JACKSON TWP — Sounds of Nintendo Wii bowling, Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution seem to indicate a group of students hanging out after school at Seneca Valley Intermediate High School.

But like the numerous algebra and geometry tutoring sessions held in that room during the day, the students are learning valuable lessons, albeit much less formulaic.

The students are part of a social skills tutoring group, open to anyone in grades seven through 12. Through word-of-mouth and students inviting friends, a core group of about 20 show up every Wednesday, said Jessica Kotula, intermediate high emotional support teacher and group adviser.

"The purpose is to provide students the time to interact with their peers with no other academic interference," she said.

The group first gathered about a year ago at the suggestion of then-freshman Michael Osborn.

"I knew a lot of people that wanted to hang out," said Osborn, 15, of Zelienople.

But Kotula saw an opportunity to teach more than Wii sports and Guitar Hero rhythms. The concept was proposed to school administrators with a list of social skills students could develop each week.

"Michael was very much a part of collaborating that list," Kotula said.

Once a week the students push their desks aside to make room for video games, crafts, board games and other team activities to help them develop social skills such as peer conversation, appropriate manners, sharing, negotiating, self-control, sportsmanship and dealing with group pressure.

"They show up and have a good time and things happen naturally," Kotula said. "I don't even think they realize they're good at it."

Although Kotula and district paraprofessional Michelle Eppinger monitor the weekly activities, students choose and share the games themselves, Kotula said.

Osborn said he looks forward to Wednesday sessions and often brings his own Wii or PlayStation for others to use.

"I actually get to play with someone else," he said.

Sophomore Ashley Wynn, one of the group's founding members, said she looks forward to Wednesdays because she can play games against different people each week.

Wii and the board game Trouble are Wynn's favorites, but she said she would still come each week if there were no games to play.

Sometimes group members just sit around and talk about the school day or homework, said Wynn, 16, of Evans City.

Coming to the group each week helped Wynn make close friends she wouldn't otherwise have, she said.

"When we started they weren't really talkative at all," Eppinger said.

Now the students have become the teachers and show each other new video games or electronics, she said.

"It's a great group of students," she added.

Senior Rose Charmley started coming a few months ago at the urging of a teacher and a friend who was already involved.

"It actually turned out to be pretty cool," said Charmley, 17, of Evans City.

As one of the more outgoing members, Charmley said she tries to start conversations or new games with her peers "to break them out of their shells."

"It's a good way for someone who's quiet or shy to open up and show who they are" without seeing a counselor or teacher, she said.

Realizing her own social skills has inspired Charmley to pursue a psychology degree, possibly at Waynesburg University.

"I actually want to work with kids as a career as a counselor or work with troubled youth," she said.

Kotula said she has seen social skills improvement in the students who attend the group regularly. Students who used to eat lunch alone now sit in groups and socialize, she said.

One of the group's many projects was to create brochures about themselves, which are left in school offices and libraries to attract new members.

Additionally, parents from other Butler County and Allegheny County schools have called about bringing their children to Seneca Valley or to inquire about starting a group of their own, Kotula said.

"The word has really spread, and it spread through the students," she said. "To me that shows it has helped."