School: Shawnee Mission South High School
Class: ELA 3-4
Instructor: Sara Simpson
Client: SMS Administration
Problem: How can we design a more effective and welcoming onboarding experience for incoming freshmen that reflects student needs and builds community from day one?
Summary
As part of a student-driven initiative to enhance the freshman experience, student council members partnered with school administrators to evaluate and redesign the onboarding process for the class of 2029. Students assessed current practices, identified areas of improvement, and explored collaboration opportunities with school organizations and the wider community. They developed detailed proposals, which were presented to both STUCO and the administrative team. As a result, six new initiatives will be implemented beginning in July 2025 to help incoming freshmen transition more smoothly into high school.
Takeaways
The greatest gains I observed were in students’ abilities to plan, reflect, collaborate, and revise.
Advice
Use a clear and systematic template to teach this skill. Students have never done anything like this before and need a very clear roadmap in order to be successful.
Standards/Learning Targets
- Reading and analyzing informational text.
- Collecting and interpreting data sets.
- Developing solutions to complex problems.
- Writing and revising, speaking and listening.