When Collinsville Middle School teacher Tobey Elvers told a group of students in the hallway that they needed to be hooloos and not hooligans, it probably made as little sense to her as it did to the kids to whom she was talking. Despite that, or maybe because of that, the word stuck and has become the name of an exclusive new CMS group.

Some of the 2014 Collinsville Middle School Hoolos working at Willoughby Farm / submitted photo

The Hooloos are in invitation only group of 7th grade students whose behavior is outstanding in the classroom, the hallway and everywhere on school grounds. The group was started by Elvers, Linda Arnold and Dave Smithson, who had been searching for a way to draw more attention to the kids who do the right thing.

“We give too much attention to the kids who do the wrong thing,” Elvers said.

Started in April, the group already boasts 130 members who received an invitation letter and accepted an offer to join the group. Students who are not yet in the club are eager for an invitation and are modifying their behavior in an attempt to garner an invitation, Elvers said.

“We hope that kids will want to rise to the occasion and want to be part of it,” Elvers said. “I think that’s happening.”

The group, which wears their bright Hooloo t-shirts each Tuesday, is causing other students to consider their behavior, Smithson said.

“For a 7th or 8th grader to reflect on things is huge,” Smithson said.

In addition to good grades, the team of faculty advisors extend invitations to 7th grade students who exhibit the character traits of responsibility, respect, honesty, trustworthiness, cooperation, being courteous, caring, being positive and possessing self-control.

Hooloos will remain a 7th grade-only group, because 8th graders have National Junior Honor Society to recognize their achievements, Smithson said. The current group, however, has begun discussing how they can help mentor the new batch of Hooloos next school year.

Students who show behavior unbecoming a Hooloo will be counseled about better behavior and possibly asked to leave the group.

“We are going to hold them accountable,” Smithson said.

The group that is barely two months old has already made a difference in the community. The Hooloos volunteered on Earth Day to plant trees and perform other work at Willoughby Farm. A group of 14 parents volunteered to accompany the students, who planted more than 30 trees.

Next year the group plans to have smaller service events throughout the year, both in the community and at the school, with a service day and picnic at Willoughby Farms to be the final reward for students who have maintained their Hooloo membership until the end of the year, Smithson said.

Next year, perhaps the group will also be funded. Given the current state of school financing and how late the group started, the students have to purchase their own t-shirts  this year and had to contribute towards their lunch and the cost of getting substitute teachers to cover for the teachers that chaperoned the trip to Willoughby Farm. The Home Depot donated work gloves and extra money for additional supplies.

The current Hooloos are: