PLUS-Peer Leaders Uniting Students
PLUS Team Applications are NOW AVAILABLE for the 2019-20 School Year. See Ms. Piña in the Counseling Office to pick up an application. The deadline to turn them in is FRIDAY, MAY 3!
The PEER LEADERS UNITING STUDENTS (PLUS) Program was founded out of the fundamental need to feel a sense of belonging to a group identity. The goal of the PLUS Team is to protect, connect and educate students in an effort to create a culture on our campus and in our community where inclusion is a reality for all RBV students. PLUS is out to break down the walls and break up the cliques to bring our campus together.
The PLUS Team
The PLUS Team is a group of students from a variety of backgrounds, who have a passion to work together as a team to protect, connect and educate students in an effort to create a culture on our campus and in our community where inclusion is a reality for all RBV students. The students on the PLUS Team have applied, interviewed and were chosen by staff to be part of the PLUS Team. By participating in the PLUS Training these student leaders will learn how to utilize a series of activities that create a culture of connections, care, community and communication on campus. The PLUS Program creates activities on a campus that foster student connections and a commitment in the student body to take care of their peers, whether they are in the halls, classroom, sporting events or walking home. PLUS Team leaders run the PLUS Forums, put on PLUS activities at lunch and after school and provide school wide support to ALL students in a variety of ways. Students who are part of the PLUS Team meet together on Monday mornings at 7:30am with the PLUS advisors.
PLUS Forum
The PLUS forum is a student led forum that creates opportunity for RBV students to be empowered to engage in discussion, bond with one another, and identify the critical issues that are impacting our campus. The students on the PLUS Team serve as peer facilitators for group discussion and activities during the PLUS forum. Participation in the PLUS forum empowers students with a voice to be active members in discussions that identify critical issues on campus such as bullying, violence, drug & alcohol use, stereotypes and the overall development of a safe school. Students will take part in multiple bonding activities and work in small groups to brainstorm solutions to the issues they feel are impacting our campus. The forums also serve as a means for students to develop an understanding of who each other is rather than what they are labeled as. After going through the forum, students develop a sense of belonging to the PLUS program, which in turn develops positive relationships with peers and adults. The forum serves as a rite of passage for all participants into the PLUS identity. All students going through a PLUS forum will become part of the PLUS program identity thus creating a connection to a positive peer group on campus who will serve to create meaningful activities for students to participate in. PLUS forums are held several times a year on campus with 20-40 students in attendance. We will have several forums this year, so check back for more dates! If students are interested in participating in a PLUS forum, see Ms. Piña in the counseling office.
Can I go to a PLUS Forum?
YES YOU CAN! ALL RBV students are welcome and encouraged to attend a PLUS Forum. It is our goal to have every RBV student attend at least 1 PLUS forum in their high school experience.
How do I sign up for the next PLUS Forum?
See Ms. Pina or your counselor in the Counseling office to pick up a PLUS Forum Permission Form. We will offer several PLUS Forums in the 2017-18 school year.
Will I miss class?
Yes, students will miss periods 2 through 5. Students are excused from class during this time, but are responsible for making up any missed assignments.
How can I become a PLUS Team Member?
- To apply to be a PLUS Team member you must complete a PLUS application, get 2 teacher recommendations and participate in an interview.
- You can get print a PLUS application here, or go to the counseling office to pick one up from Ms. Pina.
- If chosen as a PLUS team member, students are required to meet on Monday mornings at 7:30-8:25am and participate in school several activities that require a commitment outside normal school hours.
PLUS Advisor
Kristen Piña: Department Chair of Counseling x72046
PLUS Promotes
- Bonding - Pro Social Bonding will be realized through interactive discussions and school wide student led forums, which empowers youth with a voice, and a place to build their school community.
- Resilience - Youth will become resilient though the processes of experiencing activities of meaningful participation and positive peer relations.
- Social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and moral competence - Peer to peer network relations, service learning, and proactive involvement in the establishment of social norms and environment are embedded in all PLUS activities.
- Self-determination, spirituality, and self-efficacy - Through participation in group activities that promote positive behavior, establishing the context to the environment and a service to community; a strong understanding of self is realized.
- Clear and positive identity - Youth will experience a unique process that will develop a positive group identity with a credible social group.
- Belief in the future - Youth will have an invested interest in the outcomes of their future. By establishing actions that address the outcomes of critical issues on their campus, youth will have immediate impact on their future.
- Recognition for positive behavior - Youth will develop a strong understanding to the significance of intrinsic reward for positive behavior.
- Opportunities for pro-social involvement - The foundation of activities invested in PLUS is based on interrelationships between peers and the involvement of a cross-section of their social community.