Ceres kids use leadership principles in games at Beaver Elementary

Good habits got a workout at Patricia Kay Beaver Elementary’s Leadership Games, an end-of-year romp that reinforced scholarly practices taught since September.

Working as a team, planning ahead, communicating clearly – all things good leaders do – had a practical exam without a gradebook in sight Wednesday.

“We have leadership and character education. All year long we’re working on the seven habits,” said second-grade teacher Josie Mireles, watching kids trying to dress a teammate in oversized clothing for a quick-change relay. The magnet school in Ceres is focused on leadership.

“Each game requires kids to use those seven habits,” Mireles said. “They have to develop a plan. Think win-win – that’s sportsmanship. Use synergy – they have to work as a team.”

Dragging a teammate lying on a sheet – called Chariot Races – gave kids a chance to learn some physics as well. One team had its heaviest member lying on the sheet. The group pulling ground to a halt halfway through the race.

“Think win-win – come and help!” shouted race organizer and fourth-grade teacher Linda Colasito. A half-dozen racers from teams already finished grabbed a section and pulled them in.

A block of ice started off the games, with five kids per team having to hold their hands on it. If it got too cold before the switch time, the code word was “pickles!” to get a relief teammate.

Younger kids seemed reluctant to “pickle” out, but older teammates kept a watchful eye on them. Each team included kindergarten through fourth-grade students, every level at the 140-student school that finished its first year on Thursday. When fourth-graders return in the fall, they will become its first fifth-grade class.

Samantha Hill, 10, volunteered to take a younger child’s turn sitting on the ice. “I did it two times,” she said proudly, making a sidewalk print with her wet shorts.

“That is so cold!” said Isabela Ayala, 6, after her stint on the ice.

Principal Libby Holmes said the games put theory into action and added a bit of fun to the second-to-last day of school. “These are meant to be life skills they’ll use in college and careers,” she said.

The games emphasized all habits, she said, but captured the seventh one best: Sharpen the saw. “That means to take care of yourself, refresh your mind, body and soul,” she said.

“I think as adults we often don’t take time to do that. We’re busy. We’re going,” Holmes said. “Sometimes you have to stop and take a breath. Enjoy your life.”

This story was originally published June 6, 2015 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Ceres kids use leadership principles in games at Beaver Elementary."