The entire JKHA seventh grade took part in a Book Day, an inspiring morning of activities to discuss, engage, reflect and extend their insights following their independent read of “The Way to Bea” by Kat Yeh.
“The Way to Bea” is the story of Bea, who is on a journey of self-discovery as she navigates the social landscape of middle school, stumbling along the way. As she comes to better understand herself, she also identifies ways that she can improve the greater community.
The JKHA program connected this message to the pasuk from Pirkei Avot “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, who am I? If not now, when?” (1:14) They spent the morning learning to recognize the superhero within everyone, reading the clues around them, and demonstrating that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The program, aimed at building productive communication within their community of students in order to achieve their greatest outcomes, opened with giving students three minutes to write instructions for making lemonade. When they tested out the resulting “recipes,” which featured instructions such as “put three lemons in a pitcher,” the concoctions were far from what the students expected. Through the laughs, the students understood that without clear communication, it is impossible to reach personal or collective goals or meet their potential. Armed with this new knowledge, the students gathered together and wrote new directions with specific, detailed instructions that helped them, as a group, make lemonade out of lemons.
Through activities, including a scavenger hunt, writing thematic haikus, making themselves into superheroes and solving mysteries, the students looked at the novel from different angles and were able to make personal connections to the themes of the book and the day.
The day ended with reflections to extend their newfound appreciation for their personal strengths to positively impact the community at large. After watching a short video about a man who harnessed his personal strengths to make the world a better place by making a Super Bowl party for some homeless individuals, each student took the final directive from the pasuk in Pirkei Avot: “If not now, when?” and identified a chesed opportunity for the grade to own in the coming school year. In eighth grade, one of these chesed projects will be chosen, enabling each student to shine as role models and leaders of the school.
