Since West Clermont High School opened its doors in 2017, students have had a PACK period built into their schedule; however, it has evolved over the last seven years in effort to meet the needs of students and staff. Originally, PACK corresponded with the bell in which students had lunch, and was used as a means to communicate important information, deadlines, and opportunities such as clubs, career-oriented activities, and special events related to the school and/or district. While this proved to be successful, there was room for improvement to make it more engaging for students.
In its second stage, PACK was still used as a means to communicate information, but it was also used to support the PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Support) program being developed and implemented at the high school level as a result of government legislation. Once important communication was relayed, students participated in activities supporting SEL (Social Emotional Learning), leadership, and reinforcement of PBIS initiatives contributing to building a positive climate and culture throughout the building. Participation in this initiative illustrated that the scope of PACK could be even more beneficial to students through focusing on their desired pathway beyond high school.
In order to implement this new stage, students selected a pathway during the same registration process in which they chose their classes for the next school year. This new system encouraged students to explore not only their anticipated pathway, but also provided an opportunity to venture out of their comfort zone and explore other pathways. Each PACK incorporated activities to help students explore different areas of each pathway, provided guidance for the process involved, and offered opportunities to interact with guest speakers from the various related fields. As a result of student and staff input, it was decided that this method of PACK could be streamlined by holding special events and hosting speakers where students could sign up to participate in larger groups. The transition to block scheduling would provide larger blocks of time for these opportunities in addition to even more room for student choice, which led to the current system of PACK Success and PACK Connect.
On Navy Days, students have several different options that support intervention and interest-based activities. The first part of PACK is PACK Success, and it is during this time (45 minutes) students can receive academic support from their teachers if extra help is needed or they need to make-up coursework. The second part is PACK Connect, where teachers throughout the building provide activities for students in effort to build connections with one another as well as staff members. Activities range from knitting blankets for hospital patients, gaming, health/wellness, pop culture, or even a study hall so they can get work done. Students sign up for this support or the various activities through SmartPass, which ensures school personnel know their location since it can vary from week to week. This new PACK system allows for teachers to request students for intervention, students to get necessary support to be successful, and time to explore possible hobbies and build relationships with students and staff.
By Brandon Carta, West Clermont High School Class of 2024