Vestavia Hills Elementary West’s Connect Five

Character.org recognized Vestavia Hills Elementary West’s “Connect Five” initiative as a 2020 Promising Practice. This recognition is given to schools who have implemented unique, specific and effective character development strategies, and West is one of six Alabama schools celebrated in 2020.

The Connect Five initiative is an intentional and impactful method to reach students identified as needing additional social and emotional support to thrive in the school community. Students are identified for Connect Five through a Student Support Team meeting; the students selected may be those who seem lonely at school, appear unmotivated in class or are low performing academically. Once a student is identified, five staff members in the school are matched to them and assigned to their Connect Five team. Each of the five staff members on a team makes time to connect with the student on a daily or weekly basis, meaning the student has between five and 25 positive interactions with school staff each week, aside from their own classroom teacher and isolated from the pressure of academic progress. A variety of connections occur including sharing encouraging notes, having lunch together, assigning special jobs and casual chats to check in. Staff from all areas of the school volunteer to be on a Connect Five team, giving students the benefit of building relationships with cafeteria staff, administrators, custodians, classroom teachers and instructional coaches. Connect Five clearly impacts the entire elementary school community.

The Student Support Team meets throughout the year and monitors progress of students receiving Connect Five support. Through this initiative, students grow into connected, caring and involved members of the school community; the relationships formed have positive implications in all areas of the school and are enjoyed by both staff and students.

Connect Five is only one example of the character focus at Vestavia Hills Elementary West. West was named a 2021 Alabama State School of Character by Character.org in recognition of the school’s overall emphasis on character education and development.

The Hope Institute is proud to continue a partnership with Vestavia Hills Elementary West as they intentionally nurture a culture of character.