The Organization Station at Bennett’s Mill Middle School has become an staple of learning that teachers and students have grown to rely on. Developed during the 2009-2010 school year as a direct intervention to get new 6th grade Broncos organized, the Organization Station was the brain child of Mrs. Marianne Menke, a 6th grade teacher at BMMS. The students come to a designated place one morning a week and get assistance organizing their binders, book bags, lockers. The OS helps with sharing organizational strategies and provides time to reorganize a student’s educational system. Many teachers agree that when the binder, book bag and locker are organized, it not only becomes easier to find homework and notes, but the student feels more confident and has more success across the board.
Through the years, the need for the intervention continued and the OS grew. In the 2010-2011 year, Menke incorporated the assistance from the BETA Club. BETA students were given the bulk of the responsibilities and soon the organization took over the station. This year, Marianne Menke and the students who have donated their time once again to help other students tweaked the program by setting up multiple stations. While Menke is still responsible for the initial training and set-up, the students from the Beta Club run the Organization Stations and model good organizational skills to their peers. Each Beta Club member is assigned to an OS homeroom filled with young students needing assistance. This new way of peer-to-peer teaching allows for the work to be done in a more intimate area with easier access to necessary tools and more time. Students seeking help from the Organization Station originally consisted of students who were recommended by teachers, but Mrs. Menke allows all students who need help to come to the station. Mrs. Menke states, “being organized is a strategy to better efficiency in all areas of life, not just academics”, and the teachers at Bennett’s Mill agree.
Through the years, the need for the intervention continued and the OS grew. In the 2010-2011 year, Menke incorporated the assistance from the BETA Club. BETA students were given the bulk of the responsibilities and soon the organization took over the station. This year, Marianne Menke and the students who have donated their time once again to help other students tweaked the program by setting up multiple stations. While Menke is still responsible for the initial training and set-up, the students from the Beta Club run the Organization Stations and model good organizational skills to their peers. Each Beta Club member is assigned to an OS homeroom filled with young students needing assistance. This new way of peer-to-peer teaching allows for the work to be done in a more intimate area with easier access to necessary tools and more time. Students seeking help from the Organization Station originally consisted of students who were recommended by teachers, but Mrs. Menke allows all students who need help to come to the station. Mrs. Menke states, “being organized is a strategy to better efficiency in all areas of life, not just academics”, and the teachers at Bennett’s Mill agree.