KRTV

Posted: Mar 15, 2010 6:05 PM
Updated: Mar 15, 2010 6:51 PM

Last year's standardized test results showed that Great Falls sophomores were performing consistently lower than their peers across the state, and that's a trend that one math teacher hopes to turn around by showing the students a little support.

Math teacher Beckie Frisbee decided to do something a little different to address the issue, and now hundreds of brown bags line the old gym of the school. But these bags aren't for a picnic lunch - these bags are all about encouragement.

Frisbee explained, "I was at a conference last February and listened to a distinguished school. It's a school that's made a difference and changed their scores on the CRT (Criterion-referenced Testing). They changed it by talking to the kids, encouraging the kids, and telling every kid they matter, and I came back and said, 'Okay, we have tests in two, three weeks, can I try this?'"

Beckie Frisbee first gave her "encourager bags" a try last spring, randomly selecting 70 sophomores.

She said, "We wrote notes for every kid. They had water bottles, granola bars, highlighters, pencils. We put as much as we could in the bag."

The impact of the bags was was beyond what Frisbee had expected.

Student Taylor Sykes said, "Some people just need that little encouragement to do good. I'd like my parents to give me a little note to just be like 'Oh, do good'."

Frisbee said, "The kids had such a positive response, the adults in the building had such a positive response, that I thought why not almost 400 bags? We can do 400 bags."

First Interstate Bank and KRTV stepped in to help, presenting Frisbee with this week's"One Class At A Time" grant of $250.

Frisbee noted, "I kind of picked from everybody's pockets, but now I can go back and pay everybody's pockets back so that we can do other activities for the kids."

The pressure may be off of teacher pocketbooks, and now Frisbee hopes a simple brown bag will take the pressure off of the test takers and give them the support they need to succeed.
 
Sophomores are the only high school students to take part in the Criterion Reference Testing; they started at Great Falls High School today and wrap up later this week.

We'll continue handing out checks to area educators through the end of the school year.

Click here to read about previous One Class At A Time winners.

Click here to learn more about applying for a One Class At A Time grant for your class or school.