Retreat: Carver style

I planned our Carver Retreat 2017 for 2 months. Many hours were spent researching ideas and working on details. One night, as I was writing the short poems I excitedly put on twitter every single day leading up to the big event, I began pondering the word "retreat". I looked up the definition and one in particular struck me funny. It said, "an act of moving back or withdrawing". Our retreat did everything BUT move us back. On the contrary, we moved forward that day and it was exciting to watch it all unfold. Our retreat did not disappoint. In fact, it had meaning, purpose and passion. I've been waiting to write this blog for 2 months to share how it all began and how it all turned out.

The idea
The actual idea of the retreat began months ago after visiting the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, (yes, I'm talking about THAT guy again) and hearing about the house system he uses throughout his school. I decided right then and there that we were going to do that as well at Carver Elementary.  In a nutshell, all kids at RCA spin a wheel that decides which "house" they will be a part of for the next four years. That doesn't mean you have classes with only your house members though.  It just means you are a part of a specific house or team and at RCA that is a BIG deal and it's going to be a BIG deal at Carver as well.  Kids earn points individually that contribute to their overall team points and the house winners are rewarded in exciting ways. The team feeling is palpable when you visit. There is a sense of belonging and camaraderie like I have never seen in a school. As Kacie Barratt, Michelle Van Wagner and I flew home on the plane, we put our own plan into motion...the Carver plan. We knew we were going to have a retreat to unveil our ideas but we had to decide on some specifics before we could move any further. When would it take place? August 7th was our only option and almost every single employee at Carver gave up a non contract day to attend. Where would it be? I needed a kitchen and several rooms and Pastor Todd Decker gave us the ok to have it at First Baptist Church. Who could help? Connie Bryant of course. Need I say more. Connie's a runner and I knew her help would be valuable. Things were coming together, and the planning process continued.

The Icebreaker
I had read Lead Like a Pirate by Beth Houf and Shelley Burgess in the spring and there was a particular activity Beth Houf had done with her team that I wanted to do with mine, but I hadn't found the right time. Guess what? The time was now. I had asked everyone to wear a t-shirt that was meaningful to them so I was anxious to get the morning started. After breakfast, everyone put their chairs in a circle and I told them they would have 30 seconds to tell why the shirt they wore was meaningful to them. They were also instructed to toss the beach ball I had brought to someone else after they had spoken so they could continue the fun. I went first and told them why I had worn the Ron Clark Academy t-shirt I had bought in Atlanta. I explained how it had totally changed my outlook on the vision I had for our students and staff and how excited I was to get the year started. I was pretty sure they got the idea after my many emails and daily twitter poems, but just in case they weren't sure I wore the shirt. I then tossed the beach ball across the circle.This process continued until everyone had spoken. Everyone stayed within the 30 second time requirement, except our nurse. Her shirt represented a kidnapping of her mom's friend's son so we were too engaged to interrupt her.  The icebreaker was a nice way to learn more about each other and what was important to them.  It was a great beginning to an amazing day.

Emaze Presentation
After the icebreaker, I showed an Emaze presentation I had put together of our trip to RCA which highlighted the two days we were there. Michelle, Kacie and I shared our experiences and takeaways and the team asked questions about our trip.  I hope we conveyed how exciting it was to go and experience all the academy offered and to reveal the WHY we are changing what we do at Carver. I know many of them would like to go see it for themselves. Throughout the morning, I had also been asking trivia questions about Ron Clark and the winners received copies of his book The Essential 55. After the presentation, it was time for a short break to get ready for lunch. I knew it would be one of the highlights of the day, but I had no idea it would turn out as great as it did.

Lunch
More than a year ago my dear friend Connie Bryant had told me about a mystery dinner she had done at church camp.  Actually, most of what she was saying went in one ear and out the other, (shocking, I know for those of you who know me) but I caught the mystery part, so when I was planning what to do for lunch at the retreat Connie popped into my head. I had her explain in detail again what to do and this time I actually listened.  I decided on a Ron Clark theme and called Amy Perkins.  She's one of our extremely creative teachers at Carver. Together we came up with the menu and the "mystery" part. Teachers ordered items such as The Ron Clark, Hope King smiles, the slide and a walker. What they received was actually pulled pork, cheese cubes, a bun and a spoon. They could have gotten all food items and no utensils or all utensils and no food or a combination of something in between. I enjoyed watching their reactions during each course. Mrs. Reece eating a cheese cube with a knife was priceless and watching Amy Perkins make a spoon out of her cup to eat her pulled pork with because she had no utensils made us all laugh. Of course, they were treated to the entire meal after the "mystery" part was complete. The real "work" began though after lunch. From my view though it was all fun...meaningful, inspiring, fun.

House Systems
Kacie, Michelle and I knew we wanted to divide, not only the kids, but the teachers and staff into houses and it had to be fun. But how would we do this? After discussing several options on the plane, we came up with our idea, complete with a poem (of course) and an envelope. As luck would have it, Amy Perkins  (the extremely creative one) asked me one day shortly after our return from Atlanta if there was anything she could do to help me at summer school because her students were going to be gone that day. I asked her how she felt about decorating 40 envelopes (which turned into 50) and she quickly agreed. I told her I needed the "house" poem (which we wrote on the plane ride home from Atlanta) in the middle of each envelope.  It said, "Open your envelope, Inside you will see, The number that'll lead you to the house you'll be".  That was basically all the directions she got from me. WOW! I can not tell you how amazing they were.  Each one was incredibly unique. When I saw the details she put into decorating each envelope such as tiny Neosho t-shirts on tiny clotheslines, or the tiny ball pit made out of pom poms, or the tiny origami animals, I was in awe. I knew I had picked the right person.  I would have stuck a bow on there and called it good, but Amy went above and beyond (like I knew she would) and it paid off.  The teachers loved it.  At the retreat, they were told to look through the 50 envelopes scattered on a table and to pick one.  I can assure you, it was difficult because they were all so amazing. We all took turns opening our envelopes and pulling out the number inside which would reveal the house we would now belong to.  As the first envelope was opened, and I heard a drum roll begin and the cheering that followed, I smiled. I remembered Kim Bearden saying to us in Atlanta that there is nothing like watching the kids cheering each other on as they spin the wheel (which we will also be doing at Carver) and finding out what house they will be a part of for their entire school career at RCA. I witnessed this with our own Carver crew. Their excitement was contagious when they saw more and more team members being placed in their houses. The excitement was growing and growing fast.

House Planning
Each group was given their tasks for the afternoon. 1) Come up with a team name 2) Decide the color to represent your house 3) Design a crest 4) Create a chant  5) Elect a house leader

Each house was assigned a different room at First Baptist Church to work in so they could focus on their jobs.  I checked on them periodically, but I too was in a house (our name is Lumiere...or as Renee Cummins is already saying Lumiere for Life). They were focused and already passionate about our new vision. Within an hour every task was completed by every house. We gathered together at the close of the retreat to hear all four house chants. They are all different and unique but equally impressive. I loved hearing the conversations everyone was having about house names and chants before they left for the day.

On the second day of school this year, our students will spin a wheel which will reveal their house placement and on day three, they will be taught their house chant. The entire student body will gather in the gym to hear them all and I can't wait to see the excitement on their faces.  I know everyone is looking forward to this new adventure.

At the end of the day, I knew the retreat had been a success and so worth all the time spent planning it. We learned more about each other than we had known before and we had fun along the way. Everyone was focused on the task at hand and  they are all sold on our plans for Carver. As you head into the new school year ask yourself what you are doing to make a difference with your kids and your team. Are you creating a team feeling in your building or doing just the opposite. Is there truly an excitement in the air or do you simply say there is. Is there meaning, purpose and passion amongst your team and the activities in your building? The possibilities this year are going to be endless at Carver and I know what we have planned will make a difference for kids. We will all remember Nurse Cindy's t-shirt story, but we will also remember that all of the amazingness this year started at our Retreat: Carver style.