Posted July 2023
Eighth grade student leaders at Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School welcomed 150 incoming 6th graders for the school’s annual Where Everybody Belongs (W.E.B.) orientation for a morning of connection building ahead of the 2023-24 school year.
For many students, the transition from elementary to middle school can feel daunting as they leave a campus that they’ve called home for years. In middle school, students must adjust to a much larger campus where they will interact with students matriculating from other elementary schools.
“W.E.B. is built on the belief that students can help students succeed,” Pueblo principal Ashley Schutkowski said. “Eighth-grade students are trained to be W.E.B. Leaders, and these student leaders act as mentors who guide the 6th graders to discover what it takes to be successful during the transition to middle school.”
At this year’s W.E.B. orientation event, 30 student leaders divided into small groups with new students to build connections to last throughout the new school year. By building these connections early, 6th grade students will have a trusted source of information who they can turn to should they have questions or need insight from an experienced peer. This mentorship continues throughout the year through peer academic support, social events planned by W.E.B. leaders and continuous check ins.
As a Leader in Me school, Pueblo educators work to create a culture of student empowerment to help students learn how to become self-reliant, increase interpersonal skills and develop the skills and self-confidence to successfully lead their lives among other things. The W.E.B. program is just one of the ways that Pueblo works to achieve this culture.
“The W.E.B. orientation is always one of my favorite days of the year,” Schutkowski said. “I love watching our 8th grade W.E.B. leaders as they plan and prepare for the event and it’s great to see the difference in the 6th graders from the beginning of the day to the end of the day. They start off timid and unsure about middle school, and they leave excited and confident about starting school.”
