LAFAYETTE, Ga. – Many children face challenges no one knows about outside their own small world, but some Walker County educators believe they can help simply by being a friend.
The Save One Student program, or “SOS,” got its start at Chattanooga Valley Elementary School after principal Jason Pelham came back from a conference with the idea of offering students friendly support that wasn’t intrusive or overbearing.
“The main part of the program is really simple,” Mr. Pelham said. “At least a couple of times a week, they just go by and check on that kid in class and just try to give them words of encouragement and see how they’re doing.”
The SOS program “lets (the child) know there’s another building besides the kid’s teacher who cares,” he said.
Chattanooga Valley assistant principal Heather Culberson said that when she watched the movie “The Blind Side” with her husband, LaFayette Middle School principal Mike Culberson, they realized the program could work among middle-schoolers.