The Educator Academy’s first Culture Day closed out semester one for Cohort Three with a whole lot of love and care.
The day started off at Manual Career Technical Center with yoga led by Resident Ashley Cleveland, Zumba lead by The Educator Academy coach Erin Kautz, and a morning chat session to get Residents geared up for a long day of programming.
After a morning energizer and a session on Professionalism, The Educator Academy welcomed guest speaker Steffon Staley for a session on Trauma-Informed Care. Loaded with resources for both Residents and students, the session was interactive and allowed for plenty of Q&A throughout. Steffon’s expertise in psychology, behavior, and education proved to be exactly what Residents were hoping to get out of a packed development session.
Following the morning session, lunch was served. Lunch was provided by Residents and staff who contributed to a large pot luck spread. Everything from homemade pasta salad to a delectable bundt cake was on the table. During lunch, Resident James Taylor DJ’d the music that led to several Residents and staff members dancing into the afternoon.
After a fun lunch break, Continuum Manager Molly Wilson lead Residents and staff in a service project for Harvesters. Handmade greeting cards were constructed for Kansas City seniors receiving meals from the local nonprofit this holiday season. The creative juices were flowing and some cute food puns were used to spread cheer to seniors receiving the cards.
Before release, The Educator Academy Residents presented The Educator Academy staff with a thoughtful and amazing holiday gift given with love. Everyone pitched in to provide this gift and The Educator Academy staff couldn’t be more thankful. It always feels good to be recognized and appreciated.
To finish out the day, The Educator Academy Residents and staff headed over to Up Down, everyone’s favorite arcade bar in the KC Crossroads. There were some heated games of Pacman and lots of great conversations before everyone eventually took off for home.
For the first Culture Day, it was an overall success. Everyone contributed to create a unique and memorable experience, but if it weren’t for Leslie McTighe, The Educator Academy’s Director of Curriculum and Program, this day wouldn’t have been the success that it was. Thanks to everyone who participated and made all of this possible.
