Second group of Lewis fifth-graders learns the ropes

VALPARAISO - After a week-and-a-half at Lewis Middle School, fifth-grader A.J. Nipper can breeze through the combination to his locker and find his way around the hallways.

He's also survived lunch - a time when all the grades are together - unscathed.

"None of the big kids mess with us," he said, smiling in relief.

Like most 10-year-olds, A.J. was a little wary of going to school with kids who are two, three or even four years older.

"We move around the school instead of staying in one classroom," he said. "It's a lot different from elementary school."

A.J. is among the second class of fifth-graders - about 80 this year - to be part of the "elemiddle" experiment at Lewis. The first class joined in the 2007-08 school year.

Acting Principal Dennis Samac believes the experiment has proved successful.

"The big kids really took care of these guys last year," he said. "It was like they had a project and they knew what they had to do. We're really proud of our older kids."

Last year's fifth-graders also were brought farther into the fold through extra-curricular activities such as sports and dance.

Sixth-grader Nichole Lefevre, who came to Lewis last year from Oak Hill Elementary School, got a head start socially through her involvement in cross country.

"During the summer, we had our cross country practices and that's how I met the older kids," she said. "They treated me really well."
A.J. plans to play baseball, just like his shortstop brother Austin did last year when he was a fifth-grader.

Austin and classmate Davonte Bryant, a catcher and second baseman, say the older players watched out for them during games and practices.

Austin said he also had to adjust to having more responsibility academically.

"I was a little nervous," he recalled. "They treated us more as adults and the expectations were higher."

Although Austin found the FCAT to be just as worrisome as it was in elementary school, he did notice one perk to testing at Lewis.
"The snacks were little better!" he said.

The fifth-grade teachers, Samac said, are especially watchful and protective of Lewis' youngest, who line up to change classes and go to the bathrooms in pairs.

With more than 700 students at Lewis, it's important that the fifth-graders have their own identity. On awards day at the end of school last year, the fifth-grade class marched into the auditorium to a standing ovation and front-and-center seats.

"It was awesome," said Nichole.

For some of the fifth-graders, starting the day at 7 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. was the toughest challenge.

"It really hurt me to get up so much earlier in the morning," joked Sean Hoffstatter, who added that riding the school bus also was a big change. "I was kind of freaked out, but I started making friends with the big kids."

To keep the big-kid behaviors in check, Lewis' buses were equipped with cameras and fifth-graders were seated in the front.

For Tracy Nipper, Austin's and A.J.'s mother, those accommodations were important.

"I was very apprehensive about my child being in school with seventh- and eighth-graders," she said. "I even considered home schooling."

She ultimately kept Austin at Lewis and within a month, Nipper realized it was working out fine.

"They have done phenomenally," she said. "I am very pleased. Baseball is where we've really noticed. These bigger kids have just really taken (Austin) under their wings and made him feel special."

Samac said he's seen many of the former fifth-graders mature emotionally and academically.

"They really learned to discipline their time," he said. "I think it gave them an opportunity to be more well-rounded."

Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow can be reached at 863-1111, Ext. 1439.