Woodside Middle School report highlights new electives, a $15,000 PLTW grant and expanded counseling demand

Woodside Middle School leaders briefed the MSD Southwest Allen County Schools board on student engagement, academic changes and counseling demand, saying the school’s enrollment is up for a second consecutive year and staff have added new courses and supports.

The presentation, delivered by Woodside Principal Steve Clark, stressed ongoing gains in student participation and school climate. "It's a great honor every day to come to work," Clark said, adding the building theme for the year is "Better Every Day." That theme, he said, ties into efforts to raise academic expectations while supporting students.

The report outlined academic and extracurricular changes slated for the coming year and already in place. Assistant Principal Miss Lockhart said Woodside will add five new electives, including two Project Lead the Way (PLTW) engineering courses, expanded dance and an athlete-development class. Lockhart also told the board the district secured a $15,000 PLTW grant to help start the engineering courses.

Clark and staff described instructional changes intended to boost basic skills across classes. The school adopted an "ACE" common-writing initiative that gives students a shared rubric and structure for writing assignments. Staff also created a digital planner on Canva that mirrors the bell schedule to help students track assignments.

Counseling staff presented use and demand figures. School counselor Morgan Baston said nearly 600 student requests to meet counselors were made via a QR-code system through January, not counting informal visits or teacher referrals. Baston said more than half of Woodside students have had a one-on-one session with a counselor this year. The school reported 65 students in counseling groups this semester, and Baston said 32 students are currently participating in Crosswinds (an outside counseling partner) with eight students on a wait list. "The number one reason why students are coming to see us continues for the past three years to be anxiety and depression," Baston said.

Athletics and activities were highlighted as drivers of student connection. Assistant Principal and athletic director Tim Beaumont said about 600 students participate in sports at Woodside, and staff credited extracurricular engagement with improved attendance and lower suspension rates.

Students representing the school spoke about how extracurriculars and staff support affected them. Eighth grader Luke Fridley said, "I've learned a lot during my time at Woodside because of everything they have to offer," and cited show choir, band and peer tutoring. Seventh grader Jordan James said, "When I got myself into trouble, I had to learn from my mistakes and teach myself discipline and patience," and thanked staff for guidance. Other student speakers — Xander Barnhill, Myla Burkholder and Zahra Ahmedine — described belonging, academic support and extracurricular successes such as show-choir competition wins.

Board members asked follow-up questions about Crosswinds capacity and whether the limit was at the vendor or district level. Baston said the amount of Crosswinds time available is limited but the district can explore expanding that time.

The presentation concluded with an invitation: Steve Clark invited the community to the school's Warrior Showcase next Tuesday to see student projects and programs.

The board took no formal action on the report; members thanked staff and students and moved to the next agenda items.