Superintendent Michael S. Nelson, Principal Michael Devoll, and Director of Guidance Lauren Millette are pleased to share that Old Rochester Regional School District and MA Superintendency Union #55 students recently participated in a Project 351 workshop.
On Wednesday, October 16, 175 district student leaders attended a Project 351 workshop at ORRHS, where they participated in various community service and leadership activities. The workshop included high school, junior high school, and elementary school students who met for about two hours each.
District staff who attended included Superintendent Nelson, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Shari Fedorowicz, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Jaime Curley, Principal Devoll, ORRJHS Principal Silas Coellner, Sippican Elementary School Assistant Principal Greg Thomas, Old Hammondtown School Principal Stephanie Wells, Rochester Memorial School Social Worker Sharon Cruz, Sippican School Adjustment Counselor Rebecca Densberger, and School Psychologist for Center and Old Hammondtown Schools Joy Titcomb.
The day began with students bringing donations for hurricane relief in partnership with the Tri-Town Nurses and contributing pairs of socks to support the ORRHS Community Service Learning Club’s “Socktober.”
After introductions and engaging icebreakers led by Molly Wronski, Olivia Thompson, and Quinn Chisholm, students explored the idea of “energy givers and takers” in relation to leadership. They also discussed Daniel Coyle’s “Good Apple” experiment from his book “The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups.”
“Students could participate in dynamic scenario discussions and group reflections using the Project 351 and Celtics Playbook,” said Director of Guidance Lauren Millette. “I was thoroughly impressed with the in-depth discussions students were taking part in and how they were able to think critically about real-world issues using their own experiences as a guide.”
The Celtics Playbook Initiative seeks to leverage the power of sport and, more specifically, the appeal of the Celtics to engage students on critical issues. The program features a series of workshops for students in grades 4-12 in an effort to build a community-oriented environment.
The idea of the Playbook was born out of the theory that if athletes are able to prepare for difficult game-time decisions by studying and practicing plays, this strategy could also work in everyday scenarios. Thus, if students prepare themselves before the situation arises, they will be ready to confront bias and discrimination. This led to the publication of a “social playbook” taking the form of 25 scenarios written and edited by middle school students with the goal of creating conversation and offering methods for students to safely intervene when witnessing acts of injustice from a bystander’s perspective.
The workshop concluded by introducing the students to Kaizen, which is the idea of continuous improvement and is a mantra in the Celtics’ locker room. Students implemented this mindset by reflecting on their personal growth throughout the day.
“I think that I am in a better position to be a leader because of this workshop today, and I can use tools I learned to help me in everyday situations,” said seventh-grade student Riley Sickel. “I might take more time thinking about what I say or do in a group; and if I am taking energy from the group, I’ll try harder to bring more positive energy. I can also pay closer attention to situations where I could help lead and find solutions to a problem.”
“The ability to stop, think critically, and reflect on potential solutions for real-world problems is an essential skill that will continue to serve our students well beyond the classroom,” Superintendent Nelson said. “I commend our dedicated staff for facilitating these discussions, and I thank our student leaders for their impact on our school community.”