WELLS—Wells Elementary School administrators and teachers have recently formed a student group called The Student Leadership Team. 

It’s an assembly that is similar in function to a typical high school or junior high student council.

This fall, two students from each of WES’s third- and fourth-grade classrooms were nominated by their teachers to represent their classmates at monthly meetings scheduled through May. 

The current group of 18 students will meet with their seven staff advisors to address school spirit and ways to “pay it forward” in the community.

“Teachers were asked to nominate students who could represent the interests/needs of all classmates and would be committed to serve on the team for the entire school year,” was contained in a letter from school to parents and guardians explaining the Student Leadership Team, one of the initiatives that Wells administrators hope to focus on for the 2016-2017 school year.

Pam Lear and Mirna Davila are advisors to the team. However, they believe that they are more facilitator than advisor since all students in the group have demonstrated leadership skills. 

According to the two educators, these students will likely grow as leaders as they pass through the higher grades.

“They are an impressive group of students,” said Lear, a fourth-grade teacher. “They are a really strong group working well together,”

Davila agreed.

“Leadership is a skill that should be taught at an early age,” said Davila, an educational technician. “Not only is the Student Leadership Team learning to work as a team but also…(discovering) the importance of focus, compassion, planning, execution and being a positive impact in their school.”

In recent meetings the Student Leadership Team has been listing ideas on how to increase “school spirit” and how to “pay it forward” to the community. 

For school spirit a Flashlight Friday is planned in January. One of the ideas to “pay it forward” includes a bake sale with bake goods to be sold to staff members. Proceeds from this sale will go to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Mane Medical Center. 

Other ideas that the student team is planning on implementing include an animal shelter drive and a card sale.

At the WOCSD School Committee meeting Dec. 7, two team members, Alex Finn and Hayden Meffert, spoke to committee members and the audience about the new Student Leadership Team.

The Wells Elementary School Student Leadership Team for the 2016-2017 school year includes Pam Ingram, Evan Chase, Molly Tavares, Cali Leighton, Megyn Mertens, Hayden Meffert, Alex Finn, Mirna Davila, Pam Lear, Uriah Martell, Jaylyn Grant, Brian Regan, Brycen Bowden, Owen Shangraw, Helen Lee, Brandon Wallingford, Bryce Curley, Eli Potter, Maren Maxon, Kendall Maxon and Natalie Blaisdell. Teachers and administrators advising the Student Leadership Team are Melissa Stapleton, Kathy Calo, Ken Spinney and Chris Roche.