Freshmen Achieving More Excellence (FAME)

The FAME program is the fourth and only continuous program that our freshmen experience when they join the Concordia Lutheran HS family. “Fish Camp” occurs approximately two days before classes begin for the students and is a two hour program designed to help freshmen meet other students and get to know the campus before the first day of school. “The Freshmen Retreat” experience takes students off campus to a church camp setting the first Sunday and Monday of the school year where freshmen engage in activities that allow them to build relationships with other students, unify as a class and learn what Concordia Lutheran High School is all about. “The Freshmen Success Seminar” is a daylong workshop experience that is held off-campus at the Tomball Community Center on a Friday in the middle of September. The FAME program is kicked off at the Freshmen Success Seminar and is conducted over 12 sessions throughout the school year in FAME meetings or in classroom settings. FAME meetings generally occur on selected Thursdays throughout each semester of the school year from 7:45am until 8:25am with the first class period on the those Thursdays starting at 8:30am.

There are 3 phases to the FAME program.

1. How to Get Good Grades in Ten Easy Steps by Linda O’Brien, a pamphlet produced by Woodburn Press, is presented by selected teachers and the freshmen counselor at the Freshmen Success Seminar. This phase attempts to address study skills issues including organization, time management, taking notes, reading a textbook, studying smart, being a good test taker, reducing test anxiety and asking for help.

2. What’s In Your Backpack? Packing for Success in Life is a three hour presentation at the Freshmen Success Seminar conducted by Jimmy Cabrera, CSP. Mr. Cabrera is a professional speaker who challenges students to look at their perspective of themselves and their perspective of others encouraging them to see themselves and others as valuable children of God who have been redeemed by Christ. Mr. Cabrera also talks about packing for success in life with his acronym for BACKPACK:

Freshmen students are frequently reminded and referred back to Mr. Cabrera’s presentation during the FAME meetings throughout the school year.

3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, The Ultimate Teenage Success Guide is a book by Sean Covey that is covered over 12 sessions led by the freshmen counselor. Get in the Habit and Paradigms and Principles are covered in a session on Sunday evening at the Freshmen Retreat at the start of the school year. Four sessions are presented during FAME meetings on Thursday mornings in the first semester. The Personal Bank Account, Habit 1 – Be Proactive, Habit 2 – Begin with the End in Mind, and Habit 3 – Put First Things First. Two separate segments are taught in a classroom setting to complete Habit 2 fostering goal setting skills. During the first semester, students are guided through a process that helps them to develop a personal mission statement.

In January when the second semester begins, students learn the five keys to goal setting and practice goal setting by creating an academic goal for the second semester. This phase is completed in five sessions in FAME meetings on Thursday mornings during the second semester: The Relationship Bank Account, Habit 4 – Think Win-Win, Habit 5 – Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood, Habit 6 – Synergize, and Habit 7 – Sharpen the Saw.

The freshmen counselor ultimately directs the FAME program with the assistance of a couple of faculty members who help with facilitation and supervision. Selected upperclassmen students are invited and incorporated as leaders for the small group portions of FAME. This provides the freshmen students with a supportive mentor throughout the experience. The feedback from both the freshmen students and their parents has been very positive. Faculty members believe that the information and skills that are taught to the freshmen through the FAME program have definitely benefitted the development of each student and equipped the students to achieve excellence, not only in the classroom but also in life.