New club at Ocoee Middle empowers students

Ocoee Middle School sixth-grader Jordan Summerlin had a hard time in elementary school. She often shied away from anyone and everyone who came her way. Sometimes, she was picked on. 

Today, she’s more confident than ever. 

The change came after she joined the Elite Ladies of Ocoee Middle School, a new club  School Resource Officer Andrea Sanders created to empower girls to become confident and successful women. 

Not only has Jordan made new friends — something she struggled with previously — but  also she has learned to deal with situations in an appropriate manner. 

“I learned that I have to stand up for myself and set boundaries and help other people when they really need to be helped,” she said. “The part I like the most about this club is that you’re able to express yourself however you need. You never have to hold anything back. Anything that’s said in the classroom stays with us.” 

Jordan is grateful for Sanders and said the club feels like home thanks to her positive attitude, welcoming ears, creativity and confidence. 

She’s not the only one. 

The club consists of 10 girls, all eager to better themselves through lessons from Sanders. 

The journey 

Sanders began working at Ocoee Middle in 2025 and quickly became acquainted with the students.

“I make sure that I have an officer presence, while at the same time making them feel safe enough to walk up to me and not be scared,” she said. “I don’t want kids to be like, ‘Oh, she’s a police officer; don’t talk to her.’ I want them to come straight to me.” 

Sanders said her presence and attitude toward the students have helped decrease the amount of calls the police department receives from the school. 

“I want to say it’s because of me being out there, not just hiding in my office behind the desk,” Sanders said. “I’m actually interacting with them, talking to them every day. … The kids have settled down a lot.” 

After a year at the school, observing and listening, Sanders realized the girls at the school needed guidance. 

“All I see is them antagonizing (one another), talking about (one another) behind their back, dressing inappropriately,” she said. “I just felt like they needed someone.” 

That’s when Sanders created the Elite Ladies of Ocoee Middle School club, meant to help girls see more than one path available to them by building their confidence and teaching them their worth through real-life scenarios, hands-on activities, community service and guest speakers. 

Since December 2025, Sanders has been working on getting approvals from the Ocoee Police Department and the school to run the program. 

After months of discussions, the club was approved, and weekly meetings began in March. 

After just one month of club meetings, Sanders said she already has seen a difference in the girls. 

Elite Ladies of Ocoee Middle 

The club meets weekly with the purpose of “reeling (students) back in from what they think reality is and show them what reality really is,” Sanders said. 

Sanders said middle school girls can be clingy and mimic one another’s habits, which sometimes includes bullying, skipping classes and more. 

Through club meetings and private meetings with Sanders, eighth-grader Kendra Caril said she has learned not everybody is who she thinks they are, and fake friends can lead you down negative paths. 

When Kendra first transferred to the school, her attitude toward Sanders was not good, and she was hanging around the wrong crowd. 

Thanks to Sanders, Kendra said she was able to find a better group of friends and has been staying out of trouble. 

“She helps people out, and if you have any problems, you can go to her every day,” she said. “I go to her three times a day.” 

Kendra is grateful to be part of the Elite Ladies of Ocoee Middle. 

“This club means a lot to me, because it’s about leadership, confidence and helping other people,” she said. “I love helping people.” 

She is confident the lessons learned during club meetings and through conversations with Sanders will help her achieve her goal of becoming a nurse one day. 

She has found her voice and confidence and knows she’s perfect the way she is. 

And that’s exactly Sanders’ goal. 

Through hands-on activities, role-playing, community service and guest speakers, club members learn to carry themselves with confidence and kindness while also having access to a trusted adult and a safe ear. 

Sanders scheduled a role-playing meeting for Wednesday, April 1, where the girls reenacted scenarios involving bullying and peer pressure. 

Sanders’ goal was to see how they would react to each scenario and teach them to handle it in an appropriate manner, rather than getting into physical and verbal fights. 

Each time it was time to reenact a scenario, every girl volunteered to participate, all engaged and ready to learn. 

Each club member had an opportunity to speak and express their opinions and perspectives. 

Sanders played in as well, acting as herself in each scenario. 

“I used to look forward to early days because we get to go home early, but now I look forward to spending time with them and what they have to say and share,” Sanders said. 

The girls feel the same. 

The Elite Ladies have completed volunteer work with Grow Healthy Kids and are hoping to go to Second Harvest Food Bank next. 

Sanders also wishes to take the girls to the Madison at Ocoee, an assisted-living facility where the girls could engage with the seniors, play Bingo and bring a lighthearted environment to them. 

“This is about paying it forward,” Sanders said. “It helps them mentally.” 

Sanders said it helps the girls understand everyone has problems of their own and to learn how to treat others with kindness. 

“I told them they have to be mindful of how they speak to people and how they treat people,” she said. “You do unto others as others do unto you.”

Sanders said she is being that safe ear, mentor and guide she wished she had when she was in middle school. 

“We didn’t have SROs like we have now,” she said. “And I could’ve used one. Middle school is when your mind is being warped or being shaped properly. If I had someone to help me go down the path where I needed to go, then high school would’ve been a lot easier for me.” 

She said she didn’t care about her grades until she was invited to join the basketball team. 

“That helped me become part of the school, which made me want to do better in school, which made me keep my grades up,” she said. “If I wanted to continue to play, I needed to keep my grades up.” 

With her club, she hopes to accomplish the same. 

She said students can’t just go to school to enjoy it, they must be part of it. 

By joining her school’s basketball team, she became involved with the school and became invested in her education. 

Just like Sanders needed to keep her grades up to be part of the basketball team, she holds the Elite Ladies to the same standards. 

The club now is something the girls look forward to every week, Sanders said. Because of that, it prompts them to have better attendance, grades and attitudes. 

They’re not just going to school because they have to — they’re going because they want to be there. 

The future of the Elite Ladies 

Sanders said this is just the beginning of the club. 

She hopes to create a big-sister/little-sister program, where eighth-graders will act as big sisters for the sixth- and seventh-graders, continuing that system as the girls progress through middle school. 

With nothing but eagerness and tenacity to help these girls through life and school problems, Sanders will go above and beyond for them. 

“It just makes me feel good, like I’m making a difference,” she said. “And I just want the community to know that the Elite Ladies of Ocoee Middle School is here, and we’re going to stay here and we’re going to be out in the community shining just like stars.”

Sanders hopes the Elite Ladies learn from the club and take each lesson with them to high school and beyond. 

Once Sanders has built a solid foundation for the club, she hopes the club will extend to Ocoee High School so her current students can continue on with the club.