EMS W.E.B. (Where Everybody Belongs)
WEB, which stands for “Where Everybody Belongs”, is a middle school orientation and transition program that welcomes 6th graders and makes them feel comfortable throughout the first year of their middle school experience. WEB is built on the belief that students can help students succeed and the program trains mentors from the school’s 8th grade class to be WEB Leaders. As positive role models, the WEB Leaders guide the 6th graders to discover what it takes to be successful during the transition to middle school and to help facilitate middle school success.
Near the end of each school year, 7th graders apply to be WEB Leaders for the incoming 6th graders. The student Leaders attend trainings over the summer and put on an orientation day for incoming 6th graders. At WEB Orientation Day, the 6th graders experience an interactive orientation where WEB Leaders (1) provide information about the school and what to expect, (2) foster a sense of connection to their new school and (3) ensure that each 6th grader has a peer they can turn to once school begins. WEB Leaders, who have walked in the shoes of 6th graders just a couple of years prior, are able to provide the support that adults cannot due to the fact that teens turn to one another for advice and information about how to live in the middle school world.