Thank you to Sarah Kolkman, Instructor, for writing today's blog.
Hebrews 10:24 – “And let us
consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” NIV
The FISH!
Philosophy is inspired by a group of fishmongers from Seattle’s Pike Place Fish
Market. Pikes Place is known for its fun style of business. They
toss fish around as if they were footballs! Throwing fish is obviously
hard work, but despite the cold and harsh conditions, Pikes Place has found a
way to harness a positive attitude and have fun at work. This team is a
great example of how you can create a positive atmosphere and workplace that
encourages people to do their best and work well as a team.
FISH! has four
unique and applicable principles:
1.
Be
There
2.
Make
Their Day
3.
Play
4.
Choose
Your Attitude
At Shepherds College we put the FISH! principles into
action! As part of our Winter Student Retreat, students experienced FISH!
in a very REAL and engaging way. Through acting activities, teambuilding
games, and even some tasty treats, Shepherds College had a fun, “fishy”
retreat.
Be There: Students learned to focus, listen and even empathize
with others, such as not texting and talking at the same time. When you are
talking to someone, they need all of you. Setting aside distractions to be
fully present is a sign of respect. It improves communication and strengthens
relationships.
A local acting company, First Stage, visited Shepherds College
and led several activates that helped illustrate “Be There” to
students. Working in groups, students described personal positive traits,
focused on positive memories, and sculpted scenarios which demonstrated “I am”
statements.
Make Their Day:
Students learned to keep it simple. It can start
with smiling at someone you don’t know very well. Turn an everyday encounter
into a pleasant experience for someone. Kindness, patience and thoughtfulness
will be returned. Simple gestures of thoughtfulness, thanks and
recognition make people feel appreciated and valued. When you make someone else
feel good, you feel good too.
First Stage also led
exercises on trust, teamwork, and communication. Students worked together
to complete various tasks using their teamwork and communication skills.
They also learned that making someone's day is in the little things we can do
every day!
Play: Work made fun gets things done! Play is not about
games or toys; it is about your state of mind. Be creative in your problem
solving. Encourage people to think outside the box. How can everyday tasks be
made fun and challenging? Play energizes you and the people around you.
Ms. Eakley and Mrs. Anderson led activates that involved a lot
of fun and a lot of play. Students were able to demonstrate creative
problem solving in a farm challenge, energize those around them in a game of
balloon volleyball, and create their own personal fish tank to take home with
them as a reminder to enjoy the day and to simply play!
Choose Your Attitude: If
you look for negativity you will be sure to find it. Students learned to
empower themselves to respond to challenges and problems in a constructive and
positive way. When you get dressed every morning, ‘put on’ your attitude.
When you get up, decide who you want to "be" today. Ask yourself
throughout the day, "What is my attitude right now? Is it helping or
hurting the people around me? " Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth
catching?
Mrs. Cyr and Mrs. Kolkman led students in the Choose Your
Attitude session. Students experienced different situations where they
needed to turn a negative attitude into a positive attitude in order to
complete different tasks. Students competed in a marshmallow chopstick
race and acted out different attitude emotions (both positive and negative).
When asked what they learned throughout the teaching sessions,
students provided very insightful and positive responses:
First year Samantha: “I learned that you can choose to
have a good day or a bad day”
First year Mykal: “Choose your attitude, make a choice. Do
the right thing. Be on time. Be there.”
First year Jonathan: “I learned about myself and about my
attitude and how you can choose to do right or wrong”
First year Amy: “Be positive and brighten someone’s day”
Second year Joey: “You can make someone’s day by helping them”
Second year Willetta: “I learned how to grow in a community with
others and have fun at the same time”
Third
year Kati: “I enjoyed the
different activities. My favorite activity was the mirror which taught us to be
there for people. The other activity I enjoyed was the trust game where one
person was peanut butter and the other was jelly. One person had their eyes
closed and the other person guided them across the gym. This taught us to
trust one another so we could get the job done and it taught a us how to be nice
to one another. “
After all the fun and games of our teaching sessions, students
continued the fun with a collaborative banquet dinner with Shepherds
Ministries, served by our very own Culinary Arts students and decorated
by our very own Horticulture students. Students ate and mingled and
continued learning about the FISH! theme by competing in different games such
as “Fish in the Movies” and “Beach Volleyball.”
Dean of
Education, Angela Houk, commented on the service roles our students provided for
the banquet dinner: “I enjoyed
seeing how the students put into practice the third principle of Appropriate
Independence - empowered to serve. The students served Catalyst clients as
they prepared food, served the meal, and cleaned up from the dinner. It
was a great time of both being part of a community and fun. It's great to see
students having fun while serving others.”
On Friday, students got a real treat. We spent the entire
day at Shedd Aquarium! The highlights of the visit were a 4D movie and an
Aquatic show.
To top it all off, Giordonas Pizza was our dinner
destination. It was a delectable, deep-dish treat for our staff and
students who were able to attend!
First year NeeDow: “Shedd aquarium was great because I
got to see different kinds of fish. I learned a lot about what kinds of fish we
have in this world. “
Second year Olya: “What I enjoyed the most about the retreat was
getting to know the first years a little bit more”
Second year Abby: “I liked the different themes because they
apply to our everyday life”
Throughout the retreat students put the four FISH! principles
(Be There, Make Their Day, Play, and Choose Your Attitude) into action in order
to build stronger relationships with their peers and their community.
Just like the fishmongers from Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market, students and
staff enjoyed turning hard work into a fun and positive experience!
FISH! Resource
First Stage Acting Group
Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.
