2016 Education

38 / 40

Page 38 2016 EDUCATION MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY March 1, 2016
Olympia students demonstrate
achievement of the heart and mind
Superintendent Andrew Wise
writes that Olympia High and
Middle School students are
working on a character skill
each month based on the life of
Rachel Scott, the first student
killed in the Columbine
Massacre.
Skills include:
Kindness
Belonging
Compassion
Forgiveness
Grit
Courage
Purpose
Olympia students understand
the importance of excellence.
They spend their days studying,
practicing, and demonstrating
achievement in the classroom,
auditoriums, gymnasiums, and
athletic fields. With that said,
Olympia community members
and employees also know the
importance of demonstrating
acts of the heart and soul. Based
on the work of Rachel Scott, the
first student killed in the tragic
Columbine school tragedy in the
90’s, our students are focusing
on acts that demonstrate
kindness, belonging,
compassion, forgiveness,
perseverance, courage, and
purpose.
Students at Olympia High and
Middle School have accepted
“Rachel’s Challenge” to not
only be great students, but to
be outstanding young men and
women of character. Although
one might wonder how heart
skills, known to many as soft
skills, prepares kids for college
and career, you would need
to look no further than the
skill sets universities want in
their students and businesses
want in their employees. It is
abundantly clear that without
strong emotional intelligence,
work place etiquette, and
communication skills, students
will not thrive in college or
career, regardless of how “book
smart” they might be.
Students are beginning to
recognize how important
heart skills are to others and
themselves. Olympia Junior
Matthew Althoff reflected, and
then stated, “It really brings out
the true selves in our students,”
also commenting that “these are
good universal lessons (skills)
that everyone can apply to their
lives.”
Each month, Olympia Middle
and High students focus on
a heart skill, most recently,
the skill was compassion.
All classrooms conducted
‘compassion projects.’
Amanda Hapgood, High School
English Teacher, commented
that heart skills “offer students
the opportunity for seeing other
people’s perspectives and the
power of a kind word. Around
Veteran’s Day, my students
wrote thank you letters to
soldiers. It was a simple activity
that helps a lot of personal
meaning for many of the
Continue 8