Written by Victoria Hrdina, Faculty 
“No Stinkys” reads the sign above the chalkboard in 7th grade art teacher Stacy Davis’s room. “We want them to be displaying their best Fresh Fish attitudes this morning,” says Davis as she prepares her 1st mod advisor class for their next lesson in the FISH! for middle schools philosophy. This year, with a generous grant from the Arcelor-Mittal Corporation, Willowcreek adopted the FISH! curriculum. Developed by the Charthouse Learning Group, this program is modeled after the effective and exciting working environment at the World-Famous Pike Place Fish Market. There, the fishmongers developed a four-pronged approach to bring energy, focus and commitment into their daily lives. What’s a Fresh Fish attitude? A student, teacher, principal or any other school member with this attitude makes it their job to embody the 4 practices in the FISH! Philosophy: Be There, Make Their Day, Choose Your Attitude, and Play.
The videos, activities and lessons in the FISH! curriculum help students and teachers to form better relationships and have fun while learning. Laurie Littke’s 8th grade students are finishing up posters that describe what each of the FISH! philosophies means in the classroom. “To ‘Be There’ means to listen while others are talking, being respectful and showing that you care,” one poster says. In other classes students are exploring ways that they can ‘Make Their Day’ by doing simple things like holding doors, talking to someone they’ve never met and offering recognition for a job well done. Role playing games used to teach students to ‘Choose Their Attitude’ encourages taking responsibility for your actions. Students write their own classroom mission statements that ask others to act “with pizzazz: strong and confident” in another 8th grade classroom.
Lastly, 6th grade teachers Penny O’Neill and Dana Rotzien brainstorm with their students how they can ‘Play’ in the classroom, while still behaving in a safe and appropriate manner. Having fun means kids are being creative, they’re engaged and emotionally connected to what’s happening, whether that means tackling a new math concept by playing an online game, carefully building a toothpick bridge to then destroy it by loading it with as much weight as possible or critiquing a character in a novel by acting out a trial. Students work on FISH! projects through the advisor classes each week. While this is the first year teachers are using the curriculum, the long-term goal is to build community and a sense of place within the classroom, improve character and enhance personal responsibility for behavior.
The FISH! philosophy, combined with the Portage Township Schools ‘5 Critical Values’ encourages all students to have the courage to be honest, respectful, responsible, fair and compassionate. The program is coordinated by a team of seven teachers who support the rest of the faculty by offering suggestions on lesson plans and weekly doses of encouragement through the ‘FISH! Food for Thought’ announcement. This holiday season, the halls of Willowcreek may be decked with boughs and baubles, but there’s definitely something FISH-y in the air.
The implementation of the FISH! Program was made possible through the generosity.