Student Leaders Coming to the Stage!
More and more Students Leaders have been popping up around New York lately and we’d like to recognize the incredible effort these students have been putting into their leadership goals. Students we’ve had the privilege of working with have written goals to be more confident, respectful, cooperative, and in control of their energy. While practicing Brain Power exercises, and even leading some themselves, these students then have had the chance to take the front stage and speak with confidence, complete team objectives that require coordination, and take time to hear the thoughts and feelings of their peers. Just like the mentors and leaders before them, these Brain Power Student Leaders have been given tools and time to lead brain power activities and consider initiatives they can present to their administration to maximize the potential of the school community. Some schools we’ve had recent Student Leaders rise from include 567X, 41X, 528K, 9K, 133K, 318X, 296X, 284Q, and 252Q. These new leaders will join more than 2000 elementary, middle and high school students from 75+ schools at our Student Leader Celebration May 20th-21st -- we can't wait!
Reaching Far and Wide
Taking a moment to highlight one of Brain Power's finest, Rebecca Wheaton(!), we'd also like to take some time to share some of the incredible work she has done to expand Brain Power's reach:
Rebecca Wheaton has been with the team since 2018 and is the Brain Power Field Coordinator for the District of Columbia and Maryland areas. Her vision for Brain Power in 2020 is to expand into 12 schools within the DC area, and in 2021, double that number to 24. Right from the start of this year, Rebecca has already connected with 3 schools eager to integrate Brain Power into their classrooms, and even started her first set of class visits at the Hendley Elementary School in Ward 8 of Washington D.C. This first day of class visits was filled with love, focus, team building and engagement exercises, and exciting moments for teachers to see the activities come to life through their students. Her continued work and growth is fueled by a comprehensive foundation in mind-body wellness which first began in 2005 when she worked in South Korea as a Brain Power English Instructor. In addition, Rebecca has also worked as a counselor for at-risk youth and leadership development internationally for the past 15 years, and for specifically 7 years in Nicaragua. She has gone to great lengths to pioneer Brain Power Wellness in Nicaragua during the last few years of her time living there. Currently, she continues to support the on-going leadership training of both teachers and students through our summer Advanced Leadership training program, where this past summer we had 4 students and 1 teacher from Nicaragua attend. Like a true Earth Citizen, her heart has no bounds, and we're very grateful to have her on our team.
WEEKLY CHALLENGE
This week's challenge is...Wow-Wow!
Have students make a partner and then stand face-to-face. Have the students clap once in front of their chest and then once with their partner's palms while saying, "wow". Next, they will clap once in front of their chest again, then twice with their partner's palms while saying, "wow, wow." Clapping back in front of their chest, they will now clap with their partner's palms three times while saying, "wow, wow, wow." Again clapping in front of their chest, they will then clap twice with their partner while saying, "wow, wow." And lastly, they will clap once more in front of their chest, and then once with the partner and say, "wow." After introducing this game and pattern, have the students see if they can explain the pattern to the rest of the class, and once understood, have each pair continue this rhythm of 1-2-3-2-1... to see how long they can work together this pattern, and even how fast they can go.