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Wea Ridge teacher Jessica Hyatt wins $500 Anda Camp grant; describes 'Wolfpack' peer-mentoring program
Summary
At a Tippecanoe School Corporation board meeting, Jessica Hyatt of Wea Ridge Elementary received a $500 Anda Camp teacher grant and described the school’s new Wolfpack peer-mentoring program, which pairs K–5 students in stable cross-grade teams to build connection, regulation and leadership.
Jessica Hyatt, a Title I liaison at Wea Ridge Elementary, received the Anda Camp $500 teacher grant and used the board presentation Tuesday to describe the Wolfpack peer-mentoring program she helped launch.
"The purpose of the pack is to build connection," Hyatt told the board, describing a structure that keeps students in the same Wolfpack from kindergarten through fifth grade and meets roughly once a month. The program pairs students across grade levels for activities aimed at impulse control, sportsmanship, focus and regulation.
Hyatt said the Wolfpack meetings include Balivi(s) balance, auditory and visual exercises intended to support cross‑body coordination and visual tracking — skills the presentation linked to classroom achievement. The program also calls on trained middle‑school students to work with younger children during Friday sessions, Hyatt said; the $500 grant purchased sandbags and "raet balls" used in those exercises. A short video produced by Jacob Mayer, the school’s tech aide, showed students participating in the exercises.
Hyatt said the school established about 32 Wolfpacks, each identified by color, and that students keep their pack shirt at the end of fifth grade; the program is designed to provide leadership opportunities for older students and easier transition to middle school. Hyatt said the program met five times last year and six times so far this year, with plans to increase practice time and expand exercises next year.
The board recognized Hyatt before moving on to other agenda items. The presentation did not include a request for recurring district funding; Hyatt framed the grant as seed money for program materials and said staff intend to build out the model within the existing school schedule.
