ROCHELLE –– Elementary students are used to meeting with their peers daily and spending every hour at school with their classmates. Once a month at Lincoln Elementary School students leave their grade level and meet with a diverse group of students in a PROWL family.

PROWL stands for Positive Relationships Originate Within Lincoln (Leopards). School counselor, Erin Strouss, explained a leopard family is referred to as a prowl and organizers used the school mascot when designing the family groups.

The concept for PROWL families originated during the 2014-2015 school years when the district was implementing the methods and strategies of Eric Jensen who is an expert in education and poverty. Each school within the district chose their own focus and Lincoln School staff chose to focus on relationships.

Tony Doyle (Principal), Idalia Marin (ELL), Nancy Kessen (Kindergarten), Kristen Kida (2^nd grade), Sara Daugherty (4^th grade), Amy Brass (OCEC), Stephanie Dillon (Special Ed), Brandi Casey (Reading), and Strouss met during the school year and planned the PROWL concept. The following year PROWL was implemented at the start of the school year.

This is the second year Lincoln has implemented PROWL families and Strouss is seeing the students and staff form bonds and relationships that reach beyond their grade level.

Every student at Lincoln School in kindergarten through fifth grade is a member of a PROWL family. Lincoln is home to 21 PROWL families consisting of 12 to 15 students ranging in grade levels meeting with a certified teacher. The teachers include grade level teachers but also special education, art, music, PE, principal, ELL, and reading teachers. Some PROWL groups are led by two staff members as a non-certified adult, such as a health aide, librarian or paraprofessional, also works with the teacher.

Strouss explained, “The goal of the program is to build relationships between staff and students that may normally not be developed depending on class, grade, or program assignment. When a student enters a PROWL, they stay in that PROWL throughout the life of their Lincoln attendance – up to 6 years.”

Last year each PROWL group met at least once a quarter and this year, the families have tried to meet once a month.

“Two forms of important relationships in school are the relationship between students and their peers as well as teacher’s relationships with their students,” explained Strouss. “Of the numerous educational strategies for teaching children of poverty with success is relationship building. This is a social-emotional learning tool all students benefit from and is supported by neuroscience in the brain as well as studies positively correlating high levels of school engagement with academic success.”

A PROWL family typically meets for 30 to 45 minutes monthly and each session has a new theme depending on the time of year.

Stouss added, “The activities are always interactive between PROWL members and use skills in communication and empathy to increase school and group engagement. Activities are connected to academic skills, but are not demanding of academic skills so that we include all students of all levels.”

Past PROWL activities include art projects, team-building games and cooperative projects, reading activities, philanthropic and civic activities connecting to our community. Themes this year include getting to know each other, civic activity, the great kindness challenge, read across America and teamwork.

Lincoln School was designed with color-coordinated pods, separating grade levels from each other and keeping younger students out of contact with higher grades. PROWL families connect the pods together and bring students and staff from all corners of the building into a group.

“Brandi Casey, reading specialist, really co-coordinates this program with me,” explained Strouss. “She and I went through every class roster and divided them up between 21 families. Typically, only one student from each class is in the same PROWL. Brandi and I bounce ideas off of each other and then reach out to our principal, Adam Zurko, for his stamp of approval. Everything we do has a purpose. Everything we do affects brain development. Everything we do affects school engagement and academic success.”

Everything a PROWL family does has a purpose and the goal is for each student in the family to feel connected and like they belong. From the time a student is in kindergarten and each year as they grow, they grow with their family.

Strouss added, “Our mission is that every student belongs here. Reading, writing and math skills are important but that is not the only predictor of life’s success for our students’ futures. We are building our future society of citizens and employees in the workforce. When a student feels that they belong, they want to come to school and do their best…much as they will in future jobs and roles as young adults and beyond.”