Session 1, Week 6
Session 1 is officially in the books, and heroes closed it out the way they started it: with a question. When do heroes follow the rules? After six weeks of writing contracts, voting on promises, and testing boundaries (sometimes gracefully, sometimes not), heroes had plenty of firsthand experience to draw on, and their answers were thoughtful. Add a first exhibition, a zoo trip, a Boston Tea Party, and a whole lot of games, and it made for a week worth celebrating!
In The Spark Studio
The Spark Studio reflected on the session question with a clear answer: heroes follow the rules when they feel it will create a better environment for themselves. Likewise, they break rules that they think create an unfair environment. Heroes put that thinking to work this week when they discussed and then voted to amend their studio promises after noticing one point wasn’t working well.
This week we DANCED the hero’s journey: into the unknown, call to adventure, meeting with helpers, road of trials, and returning home having changed. As the Sparks put motion to the elements of the Hero’s Journey, they began to recognize the journeys they themselves have been on.
They are so proud of themselves in those moments where they choose to go on a hero’s journey and something amazing happens! This week those amazing things looked like art experiments, new math skills learned, and friendships strengthened.
Spark heroes also continued learning how to work together with a team building challenge. They had to move the shirt onto each team member while holding hands. They were great at it and there were lots of laughs.
Heroes also did color transfer with shaving cream, and the activity ended the way one would expect: lots of playing in the shaving cream! Heroes loved playing and creating the mess and did an excellent job cleaning up their studio afterwards.
In the Fire Studio
The Fire Studio had a fascinating discussion around the Question of the Session. After hearing some of the life experiences of Rosa Parks and what led her to break the rules, Emerald heroes debated whether Rosa was trying to be a hero or not, whether it took more courage or more integrity to break unfair rules, and who gets to decide whether a rule is fair or not. They also discussed when the heroic thing to do is follow the rules, and how they feel about the studio rules they have created during Session 1. There was so much to celebrate this week, and the Emerald studio even earned a GEM party to wrap up an awesome first session.
In Sapphire studio, the discussion centered on what makes rules worth following. Heroes defined what makes a rule or law fair, and how to determine what to do when rules are unfair. Then they gathered on the turf for an epic game of “Red Light, Green Light,” with a twist. The “light-hero” would call out a different color (pink, blue, yellow, orange, green, black, brown, purple, or red), and each color represented a different way to run across the field. If heroes did not stop when told to, or do the correct action, or moved when they were supposed to be still, they were sent back to the beginning. Some heroes got so frustrated they gave up and decided to just stand by the light-hero, and then they created their own rule around helping the light-hero spot heroes violating the rules. In PE, heroes started playing dodgeball but switched to capture the flag when it became apparent that a reset was needed. As they played, they learned how to work together to create fun and freedom in a very real way. These games give heroes plenty of opportunities to choose whether they will follow the rules or come together to change rules that seem unfair.
While growing into the rules they set for their studios, Fire heroes also learned about times in American history when it became necessary for some of our American heroes to break the rules. We talked about George Washington and what it took for him to step aside from his roots as a British Colonel to lead a ragtag army. We also retraced the steps of Paul Revere’s midnight ride and the courage he had to step aside from expectations as a British subject to warn the revolutionaries that “the British are coming!” These examples from history are powerful and highlight the reality that each individual eventually faces that question, “When do heroes follow rules?” We have every confidence that Fire heroes are learning how to rely on their own moral compasses to know when this might be true for them. They are amazing!
Elsewhere in Fire Studio, heroes spent their collaborative core skills time playing math and literacy games and creating their own version of DnD-Chess. Sapphire heroes did a trust fall and a trust walk to practice being a good mentor, and then celebrated finishing their quest with popsicles and fun games like statues, gaga ball, and 9-square.
In the Delta Studio
The DELTA Studio had a few hero spotlight moments this week that showed what following, and owning, the rules looks like in action. One hero had a pretty lousy attitude about quest, then decided to do two things: find a way to bring their passions into quest, and remember they can change their attitude. That hero ended up not only finishing the quest badge but creating an incredible display. A few heroes who were quite behind multiple times last year were at 100% (or very near 100%) at the end of Thursday! And when a squad wasn’t ready for exhibition on time, it was powerful to hear a hero from another squad take accountability and say, “It is partly our squad, we should be doing (x, y, or z) and we’re not.” There was also a hero who got up at 5am to make homemade cinnamon rolls for his fellow travelers as his birthday treat. That is love of your friends!
Then there was Misogi. There was a lot of complaining about Misogi before the day itself, so heroes were re-introduced to the idea of why we do it and then were given the opportunity to vote on whether or not to do it at all. It was nearly unanimous to do it. With hero buy-in, it seemed to be one of the most focused and hard working Misogis we have had.
DELTA heroes also worked hard to finish their Microbiology quest, with 37 of 41 heroes finishing the badge before the exhibition.
On Monday, the DELTA Civ did a fun simulation to represent the events leading up to the Boston Tea Party, and heroes played their parts well, especially those who played King George.
When you have a chance to go to the zoo, you take it, and it was fun to see teenagers enjoying being children!
This year, the goal is to have an art experience every session, and the program started off with a bang as heroes explored making relief sculptures in the medium of polystyrene. Many painted beautiful images, while others sculpted their foam into intricate surfaces or familiar shapes.
To have one more bit of fun before the end of the session, DELTA also hosted a game tournament, where many heroes played their thoroughly buffed out Culture Clash decks in a grand tournament while others enjoyed more classic games such as Mancala and Connect 4.
Our First Exhibitions
The first exhibition of the year was a success. Spark heroes were so excited to jump right in, with groups getting together to prepare their speeches while others set up chairs and made decorations.
Fire heroes worked well together to prepare and jumped right in to help clean up afterwards, and they reflected on the session and the exhibition by sharing warm and cool feedback with the exhibition committee and among their squads.
DELTA heroes spent time creating and practicing their speeches, and they were fantastic. The exhibits heroes set up were really aesthetic and thorough, and it is rare to see so many heroes so excited to share what they learned this session. The constitution bee allowed parents to challenge their DELTA heroes in constitutional knowledge. Regardless of who knew more of the right answers (we think the heroes did!), everyone seemed to find it a fun activity.
Six weeks ago, heroes were handed a question that has no tidy answer. They spent the session living inside it: writing rules, bending them, breaking them, and sometimes voting to change them for the better. If this week showed anything, it’s that heroes are learning to ask the right follow-up questions—like who is the rule for? and is it fair?—and then to act on the answer with honesty and courage. Session 2 is going to be amazing!