Set to bloom: Tiger Lilies group learning life lessons at Central Middle School

The Tiger Lilies at Central Middle School are clustered together at tables in the cafeteria, writing in their journals together at the start of their Thursday session.

Guidance counselor and Tiger Lilies coordinator Becky Wright looks on, and explains that the students, all girls in either fifth or sixth grade at the school, have the option of getting her feedback on journal entries or keeping them personal.

The exercise is about getting them practice and giving them a way to let her know what's going on in their lives, she said, in a low-key way.

She has 70 participants right now, Wright said, who meet in four sessions, about 15 each, once a week.

"They're a diverse group," she said, and that is by design.

Ty Jenkins, 11, talks to Tiger Lilies instructor and school guidance counselor Becky Wright while balancing her checkbook during a meeting March 1, 2018, at Central Middle School in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS ~ bmatthews@semissourian.com

Some of the girls are identified as at-risk, because of behavior, attendance, or academic performance issues. Others might have confidence or self-esteem concerns. Still others are chosen for their independence, Wright said, so they can mentor others.

The program was born out of two needs, Wright said.

"When the Honorable Young Men's Club really took off, we were getting asked, 'What about the girls?'" Wright said.

And the guidance counselors' office had held weekly small-group sessions for selected students all along, she said, but those weren't quite giving her the results she was looking for.

"It was time to do something different," Wright said.

So now, instead of the old model, the Tiger Lilies meet in groups of about 15, once a week, and they work on team building, social skills training and a lesson plan built around a topic Wright thinks they show a need for.

For instance, coming up, they'll hear from a representative from the Safe House for Women about how to navigate relationships.

Wright said she met with the representative to adjust the talk so it was appropriate for 11- and 12-year-old students, since their concerns are pretty specific.

But they also had a lesson on table manners and etiquette, which was pretty interesting, said Celeste Gutierrez, 12 -- mostly because they also got to practice with lunch at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center.

Gutierrez said she enjoys meeting new people, and entering the Center's raffle was "really fun."

And knowing how to talk to people is among the soft skills Wright said are vital for students to learn.

"To be productive members of society, they need soft skills as much as they need math," Wright said.

That's not to say the girls lose any instruction time, Wright added.

She works closely with the teachers to make sure the students stay up to speed with their coursework.

"The teachers and administrators have been so supportive," Wright said.

Every Tiger Lilies session also includes time spent balancing a checkbook.

It's not tied to a bank account, but there is value to it.

The students earn "dollars" for good behavior, for good grades, for completing challenges, Wright said, and they can spend those dollars in the "store."

Wright assigns dollar amounts to prizes including candy and toys, clothes or other fun items, and the girls have their choice, she said.

But they must balance those checkbooks, Wright said, so they see direct results.

Zakia Green, 11, was wearing one of those direct results: a hot-pink, light-up headpiece.

She got a lot of compliments from the other girls, and, Wright said, that's a big emphasis of the group.

"We build each other up, we don't tear each other down," Wright said.

Already, some numbers-driven results are showing promise, Wright said.

Comparing the 2016-17 data with the 2017-18, so far, of the 67 students included, only five had an increase in discipline referrals, while 29 had fewer, and 33 had the same amount or no referrals.

Even more promising, Wright said, 53 participants' attendance improved in that time frame.

Bertha King, assistant librarian at the school who assists with the Tiger Lilies, said she's been so glad to see the girls' progress.

"It's nice to get them on the right path, see them change their ways," King said. "I see a lot. To be so young, they have a lot to deal with."

Wright agreed, adding, "They don't play the way young girls played when I was a kid."

They're on social media instead of playing dress-up, she said, and that has its own challenges.

But she hopes the group can help teach its participants how to navigate the real world.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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1900 Thilenius St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.