Franklin Avenue Middle School
Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, USA
The Peer Leadership Corps (PLC) at Franklin Avenue Middle School is the centerpiece of the school’s character education program. The PLC creates a foundation for student participation through its activities. It replaces the traditional student council model, which limited participation to school-wide elected officers and homeroom elected representatives. The school had more spirited and civic-minded students interested in participating in activities than could be accommodated by the “select few” model. Instead, every student is encouraged to get involved in PLC activities. As a result, statistics from January 2007 to January 2008 indicated that every student has been involved in a peer leadership activity, ranging from buddy connections to food drives to other special initiatives. Out of the entire student population, 30 of the most active students are targeted and trained in conflict mediation skills; an additional 30 students serve as the Leadership Corps of PLC and are trained at a local college institute. The level of inclusion of the PLC exceeds any other initiative at the school.
