World Class Studio? (Year 1, Week 18)

A roar of celebration erupted this week during the close group on Tuesday…the sound of the heroes when it was announced that the studio will be getting a pet hamster!

On Monday morning the heroes once again discussed if they feel that they could look after a studio pet without help from parents or guides. As part of planning how to best look after a hamster, the heroes spent time in groups creating a feeding schedule, a cleaning schedule and a list of supplies needed. As a group they also created a pet contract, outlining promises they will commit to in order to ensure the hamster is cared for appropriately.

During the close group on Monday, the heroes re-voted, and on Tuesday it was announced that the studio will be getting a pet hamster. The heroes also voted on when to get the hamster, either next week or the first week of next session, and decided to get the hamster next week! The heroes are excitedly expectant to welcome the newest addition to the studio.

Law SOLE

Did you know that:

• It is illegal to import chewing gum into Singapore
• Denmark has official naming guidelines. If you want to name your child something other 7000 names on the approved list, you have to get permission from the government.
• At some ancient monuments in Greece, wearing high heels is banned as the may cause damage to the site.

These are some examples of strange and unusual laws from around the world. This week the heroes explored laws more as they researched the following SOLE questions in groups on Tuesday morning:

What is the most important law in the United States and why?

And the challenge:

Find a strange or unusual law from another country.

Each team individually come to the same conclusion: not murdering was the most important law in the US. The heroes cited their reasons why as helping to maintain order, ensuring everyone feels safe and protecting people.

Some very interesting and unusual laws from other countries were also discovered…ask your hero to share their findings with you!

Marine Biology Quest

Plastic litter, pollution and oil spills. These were some of the problems facing the ocean that the marine quest heroes explored this week. The questers were challenged to not only learn more about these problems, but also come up with a creative invention or solution to help combat a chosen problem.

The inventiveness and creativity of the young heroes really shone through this week as they developed their solutions. One team created a small scale model of how their trash collecting system would work and the other team made an animation to explain how their boat protection layer would stop shipwrecks and oil spills. Stayed tuned as these will be part of next week’s exhibition at the Boise Aquarium.

Handing Over Responsibility

As the studio develops and the heroes become more familiar with the systems and processes, more and more responsibility is being handed over to them. This week several heroes took on extra responsibilities in the studio, moving towards the studio being a truly hero-led community.

During Outdoor Experience time on Thursday the heroes were wholly responsible for dividing themselves into teams, coming up with a game/experience idea, pitching their ideas to the whole group and running the game…all of which was completed without any interference from guides.

Betsy was responsible for running a game at the start of the daily re-launch, half way through the core skills stretch and Xaria also took on the task of reading out loud to the group during mindfulness time. As the heroes take on more responsibility in the studio their potential and capacity to do incredible things shines through.

Writer’s Workshop

This week the heroes finished the writer’s workshop they have been working on over the last two weeks. The heroes have been encouraged to dream big during this workshop and to write a letter to a hero that they admire. Some of the heroes to whom letters are being written include authors, singers, family members and athletes. Next week, the heroes that have completed their letters will post them off and, who knows, they may even get a response from their hero!

World Class Studio?

After hearing an example from another studio in the Acton network that is struggling with intentionality the heroes were posed with the question: when a studio is very unintentional, should guides hold heroes accountable or should heroes continue to?

After a passionate discussion, in which the heroes gave evidence and examples to support both sides, most heroes decided that the heroes should be responsible for holding each other accountable to the contract promises. Some heroes shared that they believe there is a point where the guides should step in to hold heroes accountable. An interesting reflection on our studio here at Heroes Academy followed, finishing with the question: Is our studio heading towards becoming a world class studio or is it heading for failure?

So far in the studio we have seen a community of creative, kind and hardworking heroes who have already faced many challenges, overcome difficulties, failed and tried again. While we know there are still many challenges to come, it is exciting to see a world class studio continue to develop here at Heroes Academy.