In our area, students are not being raised to be true competitors in the increasingly competitive field of education. Students are given beneficial information to guide them through the upcoming years of school from a very young age. The problem is that students don't listen to the adults that are trying to help them. Students realize too late that they should have been developing healthy academic habits long ago. TeamAchieve! is an organization that is dedicated to helping middle school students prepare for their academic futures in a way that is more student-friendly and relaxed than the normal school environment.

TeamAchieve! is an organization that will be holding free monthly meetings, from September 2008 through May 2009, with young students in seventh through ninth grade to provide them with information to help guide them through their upcoming high school experience and beyond. The nine-month course will cover topics like study tips, extra curriculars, standardized tests, career pathways, summer camps, and many more. Co-founders Samantha Herzing and Colin Knapp hope that as high schoolers themselves, they will offer a different and helpful perspective to the TeamAchieve! participants. A balance of advantageous information, intriguing discussions, volunteering opportunities, and fun will be the building blocks of the program, creating a stress-free and positive experience for all students.

We have reserved a room at the local library to hold our meetings in this coming school year. We also contacted the city newspaper and had a story written about TeamAchieve! We are currently trying to get interested students signed up for the program and doing the research on the topics that we will present at the meetings.

We intend to include student representatives from all area high schools as well as adult experts in the various topics that are being covered. We want to include as many perspectives as possible to get the point across.