Holly Jolly Heroes
(Year 4, Week 13)
Secret Santa
Before Monday morning started, one of the best comments of the week was yelled out through the hall:
“We sure are a bunch of holly jolly heroes!”
High energy and fun were the themes for the week. During the session the heroes had decided on dong Secret Santa gift exchanges. Over the weekend the heroes got to work buying, making and wrapping their gifts. They were so excited when they walked in Monday morning that the exchange just could not wait.
For morning launch, the heroes gathered round and exchanged their gifts. Wrapping paper went flying. The heroes were all smiles and giggles as they showed off what they got. There were lots of hugs and high fives. But before the exchange had even begun, the heroes had decided they would open their gifts, say thank you and then put their items in their backpacks. The heroes held true to their standard. Within fifteen minutes, not a single piece of wrapping paper or toy was left on the ground. They had gathered everything up and promptly went back to the rug, awaiting a launch.
Their love of learning runs so deep that not even brand new toys could knock them off their game. They went around in the circle and talked about the weekly goals they were going to set and clapped for each one of their fellow heroes. Many of the heroes set hard math and reading goals, in hopes of making it to soaring for the first week of next session. While the last week of the session has high energy, the heroes always know what awaits just around the corner, which is a new session with more chances to earn their freedom.
Gingerbread Houses
The heroes were excited to do something festive and artsy for Writer’s workshop. They had spent the last two weeks working on songs, poems and short stories. While the writing bug has definitely hit the studio and their love of writing is strong, the heroes were so excited to find out that they were going to be building Gingerbread Houses as their final Writer’s Workshop challenge.
The heroes wasted no time gathering their supplies and getting to work. One of the guides realized quickly there needed to be more frosting at the rate their builds were going. Not only was it fun, the heroes created some incredible works of art. One hero built an entire tower made of graham crackers and mints, while another hero built a lagoon and crafted a boat out of cardboard; it was even set with a sail and beach. Some of the heroes joined forces and created mini villages.
Once they were finished, a few of the heroes emailed the guide short stories that they created along with their finished product. One of the best lines from one of the stories was,
“And so the Gingerbread man decided he was done with his boring life and set sail to find a new icy adventure, filled with lollipops and gumdrops!”
Best Effort
The guide started Wednesday with the following launch:
“What are you most proud of when you reflect on this session? Is it Writer’s Workshop, upholding freedom levels, or something else?”
A very simple questioned sparked a domino effect among the heroes. Here were a few of their answers:
“I am so proud of being in soaring for three weeks.”
“I hit levels in math that I didn’t know possible.”
“I got my friend a great gift.”
“I built the best Gingerbread house.”
“I was kinder.”
“I helped out a lot more with studio maintenance.”
“I made sure to be honest, even when I really wanted to lie.”
It is always exciting to hear what will come out of the mouths of the heroes. More often than not, adults might conclude that when asked about what they were most proud of, they would more than likely respond in relation to goals. But as one can see, the heroes responded with a myriad of responses that really related to character building. Which was fitting because their character trait of the session was kindness. Whether it be the season, the tough year of 2020 or just the tribe the heroes had built, kindness hasn’t just been felt this session, but every single day since they first walked in on that September morning.
Exhibition
In true 2020 fashion, Exhibition for session 3 had some changes. Instead of doing Exhibition in house, the heroes opted to film their pitches and have their parents vote. The anticipation on Thursday was almost electric. Almost every single hero, except a few, participated in the challenges and finished Quest. They were incredibly proud of themselves when they realized 95% of the Discovery studio was on their way to get their Quest badge. They spent the morning working in core skills and making sure their pitches were ready to go.
The official start time of Exhibition was 10:30am. They took an hour long lunch break after ten heroes pitched and then went right back to it at 1:00 until 2:40. The heroes sat their quietly and listened to their friends pitch. Anticipating the moment that their turn was to come. Before the pitches started, the heroes decided it would be smart to ask questions after each pitch, just like their friends and family would.
Here are some of the questions that they asked:
“What was the hardest part about writing your pitch?”
“What is the transportation situation?”
“How much will it cost for the studio?
“Are masks optional or required?”
The entire filming, Q&A session and transition period took over a few hours. Not once were the heroes restless or ready to run. They applauded their friends and even took some tips from pitches to use in their own. One of the best moments was during one of the pitches. The hero couldn’t understand a word that she had written and she said, quite confidently,
“Julia, I need some help.”
Her sister jumped up and walked over to help her with the word and the hero went right back to giving her pitch. 100% confident and not at all rattled. Watching the heroes pitch and get through the tough moments of public speaking is truly one of the best experiences. They held themselves with poise and gave one another grace when they had trouble finding the words. Public speaking is not at all an easy task, but their dedication proved that even the shyest of the bunch has so much to offer the world through public speaking.
The top five pitches that were given, in no particular order, are as follows:
Olivia: The Discovery Center
Andrew: The Spark Studio
Adri: Boise Aquarium
Julia: Bright Eyes Coffee
Liam: Boise Zoo
Badge Ceremony
At the end of every session, the heroes have what they call a Badge Ceremony. This is where every hero, who worked hard to get a badge, gets to be recognized by the community. The heroes know that their badges are extremely important. They work during the session to accomplish their goals in hopes of moving on to the middle school one day.
This session was incredibly special. Every single hero earned a badge. This might be one of the first times that this was accomplished. The heroes reflected on their ceremony and were ecstatic that all of their friends hit their goals. They noted that their favorite badges to earn were the Learn to Be. The Learn to Be badges are all about being a good member of the commuinty. From showing gratitude, to being a leader to learning new things. The Learn to Be badges were all around the favorite.
Some of the heroes approached the guide and thought that she should add one more Learn to Be badges. Ones that help a hero on their journey and really let them flex their independent and courageous wings. Some of the badges that they pitched had to do with working in the middle school and being a leader in the Spark studio. The heroes truly value their learning and most importantly, value being a productive member in the school.
Wrap-Up
The heroes started and ended their week with a ton of joy and fun. They kicked off on Monday with their Secret Santa and were overjoyed by their gifts that they received. They got to decorate ornaments and Gingerbread houses and really flexed their creativity muscles the entire time. They reflected deeply on their time in the studio and even set goals for the next session, hoping to hit them and getting one step closer to middle school. They excelled in exhibition, with almost every hero participating in Quest. They got over their fears of public speaking and put their all into their 2–4 minute pitch. By the end of the week the heroes got to celebrate with their badge ceremony and Friday party. They even got a few extra gifts from Mr. Candy Cane, their studio elf. All in all, the heroes ended happy, exhausted and ready for a two week break.
