We’ve got some awesome activities coming up next week for the culmination of the POWER cycle! Students will be bringing home permission slips (if the activity is off campus) for the various intensives happening on the 14th and 15th. Visiting Weber State, Hiking, a Harry Potter Hangout and Mindfulness intensives are just some of the awesome things happening! All slips are due back Monday and families are responsible for getting their students to and from the intensive.
See below for additional information about two of the intensives offered that support a healthy community and the power of the teenage voice.
Every seven weeks Junior High students at Maria Montessori Academy participate in intersession activities as a culminating event for a cycle of learning. March 14th and 15th will wrap up the third-cycle of the year, which focused on all types of power. The school’s 112 adolescents will choose which intersession intensive to attend, two of which will be The Power of Teen Activists in support of the victims of the Parkland, Florida school shooting and The Power of Hope as a solution to happier and healthier school communities.
Students who choose The Power of Teen Activists intersession, and obtain parent permission, will prepare for and participate in the nationwide school walkout in support of the #NationalSchoolWalkout movement demanding action from Congress to keep us safe in our schools. Students will stand at the intersection of Washington Blvd. and 2500 North in North Ogden on March 14th at 10:00 am, in memory of the 17 American lives lost on February 14th. Community members and elementary students, with parent chaperones, are welcome to attend the walkout event as well.
Upon their return to school after the 17-minute walkout, Roy City Mayor, Robert Dandoy, will speak to group about how teens can make a political difference, and to share his own story on becoming politically active. Additionally, students will study other grassroots activists and discover the incredible power of their own voice through various projects, including writing letters to Congress.
Hope Squad members will gather the following day on March 15th to build a healthier and happier community through activities that prevent bullying, self-harm and suicide in The Power of HOPE intersession choice. “Hope Squads are the eyes and ears of a school. They are comprised of students who are trained to watch for at-risk students, while providing friendship, identifying warning signs, and seeking help from adults. Hope Squad advisors train students who have been identified by their classmates as trustworthy peers to serve as Hope Squad members” (hopesquad.com). Maria Montessori Academy’s Hope Squad, run by the school counselor, is in its first year and is receiving enormous accolades as a student support system.
Power is important to teens, whether it is something they have or something for which they wish. It can take many forms (chemical, electrical, political, for example). In this cycle of learning, students examined how power is always present in some form, that it has the ability to influence others, and that it may be used or abused. Empowering students with the tools and knowledge to wield their power in a positive way is one of the ways Maria Montessori Academy promotes education for a better world.