LCC Middle School receives donation

COLERIDGE — As there were many facility changes taking place to the Laurel campus during the 22-23 school year, the LCC Middle School also made a small but very beneficial change to their middle school schedule last year. With the implementation of block scheduling for the 22-23 school year, the middle school was able to incorporate what is known as WIN (Whatever Is Needed) time for their students.

During this time, the middle school students were able to receive additional reading and math supports as well as be involved in various academic enrichment activities such as STEM, Art, Lego League, Quiz Bowl, and fifth/sixth Grade Band.

Another academic enrichment activity available to the middle school students was Life Skills.

This enrichment activity is cotaught by Shannon Benson and Eric DePew during WIN time. In this enrichment activity, students learn valuable hands-on life skills such as working with various wood construction tools to make various projects such as the addition of the gaga ball pit to the middle school playground and simple car maintenance such as how to change oil in a vehicle and how to change a flat tire. Benson and DePew have also brought in outside experts such as our school nurse, Arianne Conley, to teach our students more about personal health and first aid.

Although the school has gone back to a more traditional class schedule, the middle school teachers and staff saw the benefits of the WIN time for their students and the need to keep it in the schedule.

As a result, the middle school was able to structure WIN time into the 23-24 school schedule. Thanks to a Coleridge Area Community Grant, the Life Skills students are excited to undertake additional woodworking projects this school year including the construction of teeter totters, picnic tables, sitting benches, and a tetherball apparatus.

The Laurel Lions Club and Ace Hardware reached out to Shannon Benson and discussed ways to assist the middle school students in completing their Life Skills projects. Due to the number of middle school students involved in the enrichment activity, it was necessary to get additional tools and equipment so more students could take an active part in the construction process.

The middle school would like to thank the Laurel Lions Club and Ace Hardware for their generous donation of additional hand-held tools, power tools, and a tool storage cabinet to support our middle school students in the completion of their Life Skills projects this year. Their kind donation will serve not only our current middle school students but many future middle school students to come.