Now that the school year has kicked off and students, teachers, and parents have gotten adjusted to the rigors of the school day, Adairville School is looking to add a little something extra to the education of its students. As a “Leader in Me School,” Adairville participates in a program designed at nurturing the development of autonomous, self-motivated students who can both lead as well as work collaboratively with others.
Based on the works of Stephen Covey and formed around the seven essential habits of highly effective people, the “Leader in Me” program is an intricate part of the day-to-day operations at Adairville.
Using the “Leader in Me” program as a guide, Adairville School kicked off its “Sharpen the Saw” Fridays. “Sharpen the Saw” refers to one of the seven habits in the “Leader in Me” program and is aimed at expanding student horizons beyond conventional academic study and involving them in activities that bolster physical and fine-motor skill development. Teachers and staff volunteer to offer a variety of activities that students sign up for and spend an hour on Fridays participating in. These outside-the-box opportunities offer students a chance to learn, participate, and get hands-on experience in topics they are interested in learning more about.
Students in grades 5-8 are able to join groups like Mike Brindley’s Campus Service Team. Here they learn about the school and how it is run, see what goes into the upkeep of the school, and they are empowered to participate in activities aimed at bettering the upkeep of the school as a whole. For students with a crafty side, there is Lori Bouldin’s Hair Braiding group, Kaye Hendricks Scrapbooking group, Melinda Garrett’s Paper Quilling group or Jennifer Robertson’s Cross Stitching group, all of which expose students to new and practical skills and hobbies.
If outdoors is more students’ speed, they can join Jan Stevenson-Laurent’s Nature Hike group or work on the beautification of the front of the school with Nurse Jane Austin. Artistic talents are given the chance to be expressed in Carol Ann Dossett’s Canvas Painting group or Justin Kirby’s Post-It Note Art group.
For the younger students in the building, it’s creativity and fun with Mrs. Potter’s Magic Tree House club or a variety of dancing groups, which are sponsored by Mrs. Cooper and Mrs. Morgan. Younger students often love animals, and Mrs. Shanklin’s Farm Animals group gets to indulge in just that while Nicole Robinson gets students on their feet with a Cross Country Running group.
In addition to the mentioned clubs, Adairville School has 17 additional clubs and activities for students to take part in during the “Sharpen the Saw” Fridays. The activities as well as their sponsors are listed below:
Kind Kids Club Jennifer Baker
Student Advisory Tara Cox and PTO
Computer Projects Mallory Ervin
Recycle Crafts Rebecca Marais
Window Art Danielle Violette
Legos Kerry Holloman and Emily Williams
Cooking and Crafts Kim Skipworth
Puppet Club Jennifer Ferguson
Wii Club Lorie DeBerry
Basketball Kyle Yates and JJ Marais
Dance Deborah Davenport
Yearbook Karen McGee
K-Nex Beth Ramsey
Board/Card Games Jenny Rohrs
Spooky Science Tina Lynch
Pep Club Kristina Rice
Creative Structures Ben Bruni