My name is Joshua Abatie. I am an incoming senior at Valparaiso High School. This "Valpo Life in the Spotlight" is not a life, but two lives! Mrs. Denise Koebcke and Mrs. Tammy Hofer have been working in the Valparaiso Community Schools at T.J.M.S. and B.F.M.S. respectively for at least the past twelve years. I say "at least" because my student knowledge only goes back that far into the past! While their accomplishments throughout their careers have been many and deserved, most anyone who knows Mrs. Koebcke or Mrs. Hofer would tell you that the biggest accomplishment or difference that either of the two of them have made in the Valpo community is one that they made together, through the establishment of a school program: the Team LEAD Program (VCS Safe Schools LEADership Program).
Without going into too much excruciating detail -quite frankly, Denise and Tammy are ten times more knowledgeable about the program than I, considering I am but a student-member of Team LEAD for three years - Team LEAD was established because Mrs. Koebcke and Mrs. Hofer saw a conflict in their school system. They saw something that, many years later in the here-and-now, the government and media of our country would only just begin to highlight as a relevant issue.
What these two women observed and responded to was the issue of childhood aggression in maturing adolescents, or the issue more ignorantly referred to as "bullying." People will say that the first step to solving a problem is to recognize and understand the problem itself, and that is what these ladies did eleven years ago. And so, with a small group of 60 Valparaiso High School students-turned-mentors, the Team LEAD program was born, founded by Mrs. Koebcke and Mrs. Hofer.
Over that eleven year period, the program has morphed and grown with each new study published or bit of research obtained having to do with the issue of childhood aggression and aggressive behaviors. Since it began, the LEAD program has been the pioneering bystander leadership program across the nation in everything that it teaches.
Now, it's time that I finally explain what LEAD actually does. Today in 2013, the LEAD program of Valparaiso High School is a 170+ mentor-strong program. Each and every one of the Sophomore, Junior, and Senior mentors from VHS are trained by experienced students and coordinators (i.e. Mrs. Hofer and Mrs. Koebcke) in how to: recognize, cope, understand, and resolve emotional and social aggression; understand the values of altruism in society; develop the prosocial skills found in excellent leaders; develop strong bonds and connections between peers, mentors, and friends alike; and finally how to mentor and teach the sixth and seventh grade students and T.J.M.S and B.F.M.S. many of the lessons that the high school mentors themselves have learned.
In a nutshell, Team LEAD is focused on teaching maturing middle schoolers about prosocial skills, positive leadership, personal empowerment, etc.
In the words of my seventh grade brother, Austin, "LEAD teaches us about social life lessons. We learn about how to deal with conflicts between friends, peers, and in any sort of relationships. LEAD teaches us the important things in life like resilience and happiness."
And all of those skills and lessons are taught to the middle schoolers solely by their high school mentors. Now, as but one single person that has been impacted by LEAD, I am certainly not the best source to tell ValpoLife, or the community in general, about all the differences that LEAD has brought to Valpo over more than a decade; such a testimonial might be gathered from the students themselves, past and present, that have been affected by this program.
Finally, to wrap this all up, I'd like to share a short-story that I came into contact with through LEAD. The author is unknown, and the story is titled "The Starfish Story".
One day a man was walking along the seashore. He noticed that during the night many seashells and starfish had washed upon the beach. Thoroughly enjoying the morning sun and cool sea air, the man walked for miles.
As he strolled along, he noticed a small figure dancing in the distance. It made him chuckle to think of someone celebrating life in such an uninhibited way. As he drew closer, however, it became apparent that the figure was not dancing. Instead, she seemed to be repeatedly performing some ritual.
He drew nearer still and noticed that the small figure was a child. She was methodically picking up starfish and tossing them into the surf. He paused for a moment, puzzled, then asked, "Why are you throwing these starfish?"
"It's high tide," she replied, "If I leave them on the beach, the sun will soon dry them and they will die. I am throwing them into the ocean so they can live." The man considered her actions, impressed with the child's thoughtfulness. Then he motioned up and down the miles of the beach. "There must be thousands of starfish along here," he said, "you cannot possibly make a difference."
The young girl stopped. Her face darkened. She chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip, "You're probably right," she said softly. She looked down at the sand. Then she leaned over, carefully picked up another starfish, pulled back and arched it gently into the sea.
With a tone of gentle defiance, she said, "But I made a difference for that one."
Since Mrs. Koebcke and Mrs. Hofer began this program, they have been the girl, throwing the starfish back to the sea. Childhood aggression is such a widespread and permeating issue that it is only logical that one person, one small group, or one program can make all the difference needed. But that's not to say that a difference can not be, and has not been made. For eleven years, the Valparaiso Community Schools have been a safer, more caring, happy, and rich learning environment thanks to the efforts of Mrs. Denise Koebcke and Mrs. Tammy Hofer. That is why, when I saw on the ValpoLife.com website, the statement, "If you know of someone who is going above and beyond, someone who is truly doing great work in the community, in a school, in a church, on a team, or in an organization..." I was immediately struck by the thought that Mrs. Koebcke and Mrs. Hofer are TRULY two Valpo Lives in the Spotlight.