WEB leaders give seventh-graders keys to success in school
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

Last year, when the cool older kids told Orencio Robles how to succeed in middle school, he listened to what they said: Do your homework, be on time and dress for P.E.

The advice Orencio took to heart brought him immediate success. He enjoyed school right from the start of his seventh-grade year, he said.

"It was pretty cool to immediately know my way to my classes and to have a group of instant friends who were good role models for me," Orencio said.

This year, he's one of those awesome eighth-grade students helping the younger ones find their way.

Orencio, 13, is among the 65 students with good citizenship who comprise the Where Everybody Belongs (WEB) crew at Hillside Middle School in Simi Valley.

During orientation this week he and another student were assigned a group of 10 younger middle-schoolers who needed help knowing which way was up at their new school.

For several hours his group bonded with other groups, playing name games and participating in activities designed to bring them together, teacher organizer Gayle Stiller said.

Although it's called orientation, she said, it's more than kids just picking up class schedules and learning what the rules are.

The older students give the younger ones practical advice on how to succeed, and a strange thing happens: The new students actually listen.

"Every activity has a lesson," Stiller said.

Even balloon popping teaches there's more than one way to be successful, she said.

New students also learn how smart it is to dress every day for P.E. That's something that greatly affects their grade. They also are told to do their homework. Get enough sleep. Join clubs. Ask questions in class.

Maybe a few of those tips are obvious, but the teens give even more specific advice, too, such as, "Don't share your locker combination with anyone. Someone who is your friend now may not be later."

"Having 10 immediate friends is an enormous advantage," Stiller said. "It takes away the butterflies."

Elizabeth Ling, 13, agreed.

"I was pretty nervous when I started school last year because I had just moved here and I didn't know anybody," she said. "This was a great way for me to make friends- friends I've kept."

Now Ling is among the eighthgraders helping the younger students. She and the others will be wearing green T-shirts with the words "WEB Leader" on the front and "Students Helping Students Succeed" on the back.

"When we first started with the WEB program, Hillside had a high suspension rate," recalled Principal Susanne Wolf.

There were about 180 suspensions, she said. Oftentimes, those who got in trouble were repeat offenders.

Since the program began last year, the number of suspensions declined to under 150.

"In addition, our school received three improved school attendance awards," Wolf said.

This year the school plans to build on what it began last year, Stiller said. More teachers have been trained to lead the program, and experienced students are ready to show other young people the way to middle school success.