Oak Forest High students and social workers expand RULER program with varsity-club mentors

Carrie Pekka, a school social worker at Oak Forest High School, told the Bremen CHSD 228 Board of Education on Jan. 21 that the district’s RULER social-emotional learning curriculum has been taught to incoming freshmen for three years and has expanded to include trained varsity-club student mentors.

The social workers said the varsity-club mentors co-teach lessons and work directly with freshman learning-center groups to help students recognize, label and regulate emotions. "One of the benefits I really see is getting us exposed to the freshmen," Pekka said, describing how social workers and mentors rotate through class periods to build relationships with different students.

District officials described RULER as a curriculum developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Pekka said social workers co-teach RULER lessons with health teachers and that the varsity-club members — who give up lunch time to participate — received training in the fall and are expected to attend every lesson and know the curriculum.

The program’s stated goals, presenters said, include increased attendance, higher school engagement, stronger feelings of belonging and improved graduation prospects. Lily Coleman, another school social worker, told the board the mentors also helped shape lesson content: "What would you want to learn if you were a freshman today?" she said the trainers asked mentors during preparation.

Several student mentors spoke to the board about why they volunteer. Ryan Lipsett, who said he works as a youth mental health advocate at the school, said the peer contact reduces isolation: "One of the main things that really is helpful for freshmen as well as anyone is knowing people. It's that feeling of not being alone." Joe McProgry, identified as varsity club president, said he wished the curriculum had been available when he was a freshman: "I didn't have RULER, and I think it would have been super ... beneficial." Lauren Redwoods, a junior and varsity athlete, and other student leaders echoed that time-management and stress-management content resonated with mentees.

Presenters gave examples of how mentors run icebreakers, work within small groups and prompt freshmen to share experiences so they engage more readily than when adults lead every lesson. School staff said they have observed rises in attendance for the Freshman Learning Center and increased participation when mentors join lessons.

Board members thanked the presenters and noted the program ties social-emotional learning to student leadership and service. The board received the report; no formal action was required.

The presentation included details on program scale and recent accomplishments at Oak Forest and other district schools. Pekka said the social workers co-teach RULER lessons twice per semester and that 14 varsity-club students are participating this school year. Student speakers at the board meeting described efforts that focus on time management, finals preparation and balancing activities with coursework.

The report also included other school highlights presented earlier in the meeting: principals reported a 90% attendance rate during a day the district shifted to e-learning; Oak Forest and other high schools recognized more than 300 students at a semester recognition breakfast; and a combined 107 students across a campus earned industry certifications in areas such as drone operation, OSHA, Microsoft Office and food handling.