Down the halls. In the classrooms. Everywhere it's buzzing with the talk of colors. Colors you say? Yeah, like, "I'm a blue, what are you?" "Cool, you're a green, so am I!"
These are echoes of a time long ago where we were comparing ourselves as white or black. However, the discussions and conversations taking place this week at RVMS had a different twist. Students were looking at their different colors and seeing the strengths that each color had to offer. In one math class, one team took a look at themselves and suddenly interrupted the discussion with, "Our team has one of each color. No wonder we work so well together!" Aahh. What a novel idea. To see our differences as strengths instead of as weaknesses. What does the other person have to offer that I don't have? How can I improve my own weaknesses to become a better person?
And then another question is raised. "Mrs. McCabe, what would happen if a group is all one color, like orange? How will they work together?" Well, seeing that they are all alike, they're probably going to do things similarly. So, in this case, each person is going to have to dig deep, find those other colors to help them through the situation.
What can we learn from a person different than us? How can we overcome those differences to see the similarities? After all, with True Colors we learned that we all have the four different colors. We all have something in common. The only difference is that some people are really good at problem solving, some are really good at organizing things, some can add some energy to the mix, and others make sure that everyone is getting along. We need all these people, just like we need all the people that are different than us in other ways...academics, sports, music, cultures, skin colors, religion, beliefs. The list could go on and on, but the point is, we can be better people by accepting our differences and learning from others. Instead of letting differences build a wall between us, use it as a stepping stone to learning about others, to becoming better educated about the world around us.
(Written by Mrs. McCabe several years ago)
Students spent today participating in a variety of activities for our 11th Annual 8th Grade Awareness Day.
They signed the "Call Me On It" pledge located in the cafeteria.
They listened to Mr. Addis' CORE training lesson, in which he helped prepare the students to make a difference.
C - Care...caring about someone can change someone's life
O - Object...you must object to those things that aren't right
R - Respect...treat others how you would want to be treated and even better
E - Encourage...be nice to others and encourage them
Students worked together in teams to create a tinker toy structure...building on their strengths and weaknesses.
Before filling our bellies with a delicious lunch of grilled hot dogs, chips, veggies, fruit, and cookies, each student painted a brick for the Awareness Patio in the courtyard. These pavers represent the unit's message using various symbols.
