Wingman is a social and emotional learning program that inspires students to go above and beyond for others, instilling in them the courage and leadership to create strong, inclusive school communities.
Wingman uses the principles of experiential education; learning through immersive experience and focused reflection. This extracurricular activity is student-centered. Students have been trained as facilitators and take the lead running activities in the classroom with their peers.
Wingman was developed by Dylan’s Wings of Change, a foundation created by Ian Hockley in the memory of his son, Dylan, one of the first grade victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, which occured on December 14th, 2012.
South Amboy School District
Our district began to implement this program after the administration completed the application process and were selected. Throughout the 2019/2020 school year multiple training sessions have been conducted.
During the school year, once a month, our Wingmen and Wingwomen will go into elementary classrooms to work directly with students. Some activities involve students learning the names of others, or finding common interests, while others will form social emotional topics such as empathy or compassion. Our goal is to reduce social isolation through building interactions and relationships throughout the district.
Wingman Champions
Wingman Champions are those school staff who are dedicated to supporting the student leaders throughout the program. Our advisors for this program are Shane Hughes and Martina Torretta with direct support from Dr. Christine Robbins.
You can more about the Wingman program by clicking here.
Advisor Emails:
Shane Hughes - [email protected]
Martina Toretta - [email protected]