The POBMS HAWKEYES
On February 10, 2012 the POBMS Hawkeyes, were introduced to the students at a school assembly. Twenty-four seventh and eighth grade students were trained as "natural helpers" to assist peers in need. A description of the program is below. Go Hawkeyes!
The Natural Helpers peer-helping program is based on a simple premise: within every school, an informal “helping network” already exists. Students with problems naturally seek out other students, whom they trust. This program taps into and uses this helping network to support students and disseminate as much accurate information as possible. It provides training to students who are already serving as helpers, giving them skills to help others more effectively.
The program uses a unique selection process that encourages representation from a variety of social/peer groups in the middle school to be represented by a Natural Helper. An anonymous school-wide survey identifies a cross-section of students. The identified students are invited to attend training where they learn listening skills, knowing when friends need help, expressing care and concern, recognizing situations that require help or follow up from one of the counselors. Following the training, guidance counselors monitor the Natural Helpers and provide additional training and support as needed.
