St. Michaels Middle High School (SMMHS) hosted an inaugural “Real World – Saints Edition” event just before winter break. Although the name is similar to MTV’s show from the 90s, The Real World, the SMMHS event was unique and not related or even especially similar to the show.
Students spent the day rotating through numerous “real world” activities to help prepare them for life after high school. Sessions included topics like how to get a part-time job, laundry and cooking, babysitting skills, starting a small business, changing a tire, sewing, and so much more. Each grade level (grades 6-12) had different sessions tailored to their age. Junior Sebastian Cornish created this sneak-peak video “Real World – Saints Edition” to promote the event.
The initiative was a collaborative effort between JR Burkhardt, School Counselor, Cara Breeding, Career Counselor, and Becky Mann, Assistant Principal. “Real World – Saints Edition had three purposes,” Burkhard said. “We often hear from the community that our schools no longer teach the real world living skills that kids need to be functioning adults in society. We also hoped to strengthen and build relationships among students/staff in smaller groups, as well as with community partners. We thought this would be a productive use one of the days right before Winter Break, which often has a higher absent rate because students feel nothing important is happening.”
“This event would not have been possible without our numerous alumni, parents, business owners, and community members saying “Yes!” to our requests for their help,” Burkhardt added. “We had over 70 volunteers come in to lead these informative and interactive sessions. It was great day!”
Parents, community members, and students are still commenting on what a valuable experience it was. One parent of a sixth grader wrote in an email: “I want to say that I think the Real World Day was a success. That was the first day my son came home from school and was so happy and excited to tell us about every station and what he learned. I’ve talked to multiple parents whose children said the same thing.”
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