Forging a new identity and traditions, the 2019 Boise High school year has been filled with changes. From the new performing arts building to the rebranding of the school logo, students expected a shift in our culture – but an unexpected turn awaited them on the first Wednesday of the school year.

With a slightly different schedule for each period, many wondered about the extra seven minutes in their fourth period class. The idea of having an advisory period to distribute important announcements to students has always been a prevailing idea that staff thought couldn’t be executed without interfering with the busy high school schedule.

Last year, a group consisting of Boise High’s social worker, psychologist, nurse, and as well as administrators, counselors, and student services groups met to discuss possible ideas. Brave Wednesdays, as they were named, stemmed from the proposal to create an advisory period for high school students without overly interfering with schedules. The staff team then made a decision to cut a single minute out of every period in a day and adding the total seven minutes to their fourth class.

The project was a way to “let people know who we are and that we are available to help them” as well as “identifying some of those kids that might be struggling,” described counselor Dayna Showalter.

Relating to personal, social, family and academics, Brave Wednesdays is gradually leading to “help students learn to manage stress, learn to prioritize, learn some coping skills to deal with depression and anxiety,” said Showalter. This goal will be addressed in several different ways throughout the semester including meditation, mindfulness, stress management, S.M.A.R.T. goals, agenda planning, and lessons on technology and identifying personal strengths.

“We are hoping that if students learn more effective coping strategies that they will find less stress, their attendance will increase, they’ll be better able to manage and prioritize their assignments… and that hopefully their grades will improve too,” Showalter clarified.

Since the project is still in its early phases, several of the plans are still being adjusted. In order to better shape Brave Wednesday lessons to teachers and students, Showalter disclosed that a school wide survey will be released in the following weeks. The student questions will primarily concern struggles in order to address them in future lessons, while teachers will comment on their own experiences and student feedback.

“We’ve never done it before, it’s just kind of a work in progress, it’s not something we have, you know, a lined up curriculum for,” noted Showalter.

Leaving on a personal message to each student, Mrs. Showalter announced,“let’s make it a positive experience, let’s be open minded and let’s be open to change.”