Session Summaries: LUHS Freshman/Sophomore Group, Spring '06
ILI Home


Session Calendars

Maps and key to acronyms



Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2006-2007
Freshmen & Sophomores LUHS Activity Period
December 13, 2006 Session #7

ILI Staff: Ernie St. Germaine, Matt White, Alice McFarlane.
 
Each student received a playing card when they came in today.  Matt gathered the students and told them to find one person in the group who had a card that was similar to theirs in some way.  Once they were in pairs, they shared a number of things with their partner, based on the number on their card.  The topic was ‘frustrating parts of school.’  Once the pairs had a chance to talk, we went around the circle and people shared one thing that their partner had said.  Some of the topics shared were: class subjects, people walking slow in the hallways and racist people in the school.  When it came back to Matt, he shared about graffiti he had seen in the restroom earlier today (totally unrelated to the graffiti that came to be the cause for today’s lockdown).  He asked the students what they do to overcome the negative messages that are sent their way.  One student said she proves them wrong, based on the stereotype they were using.  So instead of retaliating back on the person, she takes action to show that their misconceptions are inaccurate.  Matt shared that there will always be those people who seek to hurt others.  He told a story from his personal life of growing up in an area where people thought he talked funny and how the kids treated him.  He said that experience has left a mark on him.  We cannot avoid all of the hurt that comes our way, but we can think of ways to respond to it that will lessen the hurt.  We wrapped up by telling the students about the Christmas party that we will have next week with freshmen through seniors for ILI.

Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

Top of Page

Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2006-2007
Freshmen & Sophomores LUHS Activity Period
November 29, 2006 Session #6
 
ILI Staff: Ernie St. Germaine, Craig Kerr, Alice McFarlane
 
As the students walked in today, there were 7 letters on the floor (n,o,o,w, d,r,e), with the instructions to use all of the letters to spell one word.  They came up with some interesting new words.  The answer was to actually spell ‘one word’.  Shouts of ‘we got it’ went up as groups figured it out.

Our focus today was to prepare the students for the upcoming 4th and 5th grade ILI winter sessions.  We will meet with 4th graders next week.  Craig talked with the students about expectations for being a role model and mentor.  One of the students has been a mentor before, and she shared that whenever she would cross her legs, the grade school students copied her exactly.  A perfect example of how much the younger students want to be like the older ones, and the responsibility that each one has to set a good example.   We then played short versions of several games that we play with the 4th graders.  The goal was to teach and refresh the high school students on the activities so that they are better equipped as mentors.

Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

Top of Page

Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2006-2007
LUHS Freshman/Sophomore Meeting #4 Summary
November 8, 2006. LUHS school.
 
ILI Staff: Alice McFarlane, Bob Kovar, Craig Kerr, and Matt White
 
There were several puzzles spread around the room today as students came in for our meeting.  They formed small groups around the puzzles and tried to figure them out.  They were really into trying to solve the puzzles when we called time and they formed one big circle.  No team at that point had solved the puzzle. 
 
Matt handed out cards to all of the students.  The students were then told to go to two different groups base on what they had on their playing card.  These two groups then began the activity samurai tag.  This is an activity where all but one player stands in a circle with a peace of construction paper in the middle of the circle.  The one player is also in the middle with a noodle (half of a floating noodle use to float people in the pool or lake).  The player in the middle then challenges someone in the circle to a “duel”.  The player with the noodle then tries to drop the noodle on the paper and get back to the players spot he/she challenged.  If they make it back without getting tagged, then he/she stays and the challenged person now becomes “it”.  However, during this interaction anyone from around the circle can come into the middle, put their nose on the paper and say, “I challenge, I challenge, I challenge” and make it back to their spot without getting tagged gets one point.  If they get tagged, however, they lose all of their points and have to sit out of the game until allowed back in.
 
After the activity was over, both groups began a discussion to process the activity. We helped them see that this activity helped illustrate the concept of “risk”.  One of the groups talked about risks that could affect their lives: not turning in homework, drugs and alcohol, and fighting in school.  We talked about consequences of taking risks, both positive and negative. The group left with a challenge to take a “healthy risk” and become friends with someone who they would not expect to become friends with. One of the students in the ILI After School Leadership program told the group that she would not have made new friends in that class if she had not taken the risk to participate with those students.
 
Thirty minutes comes up fast, the bell rang and it was time to go back to classes.
 
Our next meeting will be on November 29th.

Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

Top of Page

Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2006-2007
LUHS Freshman/Sophomore Meeting #3 Summary
October 11, 2006. LUHS School.

ILI Staff: Matt White, Craig Kerr, Ernie St. Germaine, Bob Kovar
Community Guests: Wisconsin Department of Natural resources Diversity Team, Mary Roffers.
 
            Matt checked in students for attendance as they entered the multi-purpose room today. Craig had word puzzles laid out on the floor which students quickly gathered around to try and solve. We had some very special guests today, the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources has assembled a team ( 7 people) that is traveling around the state learning about the many cultures that live in Wisconsin to understand how they can better serve this segment of the public, as well as how to make the Department more representative through employment of the diverse public they serve. It is great to see this kind of commitment from such a large bureau-the realization that they need to address diversity in a significantly new way is to be applauded. These folks dove right into our groups today and participated in our activities with the students.
 
            We introduced everyone in the circle and reminded the students of the importance of the work they are doing by being in ILI. It is important for students to understand that others across the state truly value what they are doing and we told the students today that while they are participants most of the time, they are also teachers, and their sense of community does not go unnoticed. When groups like this come to visit and are really involved-it really makes the kids feel valued and important-as they should be.
 
            We gave each of the participants today a card (ace, king, queen) and then separated them into three groups accordingly. Each group had a tarp and were instructed by their facilitators to work as a group to accomplish three challenges. The first was everyone had to get under the tarp-without using their hands. The second was the group had to completely turn the tarp over while everyone was standing on the tarp. Finally, each group had to see how many times they could fold their tarp in half while they were all touching it.
 
            Each group processed the activity at the end of the session, talking about this could relate to their lives outside of ILI. At the end of the session as they were leaving, one boy said to another “I was a leader in my group today, what about you?” The other boy said “I was too but everyone had really good ideas”. These were from students who probably do not walk away from any other activity in school being able to say this and it really illustrates what ILI is all about.
 
            After the students left, we sat with the DNR group and talked for a long time about ILI, our approach and philosophy and began to brainstorm about a long list of opportunities for collaboration that we could pursue in the future: building a “green” building in the school forest; mentoring students to pursue careers in environmental protection (e.g. including Nicolet College, UW system); working in communities as “cultural satellites” where there could be a sincere dialogue between locally diverse cultures and the DNR; ILI providing professional development for DNR staff; and other really cool ideas! It was very uplifting for us to have these folks take the time to understand what we are trying to do with ILI as well as having the courage to take a long, hard, genuine look at what the DNR can do to improve their cultural competency and inclusiveness. They will eventually be making a set of recommendations to DNR administration as to steps they could be taking to reach their goals. Thank you to them for doing this and for being here today.

Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

Top of Page

Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2006-2007
LUHS Freshman/Sophomore Meeting #2 Summary
September 27, 2006

ILI Staff: Matt White, Craig Kerr, and Ernie St. Germaine

            Matt checked in students for attendance as they entered the multi-purpose room today. Craig had three sets of Jumbled Blocks laid out on the carpeted gymnastics floor and as the students came in, he invited them to go to any of the three sets and attempt to build the tallest structure. There were some very creative structures that were built.

            Matt then welcomed the students and asked for a show of hands of who would be interested in participating in the 4th or 5th grade ILI sessions in the future. Most of the students raised their hands and indicated an enthusiastic interest.  Matt placed a mark by their names on the sign-in sheet. A short Q & A was held about these sessions.

            Craig then lead the group activity by having the entire group form a large circle.  He then instructed them to look around the circle and without letting that person know, decide whom they know the least.  He then instructed them to locate the person they know the best. When he instructs them to “go” they are then to keep the person they know the least, in-between themselves and the person they know the best.  It was exciting to watch the group mill around, and run around trying to keep a certain person between themselves and another person with everyone working hard to accomplish the same task.  Craig then called out, “freeze!” Everyone stopped.  He then instructed them to place “Mr. Pointer” finger of their right hand gently upon the nose of the person they know the best.  Again, groups formed.  He then instructed them to place their left hand on the top of the head of the person they know the least. It was interesting to see that everyone was nearly linked together in one large group, fingers on noses and hands on heads.

            Craig then had everyone form a large circle again.  He had everyone go and fetch his or her right shoe. When they returned, he had them place their shoe in front of them. He began the next activity by saying, “Hi, my name is Craig. Have you ever…fallen asleep in class?” Anyone who has fallen asleep in class, then had to move from their shoe at least two places away to a vacant shoe.  That person who was left without a shoe, then had to come to the middle, say, “Hi, my name is…” and then ask, “Have you ever…?” and say something they have done and anyone who has done that, moves again to a new vacant shoe.  Have you ever been in Las Vegas? Have you ever been to Colorado? Have you ever worn blue jeans? Have you ever flipped over your handlebars? Finally, Craig had everyone pick up the shoe in front of him or her and then locate the owner of that shoe and discuss something they have in common.

            Craig had the students process the activity by discussing what they learned about other people today and about taking risks to know people they didn’t know very well before today.

            Matt then closed the ILI Session by reviewing the next Freshman/Sophomore meeting and reminding them to be thinking about attending the next 4th or 5th grade ILI sessions as mentors.

Next Fr./ So. ILI Session is Wednesday, October 11 during Home Room.


Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

Top of Page

Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2006-2007
LUHS Freshman/Sophomore Summary Meeting #1
September 13, 2006

ILI Staff: Craig Kerr, Matt White, Alice McFarlane, Ernie St. Germaine, Bob Kovar.

Today was our first day of meeting with the freshman and sophomores and the first time for this group of students to be together.  We stayed with our new format where students walk in to an activity that is already in progress. ILI staff marks off students names so we don’t have to waste time with the sign-up sheet. Today students walked into a great game of blob-tag, where once you get tagged you have to stay connected with those that tagged you. Our theme for today was ‘Connect’ which blob-tag illustrated really well. After a few minutes of this activity Craig had everyone come into the circle where he talked about the words that guide all of our sessions. He then talked about what ILI is about and welcomed students to the new year. The next activity was partner elbow tag where students where in groups of 4 connected people-when tagged two people had to run while connected. The group then came back into the circle where the activity was discussed. Alice then had two sheets of paper on the wall, one said “same” the other said “different” and she asked two students to come forward as recorders. She then asked the rest of the group to come up with words that described ILI in grade school as compared to ILI in high school. Engaging students as active learners was part of this exercise and students were tuned in. One of the most interesting comments was “same people and we all still get along”. Craig then moved the group into discussing what we will be doing this year and introduced the After School Leadership Program on Wednesdays and invited some current participants in that program to share what it is all about-one student said it helped “give me a second chance and helps me to make good decisions in my life.” Craig also talked about mentoring opportunities for the elementary ILI sessions and invited students to consider all of these options. We finished the day by handing out the yearly meeting schedule for this group. Its amazing how much we can pack in during 30 minutes!

Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

Top of Page