Berlin Elementary puts ‘win-win’ atop achievements
Reagan Kurtz poses with teacher Sarah Hershberger following the Hawks Talk event at Berlin Elementary. Kurtz was one of many students who were honored for their work in the classroom.
So often good deeds go unnoticed.
For the staff and student body at Berlin Elementary, celebrating the little ways they support and help one another is something worth bringing to the forefront, and with the Lighthouse leadership program, every month is a step toward developing better skills in certain character areas.
On Friday, Feb. 3, the school gathered for its monthly Hawks Talk celebration in the gymnasium, where they honored many students in an event that focused on creating win-win situations.
Fourth-grade teacher Sarah Hershberger said the Hawks Talk event is important because it allows students to be rewarded for doing good deeds and making quality decisions, but it also helps the entire student body celebrate these accomplishments together.
“Everybody has important pieces and have been created in special ways, so to be able to witness these gifts being used and being able to recognize those talents that kids have is exciting,” Hershberger said.
She said the students get excited each time the monthly Hawks Talk sessions come up. Parents are invited to come to school to celebrate with the students.
There are several aspects to the Hawks Talk celebration, each designed to honor and recognize students who have shown a willingness to help others with their words and deeds.
The school first recognized the Leadership Team’s ground crew, who individually highlighted the many duties they tend to at school.
The next step was to present the Golden Award winners with their prize packages. Each teacher picks a student who exemplifies a strong quality in their classroom, and they were honored one by one as they went up front to receive their awards.
The session then moved to the students’ participation in presenting a video of the book “The Crayon,” where win-win is the heart of the message.
Teachers then honored individuals who exuded a win-win attitude.
Attributes like looking out for others, lending a hand when needed, providing an uplifting word of encouragement and many other traits were at the heart of the student award ceremony.
Teacher Michelle Sauernheimer chose Avery Yoder for the monthly award and presented a speech that used an acronym using each letter in her first name.
Abundance mentality, Virtuous, Empathic listening skills, Relating to others and Yearning for teamwork spelled out exactly what the teacher thought of her student.
“When you’re working with others, you believe that everyone can contribute,” Sauernheimer said of Yoder. “That you for being an amazing example for others.”
Teacher Jana Immel opted for Olivia Austin, of whom she said of the fifth grader, “She’s a very hard worker with multiple leadership roles. She always tries to do the best that she can for not only me but for her classmates.
Teacher Heidi Jones chose Timothy Schlabach for her award. She said he is a positive and proactive leader in the classroom.
“When working in a group, Timothy maintains focus and keeps others on task to focus on the activity at hand,” Jones said. “He is a quiet leader who leads by example.”
Teacher Janet Hetrick said the school’s effort to focus on leadership has led to many shining examples of young people doing amazing things.
“We’ve been working hard on a win-win mentality, which means there are good things for everyone,” Hetrick said. “And we can be happy for others when good things happen to them. It’s not always easy, but that is what we’re working on.”
Numerous other students were honored for their efforts, and Blochlinger said it was another month of students striving to achieve in the classroom while at the same time honoring the work the school is putting into developing the Lighthouse leadership program.
Hershberger said that what she finds fascinating is that the students get more excited about cheering on the accomplishments of their schoolmates than receiving an honor themselves.
“All of these actions are becoming who they are, and it’s exciting to see the kids get excited for one another when their names are called,” Hershberger said.
One such scenario was Reagan Kurtz, who received an honor and was cheered wildly, with high fives, fist bumps and congratulations from many as he went forward to receive his award.
In the crowd watching were his parents, and like many other parents who watch their child receive an honor that is presented to them for exhibiting a tremendous quality as a person, his parents were thrilled to see the school design a program that rewards character-building behavior.
“It’s an awesome program and a great privilege to be a part of it,” said Jenny Kurtz, Reagan’s mother. “It’s wonderful for the kids to be able to set goals, and for us as parents it makes us all proud to see our children rewarded for doing something special. It’s good incentive for our children.”
Berlin Elementary principal Daren Blochlinger agreed, noting that instilling the desire to exhibit good habits and becoming positive role models among their peers is the whole idea.
“The biggest thing for me is not to watch the kids receive the honors, but instead to watch his or her peers get excited about it,” he said. “It’s about being selfless and celebrating some neat accomplishments together.”
As Berlin Elementary marches on through the second half of the school year, the upcoming Lighthouse focal points will only add to the growing list of ways the school is working hard to teach not only academics but how each youngster can develop character traits like respect, honor, work ethic, teamwork and many more.