School and Community Summer 2023

just so excited, and we celebrate the big things, but we mostly celebrate the small things. If a student struggles coming to school and they show up every day for two weeks in a row, that’s a huge success in itself.” It is important to Moore that these wins are shared with others. Sharing updates with parents and other teachers via established channels of communication is vital to the success of her program. One close supporter of Project 180 is Nicole Kuske, who teaches history and is one of the Missouri Options coordinators at Union High School. Although Kuske often interacts with students in the program while at school, her connection to Moore’s class is personal as well. “My daughter was a sophomore when she had my first grandchild in December,” Kuske said. “So this year, with her pregnancy, keeping up with school has been a particular struggle. I would say about sixth grade was when she started to dislike school in general. Although her father and I are both in education, she does not really value school as a place of learning or social development.” Although Kuske’s daughter is now enrolled in online schooling, the time she spent in Moore’s Project 180 made a world of difference to her outlook on education. Moore ensured that she was comfortable in the classroom and free of stressors that would further complicate the logistics of going to school while pregnant. “This program has been a Godsend because Jenny is fantastic at helping kids see the forest through the trees and see that they are valuable human beings. Especially from the point of view of someone that they know does not have to love them,” Kuske explained. “In my daughter’s case, nothing I say to her is valid [in her eyes] because I’m her mom and I have to love her. Mrs. Moore does not have to love her, and she does anyway. Jenny is excellent at helping kids see that.” Kuske says that Project 180 has impacted not only the students, but also the faculty of UHS. Building relationships with students and their other teachers has allowed Moore to gain a unique, blended perspective on difficult situations as they arise. “Our climate has spun much more towards restorative justice and making sure that these kids know that they are loved and are taken care of. Because they have those needs met, they are free to learn,” Kuske said. “An authoritarian point of view would not fly in an

environment like this. They listen because they love her, not because they feel like they have to. The rule is the rule, and they respect that because she taught them that love and that respect. We could save so many more kids if we had a thousand Jennys.” In just three years, Project 180 has made long strides toward Moore’s goal of nurturing students and furthering their education. She enjoys sharing knowledge about behavior management and trauma-informed learning and often leads conference workshops on these topics for MSTA. Jennifer Moore can be reached by email at jennifer.moore@unionrxi.org.

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