DAWSON COUNTY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Peer Assistance, Leadership, and Support, or PALS, is a highly effective, school-based, peer-to-peer leadership program. PALS fosters opportunities for students with and without disabilities to develop friendships and learn together. In the 2022-2023 school year, Mrs. Julianne Hunter, teacher at Dawson County Junior High School (DCJHS), and Mrs. Holly Kimmel, paraprofessional, collaboratively developed and implemented a local version of the PALS Club for their 8th and 9th grade students to develop and grow positive, supportive, and helpful peer relationships.

The PALS Club met monthly and engaged in student-led, servicelearning activities. For example, the Junior High created and delivered survival kits with a related poem about being a hero to show gratitude to the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office. This and similar activities fostered student growth in their disability awareness, leadership, and understanding of inclusion.

When asked, all the members of PALS Club and the students from Mrs. Hunter’s class said they would recommend this experience to a friend and would participate in PALS Club again. One student expressed, “I [would] like PALS at the high school.” Another student shared they enjoyed having PALS because they “could talk to them.” A third student said that PALS was an “amazing club!”

Parents of several PALS Club members shared positive feedback, as well. One parent of a pal shared, “My son looks forward to club days each month and each activity they get to do in PALS.” Then, the parent of one of Mrs. Hunter’s students provided a possible explanation of this feeling: “Although [my son] often has a difficult time conversing with others, the PALS program has provided him with many opportunities to practice social skills in a safe, accepting environment.”

Another parent of a pal shared that her son, “has embraced the importance of finding the extraordinary gifts of others and highlighting them often.” Finally, a different parent of Mrs. Hunter’s student appreciated the quote on the Club shirt, from Kid President, “‘Be Somebody who makes Everybody feel like a Somebody.’ This quote perfectly describes the meaning behind the PALS Club ... As a parent, I am so grateful for Mrs. Hunter’s vision for this Club.”

Mrs. Hunter and Ms. Holly are both excited for the hopeful continuation and growth of the PALS Club.

Mrs. Hunter stated, “I am so grateful for my incredibly supportive administration: Mr. Brody Hughes, Principal; Mrs. Dessica Pritchett,

Assistant Principal; and Mr. Taylor Cole, Assistant Principal. I would be remiss for not giving a special thank you to Mrs. Pritchett for sharing her experience as a peer mentor in high school and bolstering the idea of piloting a PALS Club at DCJHS. They took a leap of faith with me and believed in my vision, which resulted in really cool experiences for students with and without disabilities. In the future, I would love to see the expansion of the PALS Club across more campuses.”