Celebrate Your Own Community Champion
Spotlight a school community leader this holiday season
There is a sparkle in the air, and it’s not just because of the holidays! Classroom Champions teachers and students have been working secretly to identify an on-site Community Champion who works tirelessly for their school in order to celebrate them with a spotlight of kindness and acknowledgment. And you can anoint a Community Champion too with your students using this free downloadable poster!
Let’s see how three Classroom Champions classrooms already engaged in this special challenge to recognize their Community Champions!
First, we visit Mrs. Landry’s 4th-grade students from Aurora Elementary in Drayton Valley, Alberta, Canada, who chose to put a spotlight on Mrs. Paddy. Mrs. Landry describes Ms. Paddy as:
“She’s the heart and soul of our school. She is the first face you see when you enter our school and she is the absolute #1 helper for all students and adults in our building. Her official title is Administrative Assistant, but truly, she is the backbone of our school community.”
Mrs. Landry described how her students all created motivational cards with personal messages. They then put them all together and presented them to her.
“I don’t know who was more excited! We love and appreciate Mrs. Paddy so much. She truly is our Champion.”
Second, we travel to Riverview, Michigan, and Mrs. Purdu’s middle school students at Woodrow Wilson Middle School. Mrs. Purdu challenged her students to brainstorm about whom would be their Community Champion. Watch below as Mrs. Purdu gives each student a voice through an animated (and unanimous) brainstorming session!
As you witnessed, the group selected their Community Champion by celebrating the hard and diligent work of Mary Pizzini. Mrs. Purdu shares:
“Ms. Pizzini has more energy than most middle schoolers. She is the type of person where, when she enters a classroom, instantly you can see students change. They are excited and all want her attention. She can get everyone to listen to what she is saying with limited effort to someone watching. Yet, we see the effort she places every single day. She notices the students who are hungry and feeds them. She sees the student who needs a new pair of shoes because the holes have gotten so large it’s hard to hide that they’re falling apart for much longer and she goes out and gets that student shoes. She hugs kids, she tells them she loves them because she does. She looks out for each and every kid.”
Mrs. Purdu describes how Ms. Pizzini has come out of retirement twice to support and inspire her community:
Her vocation is an “act of service that fills her cup as much as she provides and fills for others. She shows up because she wants to. Because she loves kids and wants to make a difference in the world. Sure she could be retired but she chooses to come and impact the lives of kids each and every day.”
Last, we travel back to Canada, to Arrowwood Community School in Alberta. Ms. Williams began her discussion with her 3rd/4th-grade students about whom should be included when discussing their school community.
“Even in our little school, there were a lot of people when we considered students and staff — everyone from teachers, learning assistants, bus drivers, counselors, to janitors.”
Leading her students through a democratic process of nominating and voting on staff members within the community, Mrs. Williams opened up conversations about what each nominated individual does for their community. They ultimately chose their school’s Administrative Assistant, Mrs. Holloway.
“It was fun to think about all of the people in our school community and how they all help us to be leaders. It took us a long time as our classroom’s Community Champion does so much for us and for everyone in the school; from being our school secretary to making our daily snacks and hot lunches on every Friday we have school.”
The students “wrote about the different things Mrs. Holloway does for us and how we appreciate them all. Lastly, we delivered the award, along with a 3D printed flower (since Mrs. Holloway doesn’t like treats or snacks, we thought a flower for her office would be just perfect.)”
Check out this wonderful Flipgrid video of Mrs. Williams’s students engaging and describing the process and check out the special challenge just for YOU at the very end!
So we at Classroom Champions encourage you to engage in your community in a new way and celebrate a Community Champion amongst you by spotlighting them. Feel free to use this free downloadable poster to recognize your very own Community Champion this holiday season!
