Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 2018)
A10 Education Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, February 28, 2018 Students ‘fill their buckets’ with positivity during assembly Presentation teaches ways to approach life By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Humbolt and Seneca ele- mentary students learned the benefits of a positive mindset, helpful actions, as well as re- silience through an interactive program. Motivational speaker Kel- ly Nickel of Redding, Califor- nia, used props, singing and plenty of humor as he shared ideas with students from grades kindergarten through sixth on Thursday at the Hum- bolt gym. He also visited Prai- rie City School. Nickel said some days are bad — maybe there was no bacon left at breakfast time, or you were assigned to clean the bathroom or someone pushed you down. He showed two reactions to being pushed, as sixth- grade volunteer Sheldon Lenz gave Nickel a slight tap. One response was negative and vengeful, while the other was positive, laughing and shrug- ging off the offense. Nickel used a simple buck- et as a binary choice tool, symbolically showing how a person can add to a bucket, by being a positive “bucket-fill- er,” or take away from the bucket, as a negative “buck- et-dipper.” Nickel said having a pos- itive response to a negative situation activates a “lid of resilience.” He added, “For big things, you need an adult or an am- bulance.” Sixth-graders Hailey Me- cham and Olivia Delgado demonstrated a few ways to say hello to someone, with “high tens” as they passed each other. “Give everyone you meet a feeling of being special and feeling welcome,” Nickel said. Acts of kindness, helpful- Humbolt sixth-grader Sheldon Lenz smiles at Kelly Nickel who falls over- dramatically after a slight push from the sixth-grader. Nickel gave a motivational, interactive presentation on Thursday at the school. Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter Motivational speaker Kelly Nickel shows how he’d like his volunteers to dance along to the song he’s introducing to Humbolt Elementary students at Thursday’s assembly. From left, sixth-grader Sivanna Hodge, sixth-grader Quinlan Taylor, fourth-grader Dominic Turner and third-grader Jassmin Harig. Motivational speaker Kelly Nickel, in a sing- song voice, encourages the Humbolt Elementary students in Thursday’s assembly to thank their Principal Kim Smith, standing at his right. Humbolt Elementary students and staff participate in an interactive assembly on Thursday about ‘filling their buckets’ by having a positive mindset. ness and compliments help fill a person’s bucket, he said, adding that as one fills anoth- er’s bucket, their own bucket is also filled. Likewise, dip- ping from another’s bucket with negative behaviors, like bullying, takes away from both buckets. Nickel said he visits 70 schools a year with the buck- et-filler message, which he said supports character ed- ucation and social and emo- Humbolt sixth-graders Hailey Mecham, right, and Olivia Delgado demonstrate how to ‘fill their bucket’ by giving each other a ‘high 10’ with motivational speaker Kelly Nickel, left, offering instruction. tional learning. “It helps kids remember to be more positive, kind and more helpful by doing little things that make a big difference,” he said. “Once we see the benefits, we’ll want to do it more.” Humbolt Principal Kim Smith said the overall re- sponse from both students and staff has been positive. “I noticed teachers in- corporating reading Carol McCloud’s books on being a bucket-filler with their stu- dents as well,” she said. The Parent-Teacher Asso- ciation paid for the assembly, and travel expenses for Nickel were shared with Prairie City School’s PTA. Books on the bucket-fill- ing concept include: “Have You Filled a Bucket Today” by Carol McCloud, “How Full is your Bucket for Kids” by Tom Rath and Mary Reck- meyer, and, for adults, “How Full is your Bucket” by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D. Not just Prepaid, Verizon Prepaid. No annual Contract. More plans. More data. America’s best network. NEW NEW $40 $50 $60 $80 First 3GB at per high speed* month** First 7GB at per high speed* month** *Video streams up to 480p. We may prioritize your data behind other customers during times/places of network congestion. **Taxes and fee apply. ©2017 Verizon Wireless PREPPOD0617EN First 10GB at per high speed* month** Unlimited data* per month** 36379