Discover ‘Iolani Day: Teamwork prospers
Photo courtesy of Ms. Katherine Hanlon
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Courtney Lui
September 28, 2009
Filed under News
Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork; that’s what the day was all about. On the Kozuki Stadium field, the entire seventh grade was divided into five groups. Each group had two teachers supervising a different activity.
Discover ‘Iolani Day was filled with activities for seventh graders designed to build unity among the class and encourage students to develop trust in one another.
Closest to the main entrance of the field, four groups, varying from nine to twelve students, held hands in complete chaos. There were two groups of boys and two groups of girls.
First the kids were instructed to clump together and hold hands with someone opposite them. Their next task was to untangle themselves without letting go of the other peoples’ hands.
Some groups were farther ahead than others with yelling, stomping, laughing, and demands of “What are you doing?!” as seventh graders fell on one another. The girls’ groups were calm and thoughtful while individual boys were each trying to do their own thing.
Amid the confusion, seventh grader Courtney Choy said, “We’re trying to form a circle by untangling ourselves!” as she stepped over someone else’s arm.
Jasmine Banner ‘13 added, “It’s a way to get closer!”
Teachers stood by, offering suggestions. As the first group cheered after they completely untangled themselves, another group of boys took a break to get water. Clearly, cooperation and persistence were required in order to complete this task.
The next activity at the far end of the field required a little less shouting and a lot more extreme focus and concentration.
The groups formed a circle with each student holding a piece of string that was tied together in the center. The goal was to maneuver a tennis ball balanced on the center of the strings onto a tiny plastic piece on the floor.
The easiest part of the task was walking slowly to get the tennis ball to the target spot. The hardest was the amount of patience required to lower the ball inch by inch down to the ground. If the ball was lowered any faster, it would have fallen off the strings and rolled away.
Mrs. Jami Higashi-Lee said the students “focused on communication, teamwork, and working together to problem solve.”
Other activities included students working together to lift each other over a wall and stepping on other students to get from one side of a mat to the other. In short, the day was filled with laughs, new friendships, and teamwork.
From the arts and crafts, to the group activities, and finally the scavenger hunt, each activity was geared toward teaching the ‘Iolani One Team spirit.
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