RIHS PACERS Activities for 3rd Quarter – January 2014 through March 2014
03-11-14: Our PACERS group wrapped up the third quarter today by
reflecting on Cosmic Habitforce and our accomplishments since the start of
the semester. We had great conversation about upcoming goals for their final
quarter of high school, as well as talked more about college and postgraduation plans. We'll be back on Tuesday, April 1!
03-04-14: This week we completed the second half of the activity we began
last week. Shifting our focus to the positive habits that we all have, our group
tried to match our own positive habits with our PACERS students & mentors!
We had a great time talking about how people do notice the positive things we
do day to day, and it's a nice reminder from our peers and adults to have
that affirmation. Positive habits are part of our everyday lives, and it's
important to recognize those!
02-25-14: Continuing to think about Cosmic Habitforce, this week was part
one of a two-meeting activity. Our group split into teams in order to do a
"celebrity match-up" of certain Hollywood stars and their bad habits. After
we figured out the matches, we continued to have a great discussion about the
"expectation" of good habits. We also talked about how easy most people find
it to point out bad habits, which serves as constant reminders in our lives. We
took this a step further to reflect about the labels that others might put on
us because of our own bad habits.
02-18-14: This week our PACERS team continued discussion of our 3rd
quarter principle - cosmic habit force. After brainstorming what a habit looks
like and how we act, we also thought more about "bad" habits versus healthy
habits. Generally, it was easier for our group to think of "bad" habits in our
personal, academic, and social lives. To think about what life would be like
without these habits, we mirrored the "when you pay too much for cable"
commercials... There were some great stories about what would happen if we
got rid of our habits!
02-11-14: To celebrate Valentines' Day, our group discussed ways we show
others affection and ways in which we'd like to be shown affection. We
thought about people in our families, our friends, co-workers, teammates, and
other aspects of our lives. Many of the people in our group enjoy "Quality
Time" as a way to express affection towards others, while some of us
identified more with "Words of Affirmation" and "Physical Touch" as ways to
express ourselves. Some of us might be rethinking our gifts for Friday's
holiday!
02-04-14: This week we had our ISCA Representative Katy Reynolds visit
with our PACERS crew to talk more about financial assistance and college
options. She shared great information about scholarships, grants, and
searching local and internet resources to help pay for what comes after
Rocky!
01-30-14: Youth Conference: What a high energy day! Our PACERS
students, along with roughly 500 other area high school students, learned
about life and leadership at the annual QCYC. Our students attended sessions
providing information and impact of such topics as social media, bullying
prevention, coping with grief and loss, job interviewing, suicide prevention, and
body image. We all learned important lessons to bring back to our schools.
01-21-14: This week at Rocky we pulled together our discussion of what lies
ahead for 2014 with short term and long term goals. From graduation to
saving money each paycheck to improved attendance, the group was very
focused as we thought about the upcoming 5 months. Students wrote down
action plans and a support system for each of their goals.
01-20-14: King Celebration - This event was another huge success for the
Rock Island community. We are so proud to honor one of our own PACERS
students as the recipient of a two-year scholarship to Black Hawk College.
She was recognized during Monday'scelebration. Congratulations!
01-17-14: Service learning Project - The PACERS groups met after our halfday of school for a quick lunch and then headed to the Martin Luther King Jr.
Community Center in Rock Island, IL. As the staff prepped for their annual
King Celebration, our students and mentors managed to do much of the behind
the scenes set-up for the event. Monday's Celebration was a huge success.
01-14-14: Welcome back Rocky PACERS! After a shortened first week back,
our group was ready to start the second semester with our first meeting. We
talked about break and enjoyed M&Ms while reflecting on 2013 and looking
ahead to 2014.