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Sunrise Elementary highlights leadership, mentorship and MTSS gains at Enumclaw School Board meeting
Summary
Sunrise Elementary staff and students presented a year of 'growing together,' reporting a 48‑student leadership club, mentorship programs, and HOPE/belonging survey improvements (HOPE ~68% in fall; belonging 72% in winter), plus MTSS interventions that supervisors said reduced special‑education referrals.
Staff and student leaders from Sunrise Elementary presented to the Enumclaw School Board on May 18, reporting yearlong efforts to strengthen student well‑being, leadership and targeted instructional supports.
Principal and Sunrise staff framed the year under the theme "growing together," describing a leadership club of 48 fourth‑ and fifth‑grade students who gave up recess to plan school activities and community service projects. Student Morgan Tran, advisor for the Sunrise Leadership Group, told the board the club focused on helping the school and community and that members "gave up their free time" to serve as leaders. A fourth‑grade student, Happy Hellman, described teamwork in projects such as a toy drive and said leadership taught students to work together and help others.
Teachers and staff described a structured schoolwide mentorship program that paired older students with younger ones for reading buddies and recess support; staff said the mentorship work included deliberate pairings, training and measurable goals. Resource teacher Melissa Petrowski described a six‑week mentoring cycle that included twice‑weekly math support and credited mentees and mentors with mutual gains.
Sunrise staff shared results from two annual surveys used to track student well‑being and belonging. In the fall, roughly 68 percent of students reported high levels of hope on the HOPE survey; in winter, about 72 percent reported a high sense of belonging. Presenters said those data were used to identify students needing extra supports and to target interventions through the school's MTSS (multi‑tiered systems of support) process. The staff explained they increased tiered interventions, refined follow‑up, and aimed to reduce unnecessary special‑education referrals; they reported a notable decrease in referrals compared with the prior year.
Why it matters: The presentation showed a data‑driven approach to social‑emotional learning and early interventions that the staff said both supports student outcomes and reduces escalation to special‑education referrals. Student leadership and mentorship were presented as practical, low‑cost ways to build belonging and peer support.
What's next: Sunrise staff said they will continue to use MTSS data to iterate grade‑level interventions and monitor gains; the board applauded the students and staff and moved on to other agenda items.
