
Staff/Volunteers: 10 X 9.04
= 90.40
UCC students = 20 X 9.04
= 180.80

$542.40

YMCA students= 30 X 9.04

= 271.20
Snacks and Beverages

Snacks for students in

training once per semester
when needed, Lunch at

$250.00

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

10

Sarnia Leadership Centre.

Total Cost:

$3062.4

Conclusion
As the 2016 school year comes to a close at the University of Windsor, there are
still many items that need to be addressed to ensure that LEAD will continue to be a
successful program. Meeting again with the coordinators of the YMCA Beyond the Bell
program to discuss financial contribution and partnership factors will be necessary. A
meeting with Vice Principal Ed Freeburn in May will be necessary to discuss the
opportunities for grant funding. Dr. Gerri Salinitri, Associate Dean for the Faculty of
Education at the University of Windsor, has expressed interest in meeting with the staff at
UCC and Beyond the Bell to consolidate our growth from the year, and provide direction
for 2017 and the future.

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

11

Appendix

Figure1.1ProposedTimelineandMonthlyGoals
Month
September

Goal

AllowUCCteacherstobeawareoftheprogram,callfor
nominations.

Meetoneononewiththenominatedstudents.

Meetasagroupwiththeinterestedstudents.

Begintobuildpositivegroupdynamic

November

BegintoplanforFundraisingideas

December

BegintoplanforMayeventatSarniaLeadershipCentre

January

Exams

OrderTeamTshirts

February

LeadershipTraining

March

FirstAidandCPRtraining

Volunteer

FundraisingEvent(forprogramiffundsneeded,orforlocal

October

April

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

12

charity)
May

SarniaLeadershipCentreEvent

June

GiveBackVolunteering(atYMCAsite)

FinalReflection

Exams

Figure2.1
In School Needs Assessment Reflection
As a former Lancer student, I have a personal connection with Ursuline College
Chatham, and I am very proud to be bringing the LEAD program to the school. Last
semester, I did not have the opportunity to work with a student success teacher; I was
teaching English to students in University and College Preparation Pathways. Very
quickly, I needed to situate myself in a different perspective in order to conduct the InSchool Needs Assessment. I met with the Principal, one of the Vice Principals, and a
support staff who frequently helps students who are struggling n a variety of ways, to
evaluate the school. I also discussed the Needs Assessment with my Associate Teachers.
My general knowledge of the school and my own experiences aided me to complete the
assessment.
Ursuline College is a very fortunate school. They have a number of clubs, sports,
and academic programs to enrich the students. Recently, they have grown their Muskoka

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

13

Woods program, and their LINC program; both programs allow high school students an
opportunity to directly lead program on behalf of their school community. In terms of
emotional needs, they have support services for a variety of circumstances and have a
well-established emergency response plan. A nurse, as well as a social worker, is on site
multiple times per week for appointments. The school has partnered with numerous
community programs to provide students with the best emotional care possible.
The areas that I feel need the most attention are areas that frequently disengage at
risk or low socio-economic students. The areas that I believe need the most attention,
may actually be areas that teachers and students feel define the school for its superiority.
For example, the Muskoka Woods program, as well as the LINC program, are two big
projects within the school which are founded on school pride, and have branded the
school to be what the public sees it as. The students who are involved wear t-shirts
around the school on scheduled days, instead of their uniforms. They are involved in
planning an entire weekend up in Muskoka Woods for grade 7 students, and they are also
involved in planning programs to help elementary students integrate and transition
themselves into high school. The students chosen for these projects are very proud of
their accomplishments, and proud of the school they come from. The students who are
chosen are students who often receive good grades, who are involved in the school
through extra-curricular activities (sports, clubs), and who have previously shown
leadership within the school community, or larger community. In a sense, the privileged
students are privileged again and are able to reap the benefits of leading the programs.
While I understand that strong leaders and responsible people need to be a part of
such programs, I would argue that students who are at-risk could learn the same skills if

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

14

they were given an opportunity. I also believe that by broadening the credentials for the
selection process, students could be viewed by their potential, not necessarily by what
they have or have not accomplished. If a wide range of students were selected for the
program, not only would more students feel more school pride and self pride, but they
would have the opportunity to meet, and team build with students from multiple
pathways; this aspect is important, as I acknowledged in my assessment the need to
integrate the smaller sub-communities within the larger school community.
I recognize that taking on a project such as what I am suggesting is a project that
would require a lot of time, and resources; it may be too difficult to implement in such a
short period of time. Rather than looking at how this need could be fixed on a large scale,
I have chosen to investigate how the need came to be. Within the school, I see that the
different pathways plays a big role in defining who a student is. Depending on which
pathway a student is persuing, the pathway defines who they are as a person. As we
know, this is not what pathways are supposed to accomplish. There are stigmas attached
to the pathways, and common assumptions such as college preparation is easier or
smart people do university prep. Finding a way to lift these assumptions early could
play a key role in breaking the binaries, and reintegrating the whole school community
back together. Perhaps when this happens, students who were previously known as being
not as smart as university prep will have the courage to take more risks and
demonstrate the skills that it takes to be a part of the larger leaderships programs at the
school.

LEAD In-School Needs Reflection

Ursuline College Chatham St. Clair Catholic District School Board

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

15

Lauren Mailloux
1. By simply glancing at the Needs Assessment, it is obvious that the Cognitive and
Physical Development has been ranked in a Low Degree of Need. The school
offers homework help in nearly every subject after school. Students are able to
attend the scheduled times to have extra access to a teacher who can help them
with their studies. Not only does the school have a sport team for almost every
sport and division possible, but also, the weight room and cardio machines are
available for use after school by anyone.
2. Since I attended this school in my high school years, I was already aware of the
homework help programs and about all of the sport teams and clubs.
3. I was most surprised to see that I ranked Leadership Skills to have a High
Degree of Need. The school has two programs (Muskoka Woods and LINC)
which offer great leadership opportunities to the eligible students. However, I
dont feel that the Leadership programs are available to all students.
4. Based on the needs assessment, I have realized that a greater emphasis needs to be
placed on integrating and building the school community. I believe that the school
has created smaller communities within the larger school community. Many
students do not know the names of other students within their grade, simply
because they are on a different pathway. There are obvious divisions that I can see
between the privileged and the low socio-economic students. I even learned that
there is an Alternate Education program, which has students from UCC registered,
but they learn off-site and are rarely integrated into school functions. The second
priority would be Leadership. Similar to the first priority, I believe that the
Leadership within the school is given to the privileged students. It could be a
matter of at-risk students not willing to take on more responsibility, but I am
interested in seeing what kind of impact it would have on low-socioeconomic
students if they were invited to lead. The third priority would be to reduce the
stigma placed on different pathways. This is a challenging priority to address,
however, it is important to work with students based on how they see their futures
evolving, and allowing them to see their potential. Many teachers and students
assume that since a student receives a low mark in an Academic class, that they
should instead be in Applied. This is not always the case. These three priorities
would address student development, student success, and student community,
mostly for students who are at-risk or who are of lower socio-economic status.
5. In addition to being a classroom teacher, I would also need to be hyper-aware of
what is going on outside of the classroom. Taking trips through the halls between
bells, visiting the cafeteria at lunch, and being involved in extra-curricular
activities will allow me to see students interact in other ways than in their desk.
Perhaps there is a student who is struggling academically, but is a strong leader
within their group of friends. This could be a good candidate for student council if
he was given the opportunity.
6. Addressing the needs that I have mentioned would first bring awareness to the
needs. Allowing staff to see a new picture would make them more conscious of
who they privilege and under privilege in their class and extra curricular. Many of
the opportunities having to do with Building Community, Leadership, and

LEAD ON AND BEYOND THE BELL

Honoring all Pathways are rooted within the teachers, support staff, and
administration. It is important that the gaps are brought to the attention of the
people who are best able to help control it.

References
English: The Ontario curriculum, grades 11 and 12, 2000. (2000). Toronto,
Ont.:
Ministry of Education.
Growing success: Assessment, evaluation and reporting: Improving student learning.
(2008). Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Education.

16