“”As the Central High School boys basketball team prepared to make its run for the state title in Madison, two of its stars took time out from their busy school and practice schedules to talk with Longfellow Middle School students about what it takes to be successful in and out of the classroom.
Kobe King and Bailey Kale, along with Central High School teachers Todd Fergot, Ellen Koelbl, and Jennifer Voigt, visited Longfellow Middle School for the third time. The first trip was spent with the eighth-graders. Trip number two was with grade seven. Their third trip lead them to a gym full of sixth-graders.
“Our belief is that graduation from high school is a seven year process, it has to start in middle school,” said Central High School teacher and boys basketball coach Todd Fergot. “Middle school is an extremely important part of that. If they come to high school and they’re not prepared for either the content or the skills needed to succeed, they are going to struggle. We’re trying to be proactive and try to overcome that a bit. That’s our goal, to help these kids succeed, overall, in middle school, high school, and more importantly in life.”
“This is something Ellen Koelbl, Todd Fergot, and I felt was needed,” said Central teacher Jennifer Voigt. “It’s incredibly important for us to begin forming connections with these kids well before they get to us. One of the most important things we can do for them is to build those relationships.”
The three teachers enlisted the help of Central High School students Kobe King and Bailey Kale, both alumni of Longfellow Middle School. King and Kale have shared with the younger students lessons they have learned along the way, what they think it will take to be successful on a personal level, and what they would do differently if they could come back to middle school.
“We want them to know that they aren’t the only ones who have gone through this,” said Central High School senior Kobe King. “That if you struggle you can always get back up on top of it. We try to motivate them and keep them positive. I feel like I slid by a little bit in middle school but high school was a lot different, a lot more work, and that transition was difficult for me. I think if you work harder in middle school it makes that move to high school easier to adjust to, so we want to talk to them about why what they do now is so important.”
The group hears insights about making the right choices. Fergot talks with them about even if the people around them, friends, family members, are not making the right decisions, that the students need to make the right choices to be the best student, the best person they can be. That they have to overcome those obstacles.
“We talk with the students about the keys to being successful in high school,” said Fergot. “First, you need to be there. You need to be on time, and that starts right now, not the first day of ninth-grade, but today. You have to give your best effort at all times. Be respectful, to your classmates, your teachers, your parents, and your community members. Make the right choices, always do the right things inside and outside of school. And persevere. You never quit. Our students are surrounded by a ton of phenomenal people in their schools, teachers and administrators who are there for them. If students need help in any of these areas, all they need to do is let someone at school know.”
“You have to work hard,” said King. “There’s going to be some tough times but you have to push through adversity. It’s something you have to be able to do to make you better for your future.”
The group will be back in the spring to work in small groups with the students. They have also met informally with some of the elementary schools in the district. There, the focus has not been specific to what it takes to be successful in high school.
“That’s a long way out for those kids,” said Fergot. “So we talk with the elementary school kids about making the good choices, always giving your best effort, overcoming difficulties in life, and that we have to take ownership of what we do and where we are going. So far, it’s been a really great process, and our students have really embraced it.”””””[vc_gallery type=”flexslider_slide” interval=”0″ images=”11489,11490,11481,11483,11482,11485,11484,11494,11487,11488,11492,11491,11493″ img_size=”625×417″]””