#CCMSChat

About 18 months ago, I tried my first Twitter chat.  I had watched for a couple months, followed some school leaders and chat moderators to see what they were doing on Twitter.  I started slowly with following chats but not participating.  Then, one Sunday night, I decided that I was going to participate--introduce myself, respond to questions, reply to others, and put myself out there.  It was very intimidating.  Twitter chats are fast-paced, succinct thoughts (at the time, using only 140 characters), and exciting to follow.  It was my introduction to professional development on Twitter, and I was HOOKED! 

This professional development idea started with a book--How Full Is Your Bucket?--to get some staff members thinking about growing our culture.  (Not that our culture is bad--it's not.  It is good.  It is very good...But how can we make it better?!  Culture can ALWAYS get better!)  How Full Is Your Bucket? embodies the ideas of being positive, taking care of each other, celebrating successes, recognizing the "good" in our students, staff, and school, ADDING to people's buckets, and taking our culture to the next level.

In a Twitter chat a few weeks ago, one of the last questions was how we could improve professional development.  My response:  Try to have our next book club do a Twitter chat...A response from a colleague in the chat:  Don't try--do it!  :)  Well, that sounded like a challenge to me...So, two days later (the Monday morning following that chat), I e-mailed the teachers who were reading How Full Is Your Bucket?, and I asked them if they would be willing to try a Twitter chat. 

So tonight, we had our first #CCMSChat on Twitter.  Eight teachers and I spent about 35 minutes online sharing ideas, replying to each other, talking about a GREAT book that can have IMMEDIATE impact on our students, school, and culture.  We answered questions while sharing personal experiences, creative ideas, and plans for making a difference in our school.  It was AWESOME! 

I am a little addicted to professional development on Twitter.  It is energizing; it is exciting; it is positive; it is networking and learning; it is connecting and building relationships.  As educators we are #BetterTogether!  What better way to connect with people ALL OVER THE WORLD?!  Tonight was special because it was professional development in a format that I really enjoy with people who I consider my #FalconFamily!  I love our school and our staff, and I am so excited to keep learning with them--in school and on Twitter--as we look at professional development in a fun, engaging new way!   

What is Falcon Pride?

I am writing this post after three days of coordinating and proctoring state assessments in ELA.  It has been a long week for the students, staff, and administration.  But, this long week has proven  something that I already knew...We work in such a remarkable place with amazing students and a wonderful staff!  It seems like the theme of my blog keeps coming back to culture...But, the bottom line:  Culture is a huge part of what leaders do.  Culture is the foundation at the heart of an organization--in my case, an incredible middle school. 

What did I learn this week?  All year, we have been talking about grit.  How do you persevere through adversity?  How do you dig deep to see what you are really made of?  How can you pick yourself up when it would be easier, and maybe safer, to stay down?  What makes us tick?  This week, I have witnessed a LOT of grit--from our students and staff.  There is nothing easy or fun about hours of testing.  But, our students and staff have a LOT of Falcon Pride. 

So, what is Falcon Pride?  To me, Falcon Pride is coming together as a CommUNITY; it is having each other's backs; it is caring for each other; it is teamwork; it is representing Cedar Crest Middle School in a way that reflects positively; it is showing kindness and compassion; it is working toward a common goal; it is selfless toward the betterment of others; it is the essence of being a Cedar Crest Falcon.

We have spent this year branding our school.  Every day, teachers are using social media--our biggest platforms being Twitter and Instagram--to tell our stories, brand our school and offer examples of Falcon Pride!  We have school and team hashtags, lists and groups to follow...Our staff has been phenomenal in their efforts to brand our school!  The parent engagement, the student engagement, the growing PLNs--all incredible!  Better than I could have imagined in my wildest dreams!  I am so proud of our staff for telling our stories and involving our families and CommUNITY in what makes Cedar Crest so special! 

As we close out this week, I am thoughtful about how proud I am of our students and staff.  I am proud of their grit, effort, preparation, and persistence.  I am grateful to be part of a wonderful school where we care for each other and look out for one another.  I am grateful to be a Cedar Crest Falcon. 

CCMS is FTK: Mini-THON 2018

Mini-THON...What greater lesson can we teach our students than the importance of being part of a community that takes care of each other?  As I reflect on our Mini-THON--still excited about the great evening we had, still humming "Angels Among Us" to myself--I can't help but smile.  What an incredible night of friendship, laughter, dancing, activities, and CommUNITY--all united for one purpose:  to find a cure for childhood cancer.

Our Mini-THON captures the essence of what it means to be a member of the Falcon Family at Cedar Crest.  It is an opportunity to share, collaborate, create, and enjoy each other.  We embrace our Four Diamonds Families--who are members of our school and community.  We hear their stories, applaud their courage, admire their strength, and become cheerleaders in their fight against childhood cancer!  All of the conflict, distractions, and outside influences disappear for one night.  But, Mini-THON is so much more than one night at CCMS.  It is student-led and student-driven...It is important to our students and staff...It is personal. 

How do we know that Mini-THON is an important part of our culture?  It's a community event.  More than 300 students and two-thirds of our staff stay after school--well into the night--to raise money and awareness.  The students look forward to Mini-THON, are fantastic all evening, and talk about it for days afterward.  From the stations to the luminary walk to the dance party and the excitement of the reveal, there just are not words to describe the meaning, relevance, and emotion of the evening.  There is very little more powerful than seeing 400 people linked arm in arm in a gym singing together, crying together, and caring for each other in an emotionally charged moment.

Mini-THON is not about a number...But, it is amazing to reflect and think that Cedar Crest Middle School raised $30,796.48 FOR THE KIDS this year and $235,865.57 over the last 9 years!

Events like this are not possible without the amazing leadership of our Mini-THON committee members, chairpeople, and advisors.  To all of the students who plan this evening for us--a huge thank you for your time, efforts, and dedication to this cause.  To the advisors who give so much time to our Mini-THON--We are grateful.  This night is a tremendous amount of work; it is time, energy, and commitment given to your students, colleagues, and community.  We appreciate all that you do, how you model CommUNITY, and how you champion this amazing cause!  Mrs. Rodkey, Mr. Wojdyla, Mr. Truex, Mrs. Glassford, Mrs. McDaid, and Mr. Gundrum--Thank you.  To all of the adults who chaperoned our event, ran our stations, and volunteered their time:  We could not do this without your help!

Proud to say that CCMS is FTK!