Cards on heads, tennis balls in cups and a story on the Right family.
Normally for a fifth-grader, those wouldn’t mean a thing. But on Friday at Columbus Middle School, they were the lesson as CMS played host to the Nebraska Extension leadership summit.
“We were really excited and gracious for the middle school to host us,” Extension Associate Jayd Roberts said. “We brought our leadership curriculum to the students this year, and it’s been a great fit for these kids.”
A group of 12 educators hosted four workshops over the afternoon, covering topics such as listening and collaboration.
“We know leaders have a variety of (skills) they can possess, but it’s getting these kids aware of that, that we hope to accomplish today,” Roberts said.
One event that caused the loudest reactions was the Teamwork Tightrope. Small groups of students had to work together to place a tennis ball in a cup using only strings and a washer.
“It’s great. These kids are able to recognize what needs to be done, but it’s a matter of who is a leader and how they are able to coach the others,” educator Aliesha Meusch said.
After the lighthearted competition, students address their feelings about the activity and identified who was a leader and what qualities they had.
Personalities and temperaments were a theme throughout the day. The morning activity, called the “Real Color Experience,” addressed that. The quasi-personality test identified what characteristics students bring to groups.
“This is a way for kids to see what type of temperament they have, and how those all work together. For most, it’s their first experience with specific styles,” Roberts said.
General treatment of others was its own activity. During Cards of Value, students were assigned a role with a level of popularity. Students then played out scenarios were some students received the most attention and others were ignored.
“We hope this just brings some attention to how you treat others matters, and that even a little respect goes a long way,” educator Ann Dobesh said.
With all of the information presented today, it could be difficult to see the changes take shape, but the Nebraska Extensions hope students can take away what they’re being shown to every day.
“They may not quite get it the first time around,” educator Sonya Glup said, “but by the end of their time it’ll show up. Then they need to take that to the classroom and home with them.”