April 2009
Initiating Contact
It has become hard to turn on the TV or radio these days without getting depressed pretty quickly. In dark times it can be difficult to see all the amazing things going on around us.
And yet there are world changing positive actions happening everyday if only we can see them. Our theme for the 2009 Refresher this year is “Celebrate What’s Right With The World”. As world renowned photographer Dewitt Jones said, “When we celebrate what’s right with the world, we can find the energy to fix what’s wrong”.
So here are some of the things going right in the world of Link Crew and WEB!
At Ithaca High School in Ithaca, NY Link Leaders recently filmed their own version of ‘Link Leaders to the rescue’...complete with capes that Link Crew Coordinator Judy Cogan made. The leaders now want to wear their capes all the time. In March they held an amazing scavenger hunt for the freshmen, sending them all over our huge campus in search of clues that introduced them to their 10th grade teachers and classrooms. The first team back won a laundry basket full of great donated prizes and there were more prizes for second and third places. “It was fantastic!” said Judy.
Kim Pugh from White Pine Middle School in Saginaw, MI recently wrote in:
“Our school hosted the Michigan Association for Middle School Educators (MAMSE) conference last week.
Our WEB leaders were responsible for a classroom. They had to introduce the speakers, get the technology running, pass out evaluations and greet the teachers who were coming into the presentations. The teachers at the conference were so impressed with the leaders that our session about WEB was standing room only. The WEB leaders did the presentation and answered questions (quite honestly may I add). I actually ran out of folders. Several people stayed to ask me questions. I was incredibly proud of my leaders!”
Gladstone High School in Azusa, CA was recently awarded a Golden Bell Award for their Link Crew program. The Golden Bell Award promotes excellence in education by recognizing outstanding programs in school districts and county offices of education throughout California. The Golden Bell Awards reflect the depth and breadth of the education programs necessary to address students’ changing needs.
What’s going right in your school? What is there to celebrate?
Please don’t keep your celebration to yourself. Share it with your fellow coordinators, with your leaders, with your staff and administration. Share it with your family.
Take action right now and email us your success story so that we can share it with others! Maybe your story will serve as that little bit of motivation that someone needs out there!
info@boomerangproject.com.
We need to find those things worthy of celebration now more than ever.
Just for You
The great U2 lyrics… “But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” have always moved me; but today, they strike me as impossible. We actually find exactly what we’re looking for. If we want to find love, it is right there. If we want to find hatred, it is right there. If we want to find joy, it is right there. If we want to find energy, it is right there. What we look for is exactly what we find. If what you are finding is harsh, it is what you were looking for. If what you are finding is uplifting, it is what you were looking for. I have been doing quite a few Boom Boom! Cards lately and I am impressed by how they have changed what I see. Because my focus has been on good, I am seeing more of it…all around me. When I start feeling that the world is not good, I know that I am looking for and thus finding, the bad.
In alignment with celebrating what is right with the world, look at your life, your world and find those things to celebrate. Yes, life is hard right now. We are all facing some of the toughest times in most of our lifetimes, and there is still goodness happening all around us. Instead of focusing on what we are losing or don’t have, what will happen if we notice what we do have or what can we create in the absence of that which we had become accustomed to? Recognize what we do have and build on that.
So here’s the challenge we pose to you. Do the gratitude dance and get as many people around you to do the gratitude dance. What is that you ask? It is quite easy and feels pretty dang good. Take a look at this video for inspiration: Gratitude Dance
Think you can do it? We believe in you and your ability to move yourself as well as the world. Get up, dance and see the greatness around you..
Announcements
2009 Link Crew Scholarships
Do you have an outstanding Link Crew Leader this year? The applications for the 2009 Link Crew Scholarship are now available. Every year we honor 10 outstanding Link Crew Leaders with a $500 scholarship. You can see past winners and download the application on our website.
Remember, every application must be accompanied by a coordinator recommendation and we never select more than one winner from each school, so make sure you nominate the leader who best exemplifies the spirit of The Boomerang Project motto: You Get Back What You Give.
Download the application here: www.boomerangproject.com/link_crew_scholarships
Upcoming Trainings
Are you training new people this year? Are you in need of a Refresher to take your skills to the next level and remind you what it’s all for?
Good news, there are great trainings coming up!
BASIC TRAININGS
4/20 - 4/22: GA, Lake Lanier Islands, Legacy Lodge
4/20 – 4/22: MN, Brainerd, The Maddens Resort
4/27 – 4/29: OR, Welches, The Resort at The Mountain
5/4 - 5/6: CA, Temecula, Temecula Creek Inn
5/4 - 5/6: ON, Missassauga, Delta Meadowdale Conference Center
5/11 – 5/13: CA, Temecula, Temecula Creek Inn
6/22 – 6/24*: CA, Temecula, Temecula Creek Inn
*This training is only open to staff members at schools where there is already a certified Link Crew Program.
REFRESHER TRAININGS
4/23 - 24 Brainerd, MN, The Maddens Resort
You can call us (1-800-688-7578) or register online at www.boomerangproject.com/Registration.
The Student Link Conferences
We are currently taking requests to host the 2009 Student Link Conferences. To be a host school you must be conveniently located to other Link Crew schools, be able to make your gym available from 7am – 12pm and have a group of enthusiastic Link Leaders ready to welcome other schools. Other details and responsibilities of hosting will be shared once sites and dates are selected.
The date range for most Student Link Conferences is Oct – Nov. Contact Micah to put your request in at micah@boomerangproject.com.
Book Recommendations
A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
This book has served as one of the foundations for our Refresher this year and provides a fantastic peak at the future. What kinds of skills do we need to cultivate in ourselves and the young people we serve? What kinds of jobs will be required in the future? These questions and so many more are addressed in a fun, provocative and insightful way. This is one of those books that might really change how you see your job and your future!
Product of the Month: Springboard by Mary Beth Campbell, Carolyn Hill and Micah Jacobson
We did it! For a couple of years we have been working on a great activity book that would capture some of our favorite activities in an easy to read, easy to access format. Well, we are incredibly proud to say that the book is now available! Springboard, Quick Creative Activities That Launch Learning is a collection of 50 of our favorite activities that can be used in almost any classroom environment. For those who have been through the Basic Training, you will recognize some of these activities and find a slew of additional activities that will bring fun and laughter to your class every time!
You can see our entire catalog online at www.boomerangproject.com/catalog
Thank you
Please know that all of your efforts, although perhaps not recognized by many on your immediate sites, are greatly appreciated by us. We do know how hard you are working to create a better and more welcoming school so that students can have the optimal experience. We are glad that you are part of a team of educators throughout the US and Canada that believe in kids and believe in possibility.
We look forward to seeing you this spring!