By Tom Ganser
Correspondent
On Nov. 6, about 150 students from Whitewater Middle School gathered in Hamilton Center on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus for the fourth annual “Courage Retreat” for seventh graders.
The retreat is facilitated by Youth Frontiers, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that partners with schools to build positive communities where students thrive socially, emotionally and academically.
The Youth Frontiers Courage Retreat inspires character by empowering students to act with moral courage and identify the social fears and peer pressures that impede responsible decision-making. The retreat encourages them to take positive risks that make a healthy difference for themselves, their peers and their school.
Fulfilling the role as small group leaders for the retreat were UW-Whitewater students majoring in psychology or counselor education and Whitewater High School students who serve as “Peer Mentors” for elementary or middle school students in the district or as “Lead Dogs” who mentor freshmen at WHS.
Tanya Wojciechowicz, WMS principal, said the retreat “is an extension of the character education building WMS does throughout the year. The retreat empowers students and provides them with opportunities to work collaboratively with each other and the staff to help make positive differences in the school and their lives.”
According to Beverly Bonge-Ganser, WMS counselor, “Through activities, talks, and small group discussions students at the Courage Retreat learn the importance of making good choices and having the courage to follow their hearts and not the crowd.”
“This is an especially powerful message for seventh graders who are facing those challenges on a daily basis,” Bonge-Ganser added.
The two women said there is clear evidence of follow-up throughout the year to what the students learn during the retreat.
“The 7th grade teachers use the retreat as the foundation for follow up lessons and experiences to further help students continue to practice standing up for themselves and others and to make their school a safe and welcoming place where everyone belongs,” Bonge-Ganser explained.
The small group leaders also value what they learn themselves during the retreat.
“Being a small group leader at the Courage Retreat really helped me get to know some of the 7th graders better. This helped in my role as a peer mentor because when I worked at the middle school many of the students already felt comfortable with me. This experience helped me grow as a leader by giving me a full day experience of running a small group,” Mary Geraghty, advisor for the Peer Mentor program, said WHS senior Kassie Yeazel had told her.
The high level energy evident at this year’s Courage Retreat marks it as a “win-win” educational activities aimed at “developing a climate of respect among students” that is an important strategic priority for the Whitewater Unified School District.
