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| YOU CAN LEARN!
He finished the assembly, like every other assembly in previous years, by having both students and teachers participate in the following Cougar Pledge. I will face the challenges before me. I will not run and hide. I know my teachers love me. They will always be by my side. But when it comes to my success, I must think, act, and show that I can handle anything new. Cougar CLAWS will always guide me. No more working to just get by. I will have Courage to Learn, Achieve, Win, and Succeed. And I will hold these CLAWS up high. Because when it comes to my success, There are things that I must do. I must think, act, and show that I can handle anything new.
Throughout the year, students who had contributed to the goals of the school were recognized with yellow plastic hard hats that they could wear to weekly challenge assemblies. Students also received construction paper bricks with their names printed on them each time they took a step—showing determination in the face of challenge, extending support to a struggling classmate, demonstrating mastery on a classroom assessment—that moved the school forward. Those bricks were collected at challenge assemblies and then placed on a large bulletin board in the main hallway of the school. Eventually, the bulletin board was filled with hundreds of bricks, and the assemblies became a sea of yellow hard hats. Those bricks and hard hats served as a visual reminder for the entire school community that by working together, Campbell Elementary students and staff really could create a brighter tomorrow, one brick at a time.
When I walk through these doors every day,
Why Is This Important to Learners?
My work will be done with pride.
In his seminal book Good to Great, organizational theorist Jim Collins (2001) makes a simple claim: The most successful companies always have a big, hairy, audacious goal (BHAG). To Collins (2001), a BHAG is “a huge and daunting goal—like a big mountain to climb. It is clear, compelling, and people get it right away. It serves as a unifying focal point of effort, galvanizing people and creating team spirit as people strive towards a finish line” (p. 202). President John F. Kennedy understood the inspirational power of BHAGs. He issued one on September 12, 1962, announcing that America would land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. That goal captured the imagination of the American people and pushed an entire nation to new heights together (Collins, 2001).
I will listen to what others have to say, And my dreams will not be denied. Because when it comes down to my success, There are things that I must do. I must think, act, and show that I can handle anything new. I WILL think, act, and show that I can handle anything new!
The building theme continued throughout the year at Campbell Elementary. To reconnect students to the purpose of the school, Tim held weekly challenge assemblies first thing every Monday morning. For Tim, those weekly assemblies were essential because they gave students the chance to see the role that they play in moving the mission and the vision of the school forward. What is more, weekly challenge assemblies turned affirmation of values and beliefs of the building into more than a one-time event. Each assembly became a platform to communicate the school’s expectations; to reinforce the school’s mission, vision, values, and goals; to celebrate with one
In the story that starts this chapter, author and building principal Tim Brown issued his own BHAG for Campbell Elementary: We are going to build a brighter tomorrow, one brick at a time. This simple statement became a powerful tool for motivating Tim’s school community. It provided a grounding point for decisions that kept Campbell Elementary moving in the right direction. It also became something that everyone
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There are things that I must do.
another; and to develop a sense of unity across the entire building.
