Same Ole Prom...NOPE!4/27/2015 Just as sometimes life can become mundane and predictable, year after year Proms follow the same format; arrive, eat, socialize, dance, take pictures, coronation, more pictures, dance some more, even more pictures, the end. In addition to the scheduled events, inevitably there will be some drama between boyfriend and girlfriend, a dress will rip, somebody won't feel good, and someone always forgets their photo order form and has to go back out to their car with an administrative escort. But #milfordsoar prom 2k15 wasn't mundane and will forever be etched in the minds of those that attended for all the right reasons! You only need to watch about 30 seconds of this video to get the point...Miami hat and all. You will want to watch the entire video as these boys are killin' it on the dance floor!
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It is no secret that I love 90's music. From Bon Jovi, to Onxy, to 98º the 1990's provided society with an eclectic mix of tunes everyone could enjoy. And regardless of the decade in which you grew up, you feel a certain connection to the music of your childhood as it stirs up an emotional mix of memories which hopefully bring a smile to your face. (I wrote out the power of music which can be found HERE) I recently fell down the YouTube rabbit hole of bad, but amazingly awesome 90's music videos. When I came across the sometimes forgotten classic "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim something caught my attention and no it wasn't the amazing dance moves performed by the "Torrance Community Dance Group." Whether you've seen the video or not, take 3:47 to put a smile on your face before you continue reading. What did you notice? Or more importantly, what didn't you notice? Although the late 90's was a time of great technological advancements, we were still five or more years away from the camera phone and almost 10 years away from the smart phone revolution. If you focus on the audience members you see that they aren't digging in their purses or pockets to snap a picture of this "historic" event or send a witty text or snap to a friend. Instead, they are enjoying the moment and letting the moment be what it is. In this day and age of constant communication, we are all too quick to take a picture, record a short video, tweet, snap, instragram, etc [insert your favorite social media outlet]. I admit I am guilty of trying to document many of the mundane and irrelevant happenings in life. What if instead of reaching for our phone every time we see something that is neat, cool, or makes us laugh, we instead take a moment to truly enjoy the moment and let it be what it should be. Memories can be made at any time or place. But what part of the memory do we miss out on by trying to get the perfect shot or waiting for the perfect moment to hit record? So the next time you reach for your phone to take another picture of your meal, snap the 400th photo of your 3rd grader shooting a free throw, send a text to your friend about how they "have" to see the sunset, take a moment to enjoy the moment for what it is...a moment. Random Acts of Kindness3/11/2015 Being an educator involves much more than teaching students about math, science, welding, or music. Educators are responsible for developing the whole child and teaching them to become responsible, productive adults with a world view. This "other" curriculum can be just as important as teaching equations or learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs.
Starting on Monday, March 16, the MHS Student Council is challenging the student body to grow as an individual not only in the classroom but through their kindness and generosity. Students will be participating in "Random Acts of Kindness" Bingo. All students will receive a game card (see below) and once they complete a Kindness Bingo they will turn their card into the office. At the end of the 10 days, the class that has the most Bingos will receive an open campus. The BINGO game is intended to not only challenge students to do nice things for each other, but it is also a lesson in honesty and trustworthiness. I am excited to see our students step up to the plate and work towards improving their school and community. What's Your Heritage? 3/1/2015 As a lifelong Nebraskan, there are certain aspects of living here that make me proud to call myself a Nebraskan. Growing up in this fine state, I was able to enjoy quiet evenings riding my bike all over Osmond (population 750) with my friends, a Husker football game every Saturday in the fall, the occasional winter blizzard and the subsequent sledding that would follow, and spending time on both of my grandparents' farms helping feed cattle, vaccinating pigs, throwing bails of hay, or just going for a ride in the tractor. However, it wasn't until recently I became aware of how deep my roots are planted in Nebraska. My sister, Melanie Olson, has been working on a genealogy project tracing the roots of our ancestors on each side of the family. I had known that my Grandpa Bloomquist's farm has been in the family since 1899 just south of the small, but tough, town of Magnet in Northeast Nebraska. What I didn't realize, is that I am a decedent of homesteaders who helped build Nebraska. The recently uncovered passage, which was written by my Great Great Grandfather, outlines the hardships the early settlers faced when homesteading here on the plains. "They had a great many heartbreaking and backbreaking times in their first years here, as they had very little to work with and few conveniences...But schoolhouses were built and churches were established through all the hardships, and these staunch men and women worked and lived and died, helping to settle this beautiful state of Nebraska and we should all be proud to be descendants of such sturdy pioneers."--S.M. (Mack) Switzer, c. 1900 Reading this passage not only makes me proud of Mack and his family, who took a chance moving from Pennsylvania to homestead on land that was unknown and unseen, but also of the countless other families who toiled on 160 acres of free government land. Today, March 1, Nebraska's Statehood Day, take a moment to reflect upon our ancestors who not only wanted better for themselves, but a better life for their descendants.. The Palmer Family Homestead--Gandy, NE c. 1892
#LunchDuty Challenge--Two Weeks In2/21/2015 A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog post encouraging lunch room supervisors to use those 30 minutes each day to build relationships with kids. If you haven't read it, you can find it by clicking HERE. Well, I am proud to say that two weeks into the challenge it has been a huge success at #milfordsoar. This past week our assistant principal and I held a paper airplane contest with each day being a different challenge for students. The hope was that students would take the time to explore the different ways to make airplanes and also choose the design that would work best for each day. The challenge on Tuesday was to get it through the hoop. Wednesday was how far you could throw it and Thursday was how long the airplane would stay in the air. It was fun seeing the students compete in a contest that was merely designed to have some fun (and build relationships). This week's challenge is to each lunch with a different table each day and get to learn your students' stories. I would also encourage your staffs to eat in the lunch room as well and get to know their students in a different way. Who knows, eating lunch with the students might become the norm. The following is pictures and videos of the past two weeks at Jr High Lunch at #milfordsoar.
The Lunch Duty Challenge2/5/2015 As educators there are many things that we either “get” to do or “have” to do each day. I hope that you have more “gets” on your list than “have” tos. Many times our attitude will dictate our approach to various situations, “get to” or “have to.”
I know as an administrator, one of the these situations many if not all administrators have placed in front of them daily is Lunch Duty. Those that have been on the front lines of this momentous 30 minutes that happens each day know that getting 150 young adolescents feed without a major catastrophe (spilling a slushie) is a victory in itself. Some days you “get” to mop up the slushie spill, while other days you are tracking kids down to finish homework, getting students to club meetings, reminding others they owe lunch money, or even consoling a student whose girlfriend just broke up with them in front of “THE ENTIRE CLASS.” (Que over dramatic 13 year old voice) However daunting this task may seem, lunch duty does provide an opportunity that only comes around once a day. Lunch is the only time that we have all students, in the same room, at the same time. It allows for many opportunities that can greatly enhance relationship building amongst yourself and the students as well as building a strong culture in your building. This hit me like a slap to the face a couple of weeks ago when talking with a seventh grader during a 12 and under softball practice. Practice had ended and we were waiting for parents to come and pick up their daughters. I am not quite sure how the subject of lunch was brought up but one of the girls asked me when I was going to eat lunch with her at her table. Now, I eat breakfast about once a week with a group of kids in the cafeteria but I don’t think I have ever eaten lunch with a group of kids, but why not? Why haven’t I taken the opportunity to sit down and get to know my students’ story even better? After thinking about it for a couple seconds I promised her I would sometime soon, as long as I was still invited. When I got home, I began to think about this more and how everyday I definitely “get” the opportunity to spend 30 minutes with 150 kids. While they can be loud and obnoxious at times, they are just trying to burn off some of that pent up energy they have from being in class all morning. So I began to ask myself “Why.” Why can’t this time be used to build better relationships with kids? Why can’t we have structured activities to get them excited about being in the school building? How can we use this time to continue to develop our school culture? The answer is we can! I have developed a schedule of activities to take place each week from now until April that will take place at MHS during Jr High Lunch. I would like to challenge other administrators or lunch duty supervisors to take the challenge with me. None of the tasks are time consuming or even financially burdensome. All of these activities are intended to build relationships with students and staff. You may have some of your own ideas or activities you already do. Please share with everyone and who knows what this might grow into, but mainly just have fun! Also, please use the hashtag #lunchduty so we can see what awesome educators are doing across the country with kids during their lunch period. February 9-13--Take a selfie with a group of kids each day February 16-20--Paper airplane contest, more information to come. February 23-27--Eat lunch with a group of students and learn their story March 2-6--Host a trivia contest March 9-13--Play music March 16-20--Encourage staff members to eat with students March 23-27--Join in a four-square/hacky sack game April/May--TBD Preparing Kids For What?2/2/2015 I recently came across the following article from the website www.vintage.es titled, "10 Jobs That No Longer Exist Today." The article intrigued me for two reasons. First, I love old photographs. There is something about an old black and white photo that makes me imagine what "yesteryear" was like. Secondly, it got me hypothesizing about what caused the extinction of these jobs? Why are ice cutters, lamp lighters, human alarm clocks and pin setters no longer needed? What innovations and technologies were developed that killed off these professions? As I pondered these thoughts my mind quickly shifted to education and our responsibility as educators to prepare students for the jobs of the future. What are we currently teaching that is no longer needed or obsolete? What jobs are we preparing students for that will be extinct in 5, 10, 25 years? Just as "Pre-Radar Listeners for Enemy Aircraft" seems somewhat ridiculous and absurd by today's standards; bank tellers, travel agents, and newspaper delivery boys/girls will be equally as obscure to our children or grandchildren. As educators, we have a responsibility to ensure we are preparing students for life beyond high school, Whether students plan on attending college, joining the armed forces, or entering the work force we need to ensure they have the skills to be successful and productive citizens. However, how do we prepare students for jobs that don't yet exist? Just because we don't have a crystal ball to see what specific jobs will be available to our students doesn't mean we can't give them the skills they will need to take on the challenges of the real world. Problem solving, communication, creativity, and critical thinking (21st century skills) are vital skills for a successful career regardless if you are a log driver of the past or a nanoentoplastoncologiest (completely made up job) of the future. However, we also need to be cognizant of what is out there being developed. Relying on the adage, "That's the way we've always done it" will no longer suffice. We must challenge our students to be creative and think outside the box, while no longer force them to sit in a seat for 47 minutes a day hoping they learn through a lecture only. Students need to be engaged in their learning and allowed opportunities to explore their true passions. Who says the next award winning nanoentoplastonocologiest isn't sitting in your classroom right now. Hand drawn architectural plan of the 1936 addition to Milford High School. Courtesy of the MPS archives.
Think Like a Six Year Old12/1/2014 How many times have we as adults failed to look at alternatives to the way we perceive things should or ought to be done? I know that I am guilty of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it mentality" at times. We have been conditioned to stick to the status quo for the sake of risking failure or even worse, embarrassment. This past week my son, who is six, taught be a very valuable lesson in thinking outside the box and breaking the mold of how we think things should be done. Zephyr is really into "inventing" things around the house. This obsession has also led to a need to "hoard" objects for his inventions, but that is for another blog post. With last weekend being an extended weekend, I thought I would take him to the hardware store and pick up some materials to build a homemade flashlight. Being a former shop teacher, I had done this project with my students numerous times and had a pretty good plan for what I thought we needed to accomplish the task. Driving into Lincoln, Zephyr and I discussed what we would need for the flashlight and I tried to explain how electricity works, which may have been a little over the head of a kindergartener. I soon realized that my thinking was too narrow minded and possibly stifling the creative process and Zephyr's imagination. Once we arrived at Menards, I began by going to the electrical isle. While I picked out wire, Zephyr ran off and was looking at random electrical parts. He would hold up a random object and say, "this could be the body" or "how about this for a handle?" I initially told him no because "I knew how to build a flashlight". However, after about the fifth time of me telling him this, I realized he was right, all of these random pieces could be used to build a different and maybe better flashlight. Soon Zephyr's enthusiasm grew with me telling him what part of the flashlight we needed and him finding something that would work. From a doorbell as the on/off switch to a funnel to hold the light, his mind was racing, and my pride growing as my six year old was allowing his mind to take us both places I would have never dreamed. Zephyr didn't know any different. He didn't analyze every detail. He just allowed his mind to think creatively and have fun! On my way home, I realized that too many times we limit what we can do by not allowing ourselves to think outside the box and try something new. It took the creative mind of a six year old to open my eyes and remind me that it isn't always about the end result but the process we take to get there. Where is Home?11/24/2014 “The land belongs to the future, Carl; that's the way it seems to me. How many of the names on the county clerk's plat will be there in fifty years? I might as well try to will the sunset over there to my brother's children. We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it--for a little while.”
― Willa Cather, O Pioneers! As I was leaving the Pinnacle Bank Arena and the State Volleyball Tournament last Friday night, I came across part of the quote above from the famous Nebraskan Author Willa Cather, which was artistically displayed in the large foyer. Being a Nebraskan my whole life, I shamefully admit I had never heard this quote from arguably the greatest author to ever call Nebraska home. As my wife and I drove away, something struck a cord with me and the quote has lingered in my head ever since. Where do we truly call home? I am not a Milford native. I did not grow up here or even in the area. I have no family here (except my own) and prior to 2002 I had no connection to this place. The only thing I knew about Milford, prior to that time, was that in the mid 90's they had a really good football team. Fortunately for me, I hit the jackpot when I landed my first job. Back in 2002, I didn't know that the future would hold for me and my young family. I was newly married and our daughter Calyn was a month old when we moved into a small apartment on Fairway Drive. At the time, Milford was just a place to live for at least a year. I figured I would give this teaching thing a try and if something better came along I would be willing to entertain the thought of moving on. Also, my wife was student teaching that fall and we didn't know what opportunities might present themselves to us. But sometime during those first years something special happened, we fell in love with this place. Milford has become home. It is where we have chosen to go to church, buy a house, and ultimately raise a family. I believe in what this school and community offers for us. Milford is a community that rallies around its school and offers support to the students, families, and patrons in too many ways to count. It is a small town with conservative views, while providing "big town" opportunities with Lincoln only 20 miles to the East. I feel as if my family and I "own" it, or at least a small part of it on 6th street. As Cather said so eloquently, "We come and go, but the land is always here." Fifty years from now, I can almost guarantee a Mowinkel will be hard to find in Milford. Just as I don't have any real connection to the hometowns of my grandparents (Brunswick, Gretna, Magnet, or Elkhorn), my descendants will most certainly have no other connection to Milford except that I once lived here. But that's ok. Hopefully, they too will find a place they can grow to love and enjoy and most importantly call home, at least "for a little while." What's Your Story?11/6/2014 Last week I was fortunate to set out on a journey (of sorts) and attend the Storyline Conference held in Chicago. Prior to attending the conference I knew one thing was for certain, I would probably know absolutely none of the other 1800 people in attendance. Being somewhat of an introvert, at least in these types of situations, was going to be an obstacle I needed to overcome if I wanted to get the most out of my conference experience and more importantly not become the guy who sits in the back row and only observes. What I soon came to realize is that regardless of where we are from, the situations we are in, the experiences we have, or the path we have taken to get here, we all have a story and these stories are worth telling.
Storyline far exceeded my expectations, providing the attendees with many great inspirational speakers and experiences intended to help one reflect upon their own life's story. From the film festival, to the opening sessions, the concerts, the keynotes, and writer's workshop; I was able to gain a better understanding of who I am, the story I have lived, and how I can write a better story moving forward. While all of these experiences proved valuable, what I enjoyed most was the opportunity to listen and learn about the stories of so many people, from varied backgrounds and with a myriad of experiences. As I left the conference on Saturday, I realized that I was not only saying goodbye to four great days of learning and reflection, but also to many amazing people I know I would never see again face to face. While many of these newly formed friendships can live on through our interactions on Twitter and Facebook, the possibility of sitting down for a meal or chatting about our latest ventures over a cup of coffee is unrealistic. I truly thank all of those people that took to the time to ask the most popular question of the conference, "What's your story" and allow me to share my story with them. Hopefully, my story struck a chord with somebody because I know I was inspired by all of yours. Thanks again to the following people for taking the time to talk to a stranger from Nebraska and share your story with me. Brandon--The carpenter and Young Life leader from Denver Rick--Youth Counselor from Michigan Ben--World renowned Opera singer from Toronto Terri and Catherine--Two amazing women from Grand Rapids, Michigan Brian and Betsy--Youth Pastor and stay at home mother of five from Worthington, MN Robbie--Educational consultant from Indiana Ester-Writer from Berlin Erika--Writer/Blogger from New York City The new parents from Chicago, originally from Aurora, Nebrasaka Brandon MowinkelMilford Jr/Sr High Principal Archives
May 2024
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