Have you heard of "America's Got Talent" or "American Idol" maybe? I would say Mrs. Leibrandt's team singing at North Muskegon would be a winner on either of those shows.
Every year we are blown away by the talent that the kids in STATS have - this year is no different.
They are singing a reminder that, when in a tough situation or faced with a difficult decision, accountability and help can always be found in a STATS member. Kids today face heavy peer pressure but we're here to remind them that "Everyone's NOT doing it!"
Monday, February 14, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
January
Due to January's crazy schedule for teachers and students with exams and semester changes, we only scheduled one school - Whitehall. On the second day, students watched as a gorilla gave in to the temptation to try alcohol and the after effects were a bit...hyper...
Thankfully, the gorilla's friends - a pair of bananas - were on hand to come up with a solution to remove him from his situation and give him the encouragement and support needed to make wise choices in the future.
Thank you, Whitehall, for hosting us!
Thankfully, the gorilla's friends - a pair of bananas - were on hand to come up with a solution to remove him from his situation and give him the encouragement and support needed to make wise choices in the future.Thank you, Whitehall, for hosting us!
December
In December, STATS teams visited Fruitport, Mona Shores and Oakridge Middle Schools. If you were walking by one of the hosting classrooms and peeked in, you may have seen something like the photos below:
It looks like the Genie, Snow White, Hercules and Shrek are working through their substance abuse issues during a therapy session at Mona Shores.
In a re-working of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" theme song, Chondra gives us a background of a drug addict.
Oh, no! Over at Fruitport, Leonardo - the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - has an encounter with Dr. Drugs. How will he respond?
Yea! It looks like Leonardo said "NO!" with confidence!
Thank you to Fruitport, Mona Shores and Oakridge for hosting STATS in December!
It looks like the Genie, Snow White, Hercules and Shrek are working through their substance abuse issues during a therapy session at Mona Shores.
In a re-working of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" theme song, Chondra gives us a background of a drug addict.
Oh, no! Over at Fruitport, Leonardo - the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - has an encounter with Dr. Drugs. How will he respond?
Yea! It looks like Leonardo said "NO!" with confidence!Thank you to Fruitport, Mona Shores and Oakridge for hosting STATS in December!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Meet the Leader
Mrs. (Linda) Westerhof!!
Somewhere warm! I've already been to a few beautiful places such as Hawaii and Costa Rica. I'd love to go to the Florida Keys to swim in the clear blue water, or Australia/New Zealand to to swim around the Great Barrier Reef.Who are you?
Linda Westerhof; science teacher at Reeths-Puffer High School for 16 years. I teach AP Biology, Anatomy and Physiology and Biology 2. I have 2 boys: Jacob, age 9, and Benjamin, age 7. I love to scrapbook, read, play volleyball and golf, camp, and go to the beach.
How long have you been a STATS Team Leader?
I have been a STATS team leader for 14 years.
What do you enjoy about being a Team Leader?
I enjoy working with students who I might not normally meet in my classroom and I especially love the fact that these kids are brave enough to spread the abstinence message in a society where it is believed that "everybody is doing it."
What kinds of problems did you face as a teenager?
When I was a teenager, our biggest problems were choosing the right groups to "fit" into, worrying about how to get a ride to the arcade, and hoping that your parents would get cable TV (my parents never did until I moved out of the house), a VCR and a microwave!
What would you say is the biggest struggle for teenagers today?
One of the biggest struggles for teens today is our crumbling value of morality in our society. Teens thinks it's "cool" to be pregnant, have sex, drink, do drugs and treat adults in disrespectful ways. It is broadcast to them via the movies they see, the TV shows they watch and the music they listen to.
Why did you want to be a Team Leader for STATS?
I wanted to be a STATS team leader so that I could be surrounded by students who were proud to tell other students that they didn't need to do drugs, alcohol, tobacco or have sex to be "cool."
What would be your most memorable Team Leader experience?
There are so many memories, it's hard to choose. A funny one that stands out in my mind is when my team wrote a "grandma" skit and grandma was played by a boy dressed in a wig and a skirt - VERY funny stuff! Emotional memories would be listening to some of the students give their personal talks. There were many performances where tears were shed by STATS team members, students in the audience and even teachers. Helping someone through a talk like that is a powerful relationship-building experience!
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Linda Westerhof; science teacher at Reeths-Puffer High School for 16 years. I teach AP Biology, Anatomy and Physiology and Biology 2. I have 2 boys: Jacob, age 9, and Benjamin, age 7. I love to scrapbook, read, play volleyball and golf, camp, and go to the beach.
How long have you been a STATS Team Leader?
I have been a STATS team leader for 14 years.
What do you enjoy about being a Team Leader?
I enjoy working with students who I might not normally meet in my classroom and I especially love the fact that these kids are brave enough to spread the abstinence message in a society where it is believed that "everybody is doing it."
What kinds of problems did you face as a teenager?
When I was a teenager, our biggest problems were choosing the right groups to "fit" into, worrying about how to get a ride to the arcade, and hoping that your parents would get cable TV (my parents never did until I moved out of the house), a VCR and a microwave!
What would you say is the biggest struggle for teenagers today?
One of the biggest struggles for teens today is our crumbling value of morality in our society. Teens thinks it's "cool" to be pregnant, have sex, drink, do drugs and treat adults in disrespectful ways. It is broadcast to them via the movies they see, the TV shows they watch and the music they listen to.
Why did you want to be a Team Leader for STATS?
I wanted to be a STATS team leader so that I could be surrounded by students who were proud to tell other students that they didn't need to do drugs, alcohol, tobacco or have sex to be "cool."
What would be your most memorable Team Leader experience?
There are so many memories, it's hard to choose. A funny one that stands out in my mind is when my team wrote a "grandma" skit and grandma was played by a boy dressed in a wig and a skirt - VERY funny stuff! Emotional memories would be listening to some of the students give their personal talks. There were many performances where tears were shed by STATS team members, students in the audience and even teachers. Helping someone through a talk like that is a powerful relationship-building experience!
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Thank you, Linda, for your time and energy as a STATS leader! You are so appreciated!!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
November Recap
Wow, this year already feels as if it's flying by!
Our first presentations in November went well. The teams visited Bunker Middle School, Reeths-Puffer Middle School and Nellie B. Chisholm (Montague) Middle School. Overall, 354 students saw the STATS presentations! That is a great start to the year.
We'll leave you with some photos from Bunker to enjoy:
Somebody is about to get burned by a comeback line!
Even Mrs. Turner-Terry joins in on the fun.
Our first presentations in November went well. The teams visited Bunker Middle School, Reeths-Puffer Middle School and Nellie B. Chisholm (Montague) Middle School. Overall, 354 students saw the STATS presentations! That is a great start to the year.
We'll leave you with some photos from Bunker to enjoy:
Somebody is about to get burned by a comeback line!
Even Mrs. Turner-Terry joins in on the fun.Tuesday, October 26, 2010
In Case You Missed It...
There was an article about STATS in last Saturday's Muskegon Chronicle!! You can read it by clicking here.
There are some great pictures as well! Way to go, STATS members and leaders!
A couple corrections:
*4 of the team leaders are teachers, not counselors.
*Jan Spoelman was part of a group that founded STATS. We are thankful she is still with the program and active in it today!
Thank you to the Chronicle for a great article and recognizing the importance of this program!
There are some great pictures as well! Way to go, STATS members and leaders!
A couple corrections:
*4 of the team leaders are teachers, not counselors.
*Jan Spoelman was part of a group that founded STATS. We are thankful she is still with the program and active in it today!
Thank you to the Chronicle for a great article and recognizing the importance of this program!
Mini-Retreat
Just over a week ago, our STATS teams came together for the first time since Retreat to show each other what skits they have come up with. Mini-retreat is a time in which the students also share who will be giving personal talks and what their topics are about and it is also a time of constructive criticism by all the team leaders, directors, and special guest, Kyle Warmington. This year we were on a time crunch during the actual day of mini-retreat so it was an intense two and a half hours. We are pleased to see how each team has come along, though, and look forward to final critiques when all has been sharpened and perfected!
This year at mini-retreat we also wished a very happy birthday to two of our fearless team leaders, Mrs. Westerhof and Mrs. Stapel, who celebrated birthdays that weekend. We appreciate their hard work and sacrificing time out of their birthday celebration weekends and family time to be with the STATS teams!
This year at mini-retreat we also wished a very happy birthday to two of our fearless team leaders, Mrs. Westerhof and Mrs. Stapel, who celebrated birthdays that weekend. We appreciate their hard work and sacrificing time out of their birthday celebration weekends and family time to be with the STATS teams!
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