Seminole County highlights 'Finding Your Voice' summit after third year; district reports falling absences and referrals at participating schools

Superintendent Elias Beeman and Seminole County School Board members heard results Tuesday from the district’s third annual Finding Your Voice girls summit, a small-group counseling and leadership program for girls in grades 5–8 that the district says produced measurable improvements in referrals, attendance and grades at participating schools.

The program, started three years ago and hosted this year at the University of Central Florida Student Union, grew from 12 schools and about 120 students in year one to 23 schools in year three. Dr. Jamie Cummings and Ms. Faison presented the program’s planning timeline, community partners and outcome measures to the board.

District officials said this year 65% of participating schools saw a decrease in at least one outcome measure among students who participated in the small-group intervention. Officials cited several school-level examples: Regina Marina’s group at Altamont Elementary saw a 50% decrease in referrals and a 50% drop in D’s and F’s in ELA and math between quarter 1 and quarter 3; Idlewild Elementary reported a 26% decrease in total days absent and an 83% decrease in D’s and F’s; Tuscawilla Middle’s group reported a 75% drop in referrals and a 15% drop in absences; Rock Lake Middle reported an 80% drop in referrals and a 29% drop in absences.

Dr. Cummings said the summit was “a collaborative effort,” naming social workers, school counselors and community partners who led sessions on decision-making, conflict resolution and high-school transition, and noted the district provides the program to participants at no cost. The board’s vice chair, Vice Chair Garrick, said she has attended the summit since its inception and praised the event’s atmosphere and student engagement.

Board members asked clarifying questions about metrics and about whether the specific measures reported at each school were selected by counselors. Dr. Cummings told the board that the district tracked three outcome measures—attendance, discipline referrals and academic achievement—and that schools highlighted in the presentation were those that showed reductions in two of those measures.

The presentation also listed community partners and sponsors including the Seminole County Public Schools’ ePathways department, community involvement office, HCA Florida (Lake Monroe Hospital and Oviedo Medical Center), the Stanford Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, and volunteers who supported the day-long summit.

Board members thanked presenters and volunteers and discussed logistics for future growth; presenters told the board they expect continued expansion and will need larger venues as participation increases.