Yesterday I told you about the program Heather, Cheryl, Misty, and I are implementing in a local elementary school this fall. The program is titled, What's Your Shine? and the goal is to help young people realize that they are a contribution; that they were born into this world with a unique set of talents and interests and that discovering them is the first step to living a happy life.
I also mentioned that today we would use your help in developing our program offerings.
The purpose of today is to get your most creative and most inspired thinking about how we can - given our established parameters - engage students in discovering and claiming their Shine (strengths, hobbies, interests, natural talents). And in believing that everyone's got 'em!
Below is a list of our parameters, in no particular order:
The budget is $3,000; there are ten months to the school year; the first month will be an introduction to the What's Your Shine? program and the last month will be a wrap up celebration; 90% of our program will be disseminated through the lunch room; that means we can decorate it how we want and use the table chairs and wall space in whatever way we see fit; the cafeteria staff (5-8 people) has volunteered to help in whatever way they can, as long as it does not interfere with the efficiency of their work. The majority of the pictures in the collage above were taken during one of our school visits.
That's a lot of information to digest. Take a break before reading more...
The remaining 10% of our message will be communicated using the following venues: once a month, a small section in the parent newsletter; one week each month, a display case at the school's entrance; the support of the school's art teacher and maybe the opportunity to have students complete a Shine project or two during their art class; once a month, a morning announcement over the P.A. system; we have the support of PTA and, should the program's reach expand to other schools, we would expect it to be implemented through a PTA member or committee.
There is a little more to know before asking you to jump in and give us your best thinking.
Ray Wattson is our mascot and will serve as the primary tool for communicating our message. One last thing. We cannot expect teachers to build "What's Your Shine?" into their curriculums. Passive, but engaging implementation ideas are of particular interest.
I'm willing to compensate your best thinking, because that's how critical your creativity is to the development of our program. So, I'll make a deal. If you submit an idea that we end up using, you will be rewarded with a surprise gift from the House of Shine (and a spot in our Hall of Fame).
On your mark, get set, go... to the Comment Section and give us the best of what you've got.
Shining off until tomorrow...