What We Did to Get Our ASSETS Program Up and Running

GET TO KNOW OUR ASSETS!

ICEBREAKER

• Koosh Ball Activity

WHO WE ARE

• Vision Team (students)

• Two adult advisors

OUR SCHOOL

• High school in suburban New York

• 1571 students

• 14.6 student to teacher ratio

• 76% White; 14% Asian; 7% Hispanic; 3% Black

• 5% eligible for free/reduced lunch

CLARKSTOWN NORTH ASSETS HISTORY

• 2007: attended first ASSETS Conference (4 members)

• 2008 held first annual leadership training (8 + 40 members)

• 2009: took full control over freshmen orientation program and revamped it (12 + 40 + 40

members)

• 2010: presenting at Houston conference

WHAT WE DO

• Weekly Vision Team meetings

• Annual leadership trainings

• FRESH Mentors

LEADERSHIP TRAINING

• 40 kids selected by their peers

• Half day training filled with hands on activities, games to demonstrate ASSETS, and

stories about empowerment

• Are expected to attend monthly meetings afterwards to maintain importance of ASSETS

• In the attendees’ lives, help us spread ASSETS in the school, and plan for FRESH

activities

KEY POINT 1: DIVERSITY AND UNITY

• Students of all intellect, social cliques, and interests are represented in the training

• Students who are natural born leaders are chosen although a few are selected because

they need ASSETS

• Different “types” of people are chosen because to obtain different perspectives of the

school climate and affect as many groups of students as possible

PASTA ACTIVITY!

PASTA ACTIVITY! CONTINUED!

• What assets are used in this activity?

• Internal?

• External?

• What happened if multiple noodles were used for one “leg,” but one still broke?

• How did ripping up the marshmallows affect the structure as opposed to using the

marshmallow as a whole?

• How did the different personalities affect your team? How can you relate this to high

school?

KEY POINT 2: PLAY GAMES

• Interactive vs. lecture based

• Visual, audio, and dexterous contact with the ASSET being worked on

• Healthy competition creates fun bonding moments without even realizing it

MONTHLY MEETINGS

• Attendees expected to attend monthly meetings

• Brainstorm games that will portray an ASSET through a fun, hands on activity during

• Test run the games

• Monthly FRESH activity days

FRESH ACTIVITY DAYS

• Monthly meetings where upperclassmen lead underclassmen in ASSETS related games

that also help them understand the experiences of high school

• Ms. Veilleux and Ms. Steinberg have more eloquently phrased ideas about FRESH/KO!

KEY POINT 3: DON’T GET DISCOURAGED

• It’s okay if not all 40 students show up at the meetings

• Need a consistent group of dedicated people who push the club along

• Remember the receptivity curve

RECEPTIVITY CURVE

KEY POINT 4: ROME WASN’T BUILT IN A DAY

• Change occurs little by little

• As long as one child is bettered by the program, your job was fulfilled.

• Even new found knowledge of what the ASSETS are, or what any one ASSET is,

improvement.

ASSETS THEME: CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

THRIVING YOUTH

• Mentoring program helps students bridge the gap between the two schools

• Building assets while the student mentors take the onus of responsibility for freshman

success

• Leadership training occurs during sophomore year

• Upper classmen serve as not only mentors, but as a connection between underclassmen

and even middle schoolers

KEY POINT 5: CONTINUING THE ASSETS FLOW

• Our mark of success is when students complete a full cycle

• being asked to attend leadership training and become club members

• choosing to complete the interview process and become an upper class mentor to

incoming freshmen

ONE LAST GAME! ASSETS IDOL!

• We broke the ice with a koosh ball game

• Created a team by bonding over building a spaghetti tower

• Test the strength of your new team by having a singing faceoff!

• Each group must sing a song with the given word in it. Whomever comes up with the most

songs (and can SING it as a group) after a rally score is the winner!

ASSETS IDOL

• Love

• Snow

• Baby

• (whatever we decide)