In 2007, APJN’s Director, Mara Giglio, was trained to teach Second Step, a Bullying and Violence Prevention curriculum, by its founders in Seattle, WA. One of the most powerful things about Second Step is that it is an evidence-based way to close the achievement gap. Here’s some research titled, Teaching Self-Regulation Skills to Close the Income-Based Achievement Gap:
Ms. Giglio teaches Second Step to preschool through 10th grade students and has taught 73 23-week classes at fourteen Athens County Schools and after-school programs including:
Alexander Elementary (one 23-week class)
Amesville Elementary (35 23-week classes)
The Athens Community Center (one 23-week class)
The Athens Middle School (15 individual lessons)
Chauncey Elementary (six 23-week classes)
East Elementary (two 10-week classes)
Federal Hocking Middle and High School (80 minutes with all 9th and 10th grade advisories for three years)
The Plains Elementary (14 23-week classes)
Trimble Elementary (six 23-week classes)
Trimble Middle School (four individual classes)
West Elementary (six 23-week classes)
2007: First year APJN teaches Second Step. Five 23-week classes are taught at Amesville Elementary. Students in 3rd and 4th grade classes took pre- and post-tests, the results of which showed a 58% improvement in social competence skills. Classes are funded by the Ohio Children’s Foundation.
2008: Comprehensive Conflict Management Programs (CCMP) at Amesville Elementary, West Elementary, and Chauncey Elementary. At West Elementary, we formed a committee that included the principal, guidance counselor, and interested teachers to pilot DENS (Developing Educating and Nurturing Students), whole-school meetings, and peer mediation. DENS and whole-school meetings are eventually adopted by other Athens City Elementary Schools.
2009: Nine 23-week classes taught at Amesville Elementary. CCMPs at West Elementary and Chauncey Elementary. The Athens Foundation funds the purchase of Second Step curriculum kits for Amesville Elementary.
2010: Seventeen 23-week classes taught: ten classes at Amesville, five classes at Trimble and two classes at Chauncey. Called into Chauncey Elementary to work with feuding 5th and 6th grade girls. Chauncey girls report that, “The bullying stopped when we started this class.” And, “I didn’t know violence wasn’t normal.”
2011: Fifteen 23-week classes taught: eight classes at Amesville Elementary, four classes at Chauncey Elementary, two classes at West Elementary, and one class at the Plains Elementary. The Athens Foundation funds the purchase of the revised Second Step curriculum kits for APJN to use and share with schools.
2012: APJN received funding for sixteen 23-week classes through the Athens Foundation and the Sister’s of St. Joseph Charitable Fund of West Virginia. Four 23-week classes taught at West Elementary, one 23-week class at the Federal Hocking Middle School (special education), one 23-week class at Alexander Elementary, three partial classes (five lessons each) at the Athens Middle School, and three partial classes (five lessons each) at Trimble’s after school program.
2013: Amesville hires a full time guidance counselor to teach Second Step, institutionalizing the program APJN began. We start working at the Athens Community Center and Kids on Campus (KoC) after-school programs. We teach two classes for the Athens Community Center’s 1st through 6th grade students, two classes with KoC Federal Hocking Middle and High School students, four classes with KoC Plains Elementary 1st through 6th grade students, two classes with KoC Trimble Elementary 1st through 5th graders, and two classes with KoC Trimble Middle Students. Classes are funded through the Sister’s of St. Joseph Charitable Fund.
2013-2016: APJN receives $300,000 state grant to fund four years of Sexual Assault Prevention Programming across SE Ohio. APJN begins offering free trainings on Bystander Intervention, Gender Stereotypes 101, Healthy Masculinity, Healthy Relationships, Learning Good Consent, Media Literacy, Self-Defense, Sexual Assault Prevention, and Supporting Survivors.
2016: First year teaching in all of Federal Hocking’s 9th and 10th grade advisories, reaching 180 students. First year teaching in all three of the Plains’ 5th grade classes (22 lessons in each class).
2017: Second year teaching in all of Federal Hocking’s 9th and 10th grade advisories. Second year teaching in all three of the Plains’ 5th grade classes, and first year teaching in all three of the Plains’ 6th grade classes (22 lessons in each class). First year teaching at East Elementary, 10 lessons are taught in two 2nd grade classrooms.
2018: Third year teaching in all of Federal Hocking’s 9th and 10th grade advisories. Begin teaching at the Hive in Nelsonville, an after-school and summer program run by Integrated Services.
2019: Teach at the Hive in Nelsonville one to two times a week. Teach bullying prevention and bystander intervention to Athens Middle School health students.
2020: APJN’s Director, Mara Giglio, is trained by the Trauma Resource Institute (traumaresourceinstitute.com) to teach the Community Resiliency Model (CRM). CRM teaches six evidence-based wellness skills that help us self-regulate. So far we’ve worked with the following groups:
Began meeting with local illustrator, Keith Wilde, to work on self-regulation poster called, “If You’re Angry and You Know It, Go Outside & Other Tools for Self-Care.”
2022: Started working with Keith Wilde on turning self-regulation poster into a children’s book called, “If You’re Angry and You Know It, Go Outside: Tools to Cool Off Hot Feelings.”
2023: Began working with Beth Pratt @ Ohio University Press (OU Press).
2024: Submitted dummy book to OU Press. Altered book for second submission, and got a book deal. Begin presenting book in Ms. Mindy’s 2nd grade classroom, Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery kids camp, the First Presbyterian Church of Athens, and Hocking College.
2025: We’re hoping to publish our book in the Fall!
SECOND STEP CLASSES:
Alexander Elementary – One year with one preschool class.
Amesville Elementary – Five years with 35 classes of preschool through 6th grade students. APJN brought the award-winning, evidence-based bullying prevention curriculum, Second Step, to Amesville Elementary in 2007. Between 2007 & 2013, Ms. Giglio taught 35 23-week classes in preschool through 6th grade. In 2013, Amesville hired a full time guidance counselor to teach Second Step classes, institutionalizing the program APJN began six years earlier.
Athens Middle School – One year with six classes.
Athens Community Center – One year with two classes of 1st through 6th grade students.
Chauncey Elementary – Two years with six classes of 4th through 6th grade students.
East Elementary – Ms. Mindy pioneers our program with her fellow 2nd Grade teachers. 10 lessons are taught in two 2nd Grade classrooms.
Federal Hocking Middle School – Four years: one class of special education boys, two classes with Kids on Campus Middle and High School students. 2016, 2017 & 2018: 90 minutes in all of the 9th and 10th grade advisories, 180 students reached each year.
The Plains Elementary – Four years: one 23-week class with preschoolers and four 23-week classes with Kids on Campus 1st through 6th grade students. 2016: 14 lessons with three 5th grade classes. 2017: 16 lessons with three 5th and three 6th classes.
Trimble Elementary – Three years: five 23-week classes with preschool and kindergarten students, three individual classes with Kids on Campus 1st through 5th grade students and Kids on Campus classes in 2014.
Trimble Middle School– One year: four individual classes with Kids on Campus 5th through 8th grade students.
West Elementary – Two years: two 23-week classes with 5th grade students and four 23-week classes with 6th grade students.