Three things I'm thankful for

Chuck Norris - Chuck Norris has brought me many laughs over the years. His well-groomed ginger beard served as inspiration for my own. As much as I am thankful for Chuck Norris, I am even more thankful for Bruce Lee, who soundly defeated Norris in "Enter the Dragon," thus ending the debate over who is the greatest fighter of all time. As you can see, my admiration for Chuck Norris is not 100 percent heartfelt, yet I am still thankful for his witticisms.

Our dog Alyza - This summer my wife and I adopted a rescue puppy from Mississippi. She's a mutt, a mix of a variety of breeds, which could include beagle, American foxhound, golden retriever, and yellow lab. We won't know for sure until we get her a DNA test. Alyza is now about seven months old, and has A LOT of energy. She's helped motivate me to be more active and get outside for a jog or walk in the woods.

The Game of Thrones series - I am currently reading "Clash of Kings," the second book in the Game of Thrones series. It's a richly detailed fantasy epic taking place in medieval times. The book features a variety of fascinating characters and creatures, including White Walkers and baby dragons. The image here is of Arya Stark, a sassy young girl whose deft swordplay is enviable.

Narrowing the focus

Earlier this month, the Advisory students got into two groups to focus on their two chief priorities at this point in the year. The first involves doing a November fundraiser called "Turkeygrams," where for $1 students will be able to send a message - along with some treats - to other students in the school. Today, the students are expected to work out some of the details regarding what the Turkeygrams will look like, what they'll contain, when they'll sell them, how they'll advertise them, etc.

Our second Advisory group is interested in creating a public service announcement. Last time they discussed potential topics. The top two were the dangers of texting and driving and proper hallway etiquette. Today they are expected to choose one of those topics and begin storyboarding their PSA.

Image from Positive Psychology News Daily, accessed 10/26/11

Charting a course

On our first "real" Advisory meeting of the year (9/15/11), students broke into five groups and discussed some goals and objectives for our Advisory group. They included the following:

* Doing a community service project
* Arranging an educational field trip to a local museum or similar venue
* Scheduling a tour of one of the local colleges
* Creating a public service announcement on an issue important to high school students
* Organizing a fundraiser for a charitable or non-profit organization

After generating ideas, the students presented their ideas and weighed the pros and cons.

This year, the activities in our Advisory will be based around the following four themes:

1) Academic and Extracurricular Achievement, 2) Citizenship and Community, 3) Personal Responsibility, 4) Effective Communication


Image from Food Storage And Beyond, accessed 10/26/11