Connor Tilford wants to get to know his future McCracken County High School classmates, and he’s using the Internet to make these connections. Tilford, a 7th grader at Heath Middle School, launched ConnectingMcCracken - a website that allows middle school students at Heath, Lone Oak and Reidland to connect through an online networking and website platform. ConnectingMcCracken allows students to join, post events and discuss issues pertinent to middle school students in McCracken County.

Tilford’s goal is to create opportunities for students to venture out of their middle schools and get to know each other before they enter McCracken County High School in the fall of 2013. 

“I wanted to focus on middle schoolers,” says Tilford. “The older kids will be out of here by the time consolidation happens. I emailed each middle school principal, asking them to let their students know about the site. I also made posters to hang in each school.”

Tilford said it took a few weeks to get all the details for ConnectingMcCracken together, but that the site was easy to create. Tilford selected the layout, the images and how the comments and discussion topics function. 

According to Tilford, getting to know classmates now will help students to expand their social groups in high school. He believes there will be many opportunities for students at McCracken County High School and he wants students to voice their thoughts about what opportunities would like to have. He plans to ask students about clubs, activities, sports and classes they would like to see at McCracken County High School.

Tilford carefully monitors the site, with teacher assistance. Although he understands that parents may be interested in the site, he stresses that ConnectingMcCracken is for the students.

“The site sends me emails about everything that happens - so I can see every little comment. It’s safer that way,” he says. “My title says ‘site owner’.”

ConnectingMcCracken, in addition to the newly-formed HLR (Heath, Lone Oak, Ridland) Club, are two student-initiated groups focused on helping McCracken County middle school students get to know each other. Tilford is also an active member of the HLR Club. He thinks that students are enthusiastic about participating in these groups, because they are student-led.

“I was opposed to consolidation at first,” he says, “but now that I see how it’s evolving, I like it. I think it’s going to be great.”

Tilford plans to enter his ConnectingMcCracken project in the Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) competition in December. STLP is open to Kentucky students in all grade levels. STLP provides students with the opportunity to design projects, projects and services to help the school and community. 

“I could have done many things for my STLP project,” says Tilford. “I thought this would be something that would help my community.”

Heath Middle School teacher and STLP adviser, Chris Lacey, is excited about the potential of Tilford’s project: “I think Connor has a strong project that benefits the community - especially with all the interest in McCracken County High School.” 

Beyond the competition, Tilford sees middle school student participation on ConnectingMcCracken as an important step to connecting McCracken County students before they come together in the fall of 2013. 

“I thought this was something that we needed to do now," he says. "It’s connecting McCracken County students – it's a simple as that.”