In room 301, JAG specialists Andrea Pletcher and Mindy McCormick work to improve academic performance and introduce their students to a variety of possibilities for their future.
Pletcher and McCormick organize field trips and bring in guest speakers for their students to interact with and learn life skills.
“They work on resumes and job shadows, and we try to piggyback off that and help the students with those skills,” Pletcher said. “We have guest speakers who come in and talk.”
Students are separated into two different JAG programs. Pletcher runs JAG 1 and McCormick runs JAG 2.
JAG 1 students elected senior Sierra Williams as their president while JAG 2 elected Elijah Quiring as their president. They both will visit Butler Community College this year to learn leadership skills.
“I think it’s great that the kids get immersed in different career options and school options,” Pletcher said.
JAG helps students overcome fears and teaches them how to act in public environments.
“I have social anxiety. I hate talking to people,” Sierra said. “JAG has helped me come out of my comfort zone.”
Pletcher and McCormick like to create bonds with their students. They provide a warm environment so their students always feel welcome.
“We always have Monday morning meetings where we just kind of talk about what’s going on in everybody’s lives,” Pletcher said. “That is very important.”
Williams believes the classroom environment is a bigger part of the JAG classroom.
“It’s the class environment that is more important to many kids,” Williams said. “That’s important to me as well.”
McCormick makes sure that all of her students are included.
“We like to make sure that the students’ voices are heard in our class,” McCormick said. “That way we know we’re reaching everybody.”
JAG members create a bond over the years.
“You get that exposure outside of school,” McCormick said. “You get the guest speakers here, and you just kind of have a built-in family.”
Students looking to join JAG can talk to Pletcher or McCormick.
