West Leadership Weekly Round-Up: November 6th - 10th

Hello!

Back to a normal schedule and a busy but fun week here at West Leadership. 

A template students used to introduce their debate topics

Last week we ended by researching and preparing for debates at the start of this week. On Monday we spent our time researching our facts and writing up our arguments as well as possible rebuttals in preparation for Wednesdays debates. Students were given school related topics such as school uniforms, open campus, cellphones, and standardized tests and because of the topics being so relatable, it was easy for them to become passionate rather quickly. 

On our Tutoring Tuesday, mentors and mentees checked their grades and listed their missing assignments, 0's, and late work. From there, mentors created action plans to help resolve these issues. At the start of Tutoring Tuesdays each week, we will be covering a new academic skill going forward. Next week will be in regards to note-taking. Stay tuned! 

On Wednesday and Thursday our debates commenced and students had quite a bit of fun with them. With this being our first time, we kept the format rather simple allowing for each group to present for 2 minutes, followed by rebuttals and counterarguments. We then opened things up for questions from the class and had a vote. Students were asked to vote on the best presentation, not necessarily the topic itself. (Otherwise students would have always voted for no school uniforms, open campus for all, regular use of cellphones in school, and no standardized tests).  

8th period students debating the use of school uniforms

On Friday, students were introduced to the idea that the quality of our relationships depends on what we put into them. We discussed three types of relationships: controlling, balanced, and victim. Each relationship is dependent on what we put into them - sometimes too much, others too little. We then discussed how we can improve these relationships and make them more balanced to ensure that we are getting our needs met while simultaneously helping/support the other person. Students enjoyed this lesson (and the food analogies it came with) and we will be reviewing it again next week. 

Next week will be the last before Thanksgiving break and we plan to set mentoring goals, discuss belief systems, and have a community activity all before we leave. Stay tuned!