Dan Kelly

Kelly’s innovative program, “Advisory Ascent,” is a partnership with the school’s local indoor rock climbing facility to provide two hours of rock climbing training for the students in the Huddle Up program, an advisory program for at-risk students at John Adams Middle School. Through the Huddle Up advisory periods, students work on setting goals, fostering social-emotional well-being and discovering their passions. The Huddle Up program also looks to provide unique experiences tied to the school’s advisory curriculum. According to Kelly, upon the students’ return to school, they will link their experiences to the advisory period, exploring themes like resiliency, overcoming obstacles and discovering new passions. The Voya grant will be used to purchase climbing equipment.