At Messmer Catholic Schools, it is our mission to prepare our graduates to excel in college and the workforce, and to become productive members of society. We support that objective with our strong focus on academics. But we also know that in order to build strong leaders, the education we provide also needs to venture beyond the books. A strong leader knows how to respond positively to all situations in order to make his or her voice heard in a way that shows respect and will in turn earn respect—even when the disagreement is only over cheeseburgers and tacos.

The Boys Town Model founded by Father Edward Flanagan is school-based intervention strategy that focuses on building relationships and teaching appropriate responses to situations. It emphasizes proactive practices rather than reactive responses. This social skills model has become an integral part of our curriculum at all three of our Messmer campuses: Messmer High School, Messmer Prep and St. Rose and St. Leo Catholic School. At St. Rose and St. Leo, for example, a skill is chosen for the entire building to work on as a community, and individual students are rewarded for demonstrating that skill. Teachers reinforce the skills in classroom instruction and refer to the skills whenever teachable moments present themselves.

Ms. Damanskis describes the program further. “This is a school-wide program. We have social skills posters in every classroom that correspond to the social skills being modeled." Some of the skills taught include Listening to Others, Introducing Yourself and Asking for Help. The posters explain the skill in a step-by-step, age appropriate format. For example, when Ms. Damanskis' first grade students can’t decide if cheeseburgers or tacos are better, she teaches them the skill of Disagreeing Appropriately. The steps are as follows:

• Look at the person
• Use a nice voice
• Tell how you feel
• Give a reason
• Listen to the other person

Social skills can be taught in a variety of ways. Ms. Damanskis emphasizes “modeling, modeling, and more modeling” to demonstrate and teach the skills. She also has students role-play, complete worksheets, and discuss the skills for reinforcement.

Messmer students have responded positively to the program. In classrooms and hallways, students often remind one another of appropriate social skills, and school administrators and teachers make sure to praise students whenever they see this positive behavior.

Kevin Hughes, Assistant Administrator at St. Rose and St. Leo says of the program: "While it is important to remind students repeatedly about the social skills, it is easy to observe at the end of each school year that students are quite proficient in executing the skills. Our school environment has become a more disciplined place for learning with this tool for instruction. The moment a visitor sets foot in a classroom, the social skill of “greeting others” should be quickly observable! I encourage all to visit any Messmer Catholic School to see the Boys Town Education Model at work in our classrooms. Be sure to ask our students about it."

Watch Ms. Damanskis and her first grade students learn and practice the skill of Disagreeing Appropriately.