By RYANN BERGEN

Communication By Design

Sierra High School

One of the key elements to a great Leadership class is to create programs that get the student body involved in activities and to connect with one another.

“Hangouts that Help” is a program Sierra High School’s Leadership program started in 2018 and revived this year, under the direction of ASB president Arveen Birdi’s freshman year. Once a week Birdi and some of her peers visit Matthew Tate's Special Day Class-Moderate Severe students to play games.

"I love that our leadership students spend time with all populations on campus and they take the time to work with these kids and make them comfortable socially and get them involved in student activities," Vice Principal Anne Marie Shaw said. "It's really important and our Leadership students work really hard to contribute to the climate, culture of the student body, and get everybody involved in something positive on campus."

During her freshman year, Birdi and a few other students went to Tate's class once a week to work with his students. They would hang out with his students and talk to them, so they can get a one-on-one connection with other high school students. Birdi said Leadership wanted to get to know Tate’s students on a personal level.

“We hung out with his students, talked to them, and got to know them," Birdi said. "We wanted to earn a connection with them.”

Unfortunately, during her sophomore and junior year, the COVID-19 wave came through, forcing education in distance and hybrid learning models. Students weren't allowed on campus, shutting down "Hangouts that Help." 

This year, her senior year, Birdi really wanted to revive “Hangouts that Help.” Every Thursday, Leadership goes to Tate’s classroom and plays games with them, such as Bingo and Candyland. They talk to them about their day and try to find common interests, and they try and get them involved in school activities and spirit week dress-up days.

“There is more to it than just the surface stuff,” Tate said.

The main part of Tate’s class is to teach his students how to socially interact appropriately. To “teach them life skills that they can use upon graduation to get a position working for a job development program, to live as independently as possible, and to develop social skills so they can be productive members of society,” Tate said in an interview with NBC Sports.

“Hangouts that Help” ensures special-needs students can benefit from the best learning situations possible. According to The Edvocate, a national organization that argues for changes in educational policy and advocates for student learning: “Despite concerns expressed by some teachers and parents about inclusion, evidence suggests that it works. Teachers have testified to the benefits that their students have received in terms of increased performance and comprehension.”

The program, spearheaded by Birdi and members of the Sierra High Leadership class, creates a win-win for both sides. It allows the Leadership students to be “more empathetic and understanding,” Tate said.

“Having other students in here modeling that good behavior helps. When more people are doing it, they see that it’s a normal thing that needs to be followed,” he added. “It creates a positive learning environment.”

A few weeks ago, Birdi noticed one of Tate’s students was having an issue. She felt comfortable enough to talk to Tate about it.

“If we weren’t doing this, that conversation probably wouldn’t have happened,” Tate said.