Listen to Episode 63 on Jam.ai here
This weekend, I turned to my oldest daughter for support, something that I have done with increasing frequency as she has entered adulthood. While she has many strengths, I had noticed over the last couple of years that she has one superpower that is particularly helpful for me – she’s an amazing gift giver. Lily has a knack for knowing what type of gift will make someone feel seen and loved, and a recognition that the best gifts are not necessarily the most expensive gifts, but the most personalized gifts. And, lucky for me, she is really good at helping me identify great gifts for my wife Carla.
I was thinking about this Tuesday night as I was watching our 8th graders during the Impact Summit, the culmination of the Social Impact & Leadership project with the Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship. The night started with students standing next to a poster which outlined their project – the topic that mattered to them and the work they had done to make a difference. Then, we had the three students who provided welcoming remarks in three different languages – English, Spanish, and Mandarin, not just “Welcome and good evening” in three different languages, by the way, but extended speeches that outlined what SIL is and how it had been meaningful to them. Student presentations around campus followed, and we then culminated with four students sharing their presentations with the entire group.
Throughout, I was struck by how this project provided multiple opportunities for students to do something that mattered to them and to tap into one of their superpowers.
The student speeches were one example.
Then there was the student who is a passionate gamer who designed a game connected to veterans.
Or the student who has had concussions, and now had an opportunity to not only learn more about it, but provide guidance to our school and others about protocols and procedures that are helpful for students moving forward.
And the student who is helping us design and deliver a mental health week, something that has been critical to his own growth and has allowed him to shine in conversations with adults and the broader community as he authentically spoke to a piece of his own experience.
The list goes on and on.
These projects, like so much of what we do at Hillbrook, helps students discover who they are and allows them to both tap into their innate superpowers and passions and push themselves to do hard things and grow. It is, in the end, arguably the most important thing we do as a school. It’s a gift, one that keeps on giving as they go into high school, college and beyond. And, it is something that rarely happens at most schools, particularly as students get into middle school and high school. For my money, it’s the most important gift a student – or any person – can receive.