#they took us in (to the adjacent middle school) the first lesson to start practicing

[crescentmp3]

hiii im home!!

[soranihimawari]

Iron Willed Royalty

Hot Cocoa & Coffee

A short story of how Moniwa’s neighbor & Aone’s classmate/friend,Asagao becomes acquainted with the idea of being Date Tech’s co-manager.

Word Count: 2.3 k

Special thanks: @vbcshenaningansnwritings, @oitoorus

Inspired from @tkags’ manager!chan discussions//asks (:

=~=~=~

Today was the mark of the first day of spring classes. I chose to wear my favorite mint coloured hoodie underneath my uniform sweater. It was the third of March and in the words of your best friend, that month comes in like a lion. That morning was a chilly one, luckily for you, your father was working from home and made you a cup of warm drinks. With the liquid poured into the thermos, your father waved good bye since you realized you were running a bit behind your own schedule.

Outside your house stood your walking partner since you both started high school together was seen glancing down at his phone. 

“What’s the story morning glory?” his way of speaking was always respectful. You were quick to brush off the allusion to your favorite flower by extending a cup to him. Your partner brought a chocolate chip cookie and biscotti for the morning walk to your mutual campus grounds.

“Honestly, what am I going to do with you after you graduate Moniwa?” I ask taking my cookie from his hands.

“Ask Aone to walk with you instead?” 

“You’re impossible. Wait, why don’t we all walk home together then,” I said, bopping my head along with my friend. After Moniwa, I did develop a sort of friendship with a gentle giant after being in the same classes for a majority of our first & second years at Date Tech. Just like how his teammates can tell his moods by the way he face constricts apart, I opted for an indirect approach. Aone and I developed our own short hand via sms messaging. He and I often hang out on days where Moniwa was preparing for university exams. Although Moniwa was captain for the club, I suspected perhaps Takanobu might have confided in him an interest in me (friend or not, yet I knew he was a kind-hearted individual).

“But you’re right. I’ll ask him later. Maybe Aone will convince Kenji too.”

“Hah, yeah. You’re my neighbor after all, so I expect you to be there cheering for us, because I know you love it when we win, my morning glory.”

“Call me your morning glory one more time and you owe me a team jacket with the Kanji for my name on it, Moni-kun.”

Moniwa took a bite of his biscotti and a swig of his beverage. I paused for a moment and thought he had considered it judging by the way he knitted his brows. 

“Asagao, would you like one?” his voice was playful. A mischievous grin happened to come across his lips. I feel his pout growing on me and Aone; I have an inkling having Moniwa around was going to be interesting regardless of how the rest of our high school career was going to proceed. Little did I know how different my second year was going to be. Moniwa was a year older than me and Aone, so I assumed naturally after he graduates, I will watch over our stone-faced friend.  

I slapped his arm before I nodded. We walked for a few more blocks snacking and reminiscing on the last game you came to watch them play. The Iron Wall of Date was proven to be a force to be reckoned with. It was enough for the members of the team to have the backing of their peers, including me. At the beginning of the volleyball season of my neighbor’s senior year and our (me & Aone’s) second year, Moniwa decided it was imperative his two closest friends get to know each other during a free day after classes concluded last autumn.

A sticky note appeared on my desk that day with an invitation to watch the volleyball club practice. The memory lives on at the back of my mind, but considering life went on around the club, someone had been ambushed (read as cornered you) to have notes the club missed due to away games e-mailed to the second years. 

“Moniwa. Don’t say things you don’t mean,” I said drinking the rest of my hot cocoa when we reached the intersection across our school grounds. “But I don’t mind whose jacket I wear, so long as I get a front row seat at the game venues, I’ll cheer for you and Aone.”

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

Lunch came around as quickly as the morning classes ceased for the rest of the day. The afternoon ones were just around the corner and my phone buzzed continuously since Moniwa was in another section of the school. Takanobu was in your adjoining classroom along with a few of the other second years being close by. 

Apparently, the rest of the team sans their captain and intimidating middle blocker, had an idea. A trap of sorts if you will. During this time of year, it was brought to their attention I didn’t do any club activities. Honestly, it was mainly because I was personally recruited by a few subject teachers to deliver the course work the team had missed during the season, unofficially of course. The trap that was aforementioned never really was used because I was completely oblivious to the boys’ outlook on my relationship with their captain (being my first friend) and in befriending Takanobu after we were praised for an English project in our first year.

The thought of them falling behind was not an option. In my head, I always fancied myself the brains behind their make up lessons post games. Moniwa wanted to know if I can draft up a tentative schedule for tutoring or study groups once the matchups were scheduled. It’s been quite some time since our school went all the way to the Spring Inter-High Tournament, but with being the school with number one blocking in our prefecture (ever present), I think the guys would appreciate seeing a friend in the crowds later on.

Around campus though, there was a flip side in me perpetually hanging out with the notable members of the volleyball club. Especially since there are times where I was recruited (along with various other girls) to be the deliverer of love notes. It does the soul good when I see their adoration and dedication (whether it was toward the girl or the game, Irma the principle of the matter) go noticed by other classes.

Their teammates, especially the first years, noticed how I were often spotted with Moniwa & Takanobu having a full conversation with both of them. First time anyone made any sort of comment between your friendship with the other two was when you walked into their closed practice (on their coach’s orders).

“Oi! Moniwa! There’s this girl outside the gym looking for you and Aone?” their junior setter’s jovial voice exclaimed. I definitely saw him around campus before as he was known for his bright and friendly demeanor to everyone on and off the court.

“Hey, is that anyway to talk to your senpai?” I raised my voice pushing through in the doorway with my backpack slung over my shoulder. Moniwa was quick to call for a break and thankfully coach agreed.

“What are you teaching your kouhai Moniwa? Hey Aone.” 

The silent, yet respectful giant and his captain gave me a smile when they both came closer toward my side of the court. We were making a rudimentary study plan that needed to be fine tuned as needed. I just needed a few ideas as how to best teach certain lessons that the team would be collectively missing when the official matches were going to be posted. Moniwa, as per usual, spearheaded the conversation with various ideas and I held up my left hand in the air to have him shut up for a few minutes as I fumbled through my bag fishing out a pen and my graphing paper (for engineering classes). The other members of the team gathered together after picking up their water bottles.

“OK,” I said brushing my bangs behind an ear with my right hand. Aone immediately turned his back toward me and knelt down so I didn’t have too hard a time trying to steady my handwriting (he was more like a pedestal at this point, which Moniwa pointed.) 

“Clearly, this is amusing you Moniwa, but as I was trying to make sure my friends pass this term so they can continue playing the sport they love.” 

This earned a decisive hum from Aone. I began scribbling a tentative schedule rotation for every member of the team categorized by years and give Aone a tap on the back to signal you were done borrowing his services.

“Alright, alright. I yield,” Moniwa said shaking his head. I hand my handwritten schedule to the captain who gave it a once over. “We can discuss this later after practice.”

“Fine by me,” I say with a nod. I fold my arms over my chest once Aone and Moniwa stood in front of me again.

“So, about that thing we discussed earlier on the way here,” Moniwa began. “What size is that hoodie you’re wearing?”

My mouth was agape in faux shock as Aone started blushing just as hard as Moniwa’s cheeks dyed a peachy hue. I pushed up the sleeves of my hoodie and made a fist with my left hand. I swore I would never hit the guy, but seeing Aone’s reaction to the question was enough punishment to quell my annoyance.

“Moniwa, for all that good and holy in the world, I will punch you one of these days. You’re lucky it’s not today.”

I chewed the side of my cheek before moving on to another topic. 

“Want me to wait for you guys? It is getting late after all and I have delayed your practice long enough.”

“Asagao, it’s been like ten minutes,” Moniwa reminded me. Aone’s eyes rolled to the clock adjacent to where we were standing. “But, sure. You don’t have to remind us twice.”

While all this was happening, Moniwa, Aone, and myself were unaware we were being observed by the other members of the team as a whole. Yes, we may have our own language within the fine tunes of our friendship, but I remember a time when both of them taught me it was ok to have a will of iron. It comes with the territory according to their coach and even their manager at the time too.

“Do you think she knows?” one of the outside hitters (Onogawa) asked, nudging their setter (Koganegawa) who greeted me at the door. 

“Even if she does, she has two hands Onogawa,” Koganegawa said in a friendly tone. He was implying that we did hold hands at one point during a school festival at one of the classroom presentation games (class 3-4 did a haunted house last year which is where the three of us hand-holding became a thing). “What do you think, Nametsu?”

Observing how the three of us were talking, it seemed like we were going to be inseperable as of right now. Graduation is a right of passage and it was one none of us wanted to talk about at the moment.

“We all know that those three are inseparable as ionic bonds, besides, look at how different the two members of our team are.The stoic blocker and his captain adore her, but they might be too proud to admit it just yet,” their manager said, efficiently making his appearance to collect their bottles. 

“You can tell in the way Moniwa teases her like family and Aone seems like the type to have formed a crush on her since they all started walking home together after practices last year,” Nametsu continued. “C’mon, there will be time to grill Moniwa later.”

“Let’s get back to work,” Coach Oiwake says with a strict clap. Then he made a gesture to call  me over to where he was sitting close by the court. We were a few feet away from the main huddle of the team. “Asagao. You stay.”

I was a bit caught off guard by the coach’s deliberate order. Jeez, coach-senshu was a bit scary.

“Sir?” 

“Moniwa and Futakuchi mentioned off hand you were free from any club activities during the season. I wonder why is that.” 

I shrugged and before I could explain, coach-senshu continued: “so I took the liberty of speaking with your year’s academic advisor and we agreed it’s about time we have a secondary manager.”

“I see,” I said, placing my hands at my side while observing the practice game commence. “Wait a sec. Are you asking me to--?”

“Might help make Nametsu’s job a little easier,” he rarely chuckles at the mistakes his team makes, but he did let out a low rumble. “Date Tech’s co-manager has a nice ring to it, don’t it?”

“I’m flattered,” I muse while I observe the game in motion. 

A ball came whirring down close to the boundary after a good rally on both sides of the net and the call was a close one. In an official match it would even be a close call, meaning the point would have been given to the team who did not touch the ball last. I had a basic knowledge of the game given the company I keep, yet a brotherly fight was going to occur if no one kept a keen eye. I dropped my bag by the chair meant for our coach to sit in before I rolled up my other sleeve of my hoodie to observe.

“You deserve to be standing there with them too,” Coach Oiwake said and I couldn’t argue with that at all, so I nodded as a response to his proposition. “Good. Welcome to the club. We’ll get your measurements from the records department later.”

“Futakuchi, how many times have we told you to watch where you’re hitting those spikes of yours!” Nametsu exclaims, anger seeping through the last few words. He was watching from the side of the net by the score card. I picked up one of the balls that had rolled away close by where I was having that chat with their coach and gave it a good bounce or two before throwing it into a near by bin. Moniwa and Aone quietly backed away when I approached their outside hitter.

“You hit your cross spike that close to the line again Kenji and see what happens,” I said firmly. He froze in slight terror. I never was one to dish out harsh scoldings, but this one was worth it. At the sound of my voice, the argument that would of began immediately ceased. 

“And,” I turn to where Obara was standing, “you should of at least tried to return it too, Obara.”

“Sorry, Asagao…” there was a pout there, but in all honesty, Kenji really did look defeated, however Moniwa and others snickered. Personally, I think it was because Kenji would have gotten an extra scolding or two by his captain or manager if I didn’t say anything.

“Manager-san,” I corrected him, a smug smile spread across the entirety of my countenance. At this, Moniwa and Aone both seemed at peace with this development, before breaking out in a triumphant chest bump.

“Ow~Give me a moment Aone, I’m fine,” Moniwa says rubbing his chest cavity. 

“I-I beg your pardon?” Nametsu says in a nervous manner. “Am I being replaced?”

“Nope,” Coach Oiwake clasps his hands together to dispel any other form of chatter amongst his team. “Quite the opposite really. Asagao just accepted the position to be our co-manager about three minutes ago.”

Nametsu breathed a sigh of relief while the rest of the roster flipped out and gave me a round of congratulatory praises. 

“‘Bout time,” Moniwa said. “Right Aone?” 

“Yes.” Aone smiled and Moniwa nearly fainted. 

“I think you broke Moniwa,” I stifled a laugh. I took the opportunity to seize both of my friends’ hands in earnest with an unyielding grip to which they both let out a nervous chortle. (My hands were interlocked with theirs). “Will you allow me to stay within the Iron Wall?”

Afternoon practice for the team commenced shortly thereafter. 

“God bless the Queen,” Coach Oiwake said to himself. It was going to be an interesting season after all.

[jhernandezlewis]

&& TASK 001

→ general information

full name: Joseph Angel Hernández Lewis

nickname(s): Joe, Joey, J, JayJay (by like...only a very select few) 

age: 33

date of birth: April 26th, 1987

nationality: American (ethnically Mexican [partially indigenous] and White [Irish and Spanish] although he just knows himself as ‘Mexican and White’), 

occupation: Head Brewer/Co-Owner of Midnight Brewery

religion: Atheist

sexuality: heteroromantic/sexual

hometown: South Central Los Angeles, California

current residence: Maywood, Maine

financial status: Middle Class

educational level: High school diploma, accepted into (but did not attend) Stanford University (majoring in engineering)

→ relationships

father: Paul O’Keefe

mother: Lucia Hernández (Juliette and Marie Lewis are his adoptive mothers)

siblings:  He has two fully adopted siblings, and over the years in the Lewis household has had many foster siblings, all who, no matter how little or long he spent with them would consider them siblings

relationship status: single

when/who was their first kiss:  if talking straight up first kiss, we’re probably going back somewhere to elementary school.  if we’re talking first real kiss, somewhere around the 7th grade, probably the first girl to pay extended attention to him

are they a virgin: no

have they ever had a same sex experience: no

do they ever want to get married/have children:  he has no idea.  despite growing up around a loving family and couple from the age of 6, the idea of marriage is still somewhat scary to him.  but it’s not even like he’s commitment-phobic, because he’s not, there’s just something still instilled inside him from his early days with his biological parents that feels like marriage means the end.  As for kids, I do think he’d want to help kids in the same position he had been in and foster and adopt kids.

what do they look for in a potential significant other:  first off, joseph hates games, he’s looking for somebody that doesn’t play around in the sense of not really saying what they mean or hiding things or playing some bullshit jealousy games.  he’s been there before and now he’s too old for that shit and he knows what he wants.  this also plays into the fact that while crushes are all well and good, at this point in his life he’s looking to, well ‘settle down’ in the sense that he just wants a comfy relationship, he doesn’t want to do the back and forth part for ages.

→ personality

positive traits: sensible, reliable, balanced, bright

negative traits: seemingly aloof + detached, indecisive

biggest fear: heights

what’s more important- sex or intimacy: intimacy (he wants it but does find the idea of true intimacy slightly terrifying)

do they believe in true love: no, he’s too much of a realist, not that he doesn’t believe in ‘great loves’

have they ever been in love: he’s been in love with his family, but never in a romantic sense, not yet anyways.

are they a leader or follower: after being a follower got him nowhere but trouble, joseph realized he had to take charge of his life, and while he’s not one to boss people around or what to do, he does exude a quiet confidence that comes from knowing what he wants in life, and others tend to naturally follow

do they care what others think of them: in the large picture sense, no, he doesn’t, he’s staying in his own lane so he doesn’t really worry about what’s happening in adjacent lanes.  but in the small picture sense, on the day to day level, he is conscious of his appearance and what people will think of it and how they react to it.  he crosses the street while walking at night if he comes upon someone else, he makes sure not to stare at people (especially women), tries to offer kids friendly smiles, and tries to make sure his resting face is something as unoffensive as possible.

how do you deal with stress: walking.  he took to walking as a way to help with some chronic pain issues, but after awhile, found himself walking just to walk.  he swears he’s seen every bit of maywood at this point.  while at this point he leads a fairly stress free life, if something does vex him, he usually walks around at night and lets his brain find a way to fix the problem, or helps him let it go

are they spontaneous or do they always need a plan: somewhere in the middle.

→ misc

If your character could change one physical detail about themsself, what would it be?  He’d probably remove a few select tattoos.

What is your character’s favorite physical activity?  Walking (his dog especially)

What is your character’s least favorite physical activity?  Cardio

Your character comes face-to-face with their worst enemy. What is their first reaction?  If said enemy does nothing?  then he’ll ignore them.  but if they step to him, he will react.  he instantly falls back into mimicking the actions of the boys he used to get into trouble with.

What is your character’s favorite weather?  He’s a Cali boy, so he likes warm weather

What is your character’s favorite season?  California early Spring, Maine Summer

What is your character’s least favorite season?  Winter

Your character keeps a photo album of memories from her lifetime. If they could only keep one photo, what would it depict?  It’s a toss up from the one photo he has of himself and his biological mother, and the photo taken of him, Marie and Juliette at his high school graduation.

Does your character keep any pets?  Joseph just started to foster a stray pitbull he found near the dumpster of Midnight Brewery

What is your character’s fondest childhood memory?

Is your character a morning person, a night owl, or something else entirely? He loves the quiet darkness the town gets after 11 o’clock or so.  Night owl for sure.

What is your character’s least favorite color? doesn’t really have one to be honest.  of course he has colors he wouldn’t wear or buy anything in, but its not because he has a strong dislike for them or anything, just not his favorite

A stranger makes a crude comment to your character. How do they react? Generally, due to his appearance, most people don’t make crude comments to Joseph.  If they do, usually he can shoot them a practiced glare and it shuts them right up.  But there was a part of him that had been instilled with the lesson that disrespect can’t be tolerated and disrespect was dangerous and could mean death if not dealt with.  so there is an instinctual need to react strongly, but the older he gets the more that instinct has been fading away. 

[dzamie-oc]

6: Hidden

“...so by adjusting the variable theta here in the matrix, you can alter the angle of rotation.”

Ocellus kept her eyes on her note paper, making clean, orderly brackets to house the grids of numbers and trigonometric functions. She flicked her forked tongue, getting a cursory taste of the emotions in the room. The delicious, cool flavor of learning and understanding, soured slightly by a smattering of confusion. A couple spicy motes of frustration, largest from where Smolder sat. The changeling glanced towards the dragon, finding that her friend’s own eyes were darting between the chalkboard, Headmare Starlight, and... her. Pulling herself back from the draw of nibbling on the emotions, Ocellus startled when she realized she had missed two entire equations being written. That they were just the first steps in a practice problem was small comfort to the blue-chitin changeling; who knew what verbal instructions she could have missed, too?

After catching back up in her notes, she chanced another taste, intending to take more of a passive taste, paying more attention to class. However, what she intended was overruled harder Princess Celestia denying Prince Blueblood the last bite of her cake; an intoxicating wave of lust filled her tastebuds, overpowering nearly every other emotion in the room. Reflexively, Ocellus turned towards its source, both surprised and suddenly hungry - although she hated to admit it. Not only was it filling yet almost nutritionally useless, the taste and her reaction recalled memories in her from before the Great Reformation, when she had been drawn towards and fed on such strong love-adjacent emotions.

Nonetheless, she found herself staring at her dragon friend, who was now staring entirely at her. A light blush crept onto her cheeks as she considered the implications: her unsubtle, willful dragon friend was focused wholly on her, and thinking incredibly lewd thoughts at her. Her thoughts were once more diverted when the lust suddenly cut off, replaced by a more platonic desire. In the back of her mind, she acknowledged that Headmare Starlight was going over the answer to the problem on the board, almost unconsciously copying down the correct answer for later comparison; at present, though, she noticed Smolder repeatedly moving her hand. Thumb and fingers together, save for an extended pinky, rocking back towards the dragoness twice. Pause, hand still in position, and another two rocks. It was a sign the two of them had worked out - miming the high-society griffon etiquette for holding a teacup.

Ocellus smiled and nodded ever so slightly, then waited until Smolder smiled back, put her hand down, and turned back to the front of the class before doing the same herself. She mentally kicked herself for dropping her attention from class, but reassured herself that friends were important, as well. After all, the School of Friendship has “friendship” right in its name... as well as school, so she resolved to stay focused on the lesson until after class. Her pencil once more found the paper when the headmare moved onto three-dimensional transformation matrices, and her tail subconsciously began to sway back and forth as she drank in the learning - almost literally, as an emotivore!

After class, Ocellus met up with the dragon, who was leaning against the wall outside of the classroom. “Was that... necessary?” she asked, her blush returning with the memory of the wave of lust, “I mean, you could have asked me after class; I tend to linger the longest to speak with our professors.”

Smolder smirked. “No, but I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t stay for an hour or two after Starlight Glimmer dismissed us and take up all the time we could’ve used. Seeing your reaction was just a bonus. So, same place as before?”

Ocellus nodded, starting to walk with her friend. “That works. I’ll drop off my stuff back in our room first, and then we can head out.”

“Sounds good. I’ll tag along; I’ve gotta grab a-” the dragoness cut herself off, looking around at the ponies and creatures around, “a... a thing. My thing.”

Back in their room, the two students swapped out their schoolbooks for a small selection of carefully-folded dresses. Ocellus levitated a tube of lipstick into Smolder’s bag for her, and added a bottle of hoof polish and a compact of blush to her own. Loaded up with their secret payload of fancy fittings, the two girls strode out of their room, sharing fanged smiles.

They made it to the main hall before somecreature noticed and approached them. Silverstream, with her distinctly bubbly step, strode up to the pair. Ocellus flicked out her tongue and got back a hefty dose of curiosity from the hippogriff, fighting against that spicy taste of frustration (and the faintest hint of shame) from the dragon beside her.

“Hi Celly, Smolder! Are you two heading out?”

The changeling nodded. “Yep. Just the two of us.”

“Ooh, girl’s night! Or, girl’s afternoon. Whatcha gonna do?” Her bright, innocent smile was infectious, and Ocellus found her own lips curling up. She stayed silent, however, unwilling to tell her friend where she was going with the dragon.

Fortunately for her, Smolder had had years of hiding her secret interest. Unfortunately for her, Smolder was Smolder. “We’re going to set a new record for longest two-creature lesbian makeout session. Do you want to come?”

The sarcasm flew straight over the hippogriff’s head, and her enthusiastic nodding only abated when Smolder’s deadpan expression and admission that she had just been messing with her sunk in. With a promise to have a good time given, the pair strode out of the building, before making their way through the meandering, misleading path to a secret spot in the woods.

Ocellus and Smolder walked up to the large, flat stump in the middle of the forest clearing and set about setting up. From Smolder’s pack came a white tablecloth, fringed with lace. From Ocellus’s, a teapot, two saucers, and two teacups. The makeup came out next, and finally, the dresses. Smolder slipped hers on with an ease that came from far more practice than she would ever admit. As for the changeling...

“So, myself or Professor Rarity? She has the accent and mannerisms for it.” Ocellus held two dresses aloft in her teal magic, looking between them.

“Hmm... Probably not Rarity, but...” Smolder’s off-center stance and stroking of her chin were a stark contrast to the frilly, pale pink dress she wore as she thought, “I think, maybe... Oh! Could you do Gallus? I bet he’d look ADORABLE in a dress!”

That drew a grin and a giggle from the changeling. A wave of fire washed over her form, and in the next moment, a pair of yellow eagle claws caught the two floating dresses before they could hit the ground. ‘Gallus’ handed one to Smolder to fold and return to Ocellus’s bag, and the griffon set about fitting into the other one. After a little difficulty, getting stuck twice, and ultimately asking Smolder for help with the wings, ‘Gallus’ was proudly sporting a pale yellow dress. “Well? How do I look?” ‘he’ asked the dragoness.

“Heh. Actually, not bad. The next time we play Truth or Dare with the boys, I think I’ve got a good idea.” Smolder leaned to one side, then the other, taking in the griffon’s form. “But, I think you’re missing something very important.”

The grinning dragon held up a couple of the makeup implements before setting them down. The pair of friends spent some time matching blush to their scales and feathers, picking out the right lipstick - or beakstick, as it were - painting each other’s claws, and otherwise gussying themselves and each other up until they both looked like slightly exaggerated versions of the fanciest fancy bourgeoisie to be found in Canterlot - nay, all of Equestria.

Smolder cleared her throat. “Now then, Madam Gallus, shall we?” she prompted in a Received Equestrian accent, “it would be a terrible shame to come all the way here for some tea, and to then forget the beverage in entirety!”

‘Gallus’ gave a proper curtsey, then stepped up to the stump. ‘He’ picked up the teapot in one hand, held the lid on with the other, and gracefully tipped it over, pouring a cup for Smolder, and then a cup for ‘himself.’ With two steaming cups of tea properly set on their saucers, the well-dressed duo took their seats. ‘Gallus’ added two sugar cubes to the cup in front of ‘him;’ Smolder added only one. Keeping their pinky claws extended, they lifted their cups and politely toasted their friendship. 

Hidden away in the calm, peaceful grove, the disguised changeling and her dragon friend traded light gossip, homework tips, and compliments. Their table manners would put several Canterlot nobles to shame, and over time, the level of tea in the teapot declined. The pair were in the middle of discussing which creature in their friends group had the shapeliest rear when Sandbar wandered into the clearing and promptly did a double-take.

The three of them stared at each other for a minute, before ‘Gallus’ finally spoke up, “we... lost a bet to Ocellus. Why she has these dresses, I haven’t the foggiest, but she’s, uh...” the griffon turned his head to look around, “well, she’s one of these branches around, to make sure we keep the deal.”

Smolder’s look of shock faded as her friend spun the tale. “Yeah, but look. This whole thing? Never happened. You’re gonna leave, and next time we see each other, it’s like we weren’t even here, even if you ask. Right, Gallus?”

‘Gallus’ nodded. “Yeah, you’re actually lucky I’m not denying this right now. Anyway, we’ve got, like, another teacup to finish before this is over. See you back at school.”

Content with their answer, the pony silently nodded and walked back off through the forest. Once they were sure he was out of sight and hearing, both of the well-dressed creatures let out a big sigh of relief. Their secret was safe. And they still had some tea left to talk over.

[tyrustrash]

The Archer

Everything was all supposed to go as planned. The day was already set and planned for three weeks with exact details. Even after the constant power point presentations at every third dinner the plan somehow wasn’t clear enough. Was archery anywhere on the itinerary? Although no one suggested it, it made Thompson Family Fun Day. The original plan, that only Jeremy had planned, was to attend the National History Museum, but apparently Molly’s plan of archery was not only a way of learning self-defense, but a way of her promoting the hunting animals is wrong. Whatever, the only positive thing Jeremy can think he could get out of this is that it could be another extracurricular activity for his future resume. The car ride to the field wasn’t exactly how Liz and Ed had hoped. Instead of playing car games, they had to listen to the kids argue. Nick sits in the middle seat as she has to deal with Jeremy and Molly’s bickering. Molly takes another selfie and posts it to her Instagram. “Hashtag activist. Hashtag Save The Animals.” Jeremy huffs. He rolls his eyes as he props his arm in the door. “Yeah, like posting selfies is activism.” “You’re just upset that no one wanted to do your idea.” “Because everything has to be your way!” He claps back. “You want everyone to do what you want or else you’ll throw a fit and think they’re not your friends. And telling people that what they’re doing is wrong isn’t activism. Activism involves, you know, being active and trying to make a change.” “I am making a change!” “Yeah, trying to change your follower count.” “At least I have followers.” “At least I have real friends.” Liz slams on the breaks. The car swerves a bit before stopping at a just turned red light. She turns to face the kids, nearly giving herself whiplash. “You two stop it or I’ll turn this car around.” “Please don’t.” Ed tells her, faintly. “Let the kids get their feelings out. It’s not healthy to keep feeling bottled in.” “And it’s not good for me to deal with their arguing. Jeremy, be nice to your sister and stop being salty. Molly, Jeremy’s right. What you’re doing isn’t activism.” As both kids were about to argue with their mom, Liz slammed the gas and the car speeds off. The kids give each other the death stare the rest of the ride. All the time Nick is planning on how she’s going to steal Liz’s ring. Entering the parking lot of the field, the kids haven’t spoken a word to each other since Liz got onto them. Don’t worry, they still haven’t broken eye contact. Ed went to the front counter to register them. Nick follows him. Not out of interest for the sport, but out of interest for how much the equipment could sell for. After receiving his gear, Jeremy went to the furthest lane away from his family. His fist grips the bow, hard. Nearly breaking it from his strength, Jeremy eases his grip when he sets his feet and gets into the ready position. Lifting the bow, he centers it the best he could. Drawing the arrow, he pulls it back as far as the string would let him. He narrows his eyes as he imagined that the center of the sheet attached to the barrel of hay is Molly. The arrow flies through the air. Jeremy focuses on the sound the arrow makes while it’s piercing the wind. Somehow it’s more soothing than he expected. He calms down a bit. With a loud thud, the arrow lands just off center. Jeremy shrugs it off as he only considers it a practice shot. The next one would be for real. And a bullseye. Before he could pull out another arrow, the lane next to him shot theirs. He couldn’t see just yet who shoot it, but they landed a bullseye. “Nice try by the way.” That voice came from the lane next to Jeremy. It sounds familiar, but he couldn’t identify it. “You must have be a pro or something. Maybe I can come on over and help your form. Maybe wrap my arms around your chest to hold your arms.” Jeremy turns towards his left. All he’s able to see and a slim body, wearing hunting gear. The person’s bow is blocking their face. The figure lets go of the arrow and it soars to the other side. Bullseye. Jeremy slightly applauds. The figure removes the bow from their face, letting Jeremy see them. Without waiting longer than a second, Jeremy’s face fell in shock. It couldn’t be. Out of everyone to be here, it had to be him. Will stands in the lane adjacent to Jeremy. He smirks as he brushes his hand through his luxurious hair. He sets his equipment on the ground and paces over. He makes sure to sway his hips, in a teasing way. With a swift, and barely noticeable, lick of the lips he reaches Jeremy, who’s blushing. Maybe out of embarrassment of Will being better, or maybe out of his crush on him. With a popping of his hip and placing his hand on it, he stands only three steps away from Jeremy. The sophomore class rep can’t hide his blushing face even if he tried. He shuffles in place, adjusting the bottom of his shirt in the process. Jeremy can barely find the words to say. Although he had never really spent too much time around Will, he immediately gained a crush on him. How could one not? He has the prettiest eyes and that hair is like marshmallow fluff. His style is a mix of swag and prep, like perfection. “So, you arch much?” Jeremy asks. His face turns redder, this time definitely out of embarrassment. He hits his side in frustration, hoping Will didn’t hear. Will chuckles. He shakes his head and shifts his hip to the other side. “Just a hobby of mine. My mom used to teach me before she left.” Will’s expression changes to a more upsetting face. Jeremy places a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s ok if you don’t want to talk about it.” After two seconds, Jeremy realizes where his hand is and quickly removes it. He looks down and rubs the back of his neck. Will takes Jeremy’s hand into his own. “I’ll talk about it with you.” Jeremy’s lip quivers. His knees shake, feeling as if he’s about to fall. This couldn’t be happening. Will is straight. He has to be. The way he eyes Nick in the hallways. All the calls they have. He has such a way with the girls at school that no one would even question his sexuality. After a confident stare from Will, Jeremy just about losses it. “Is there anything you want to tell me?” “Yes.” Will replies as a matter of fact. He moves in closer. Their chests are barely touching. “Is there anything you want to tell me?” Jeremy couldn’t calm down. A million thoughts run through his head. Is he tricking him? Is this a test? Is he going to use him? Jeremy’s entire body is now shaking. “Yes.” One more smile from Will was all it took before the unbelievable happens. Their lips are now touching. Will is doing all the work as Jeremy stands in shock. Seconds later, Jeremy pulled away, slightly pushing Will a little too hard. Will looks at him in disbelieve. “What was that for? Am I a bad kisser? Do you not like me?” No no no no no. That’s what Jeremy wanted to say because he did like him, a lot. And he’s an amazing kisser. Like, the best. But what came out next is the reason why he pulled away. “My parents are over there!” Jeremy tells him. He starts pacing in a circle and rubs his head. He starts getting emotional. Tears begin to come out. “I’m not out yet. If they see us kissing, or hell, even saw us, then my life is over.” “What’s stopping you?” Jeremy stops and face Will. He looks him dead in the eyes, with tears still coming. “I want my coming out to be special. On my terms when I’m ready. And I’m not ready.” Will nods. He smiles and places a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks for telling me.” Jeremy smiles. “I get it, completely. I didn’t come out until after my mom went to jail. Wish I told her sooner because she would love hanging out with her gay son.” “Thanks.” As Will turns to go back to his lane, Jeremy stops him. “Hey, I’ll take you up on your offer.” Both chuckle as the center themselves in Jeremy’s lane. Jeremy lifts his bow and Will places his arms on Jeremy’s. The feeling and heat of Will’s body calmed Jeremy down and makes him feel comfortable and safe. Drawing the arrow back, Will readjusts Jeremy’s hands and then the arrow is released. Bullseye. Jeremy jumps in excitement and hugs Will. Will pats his back. Pulling away, the two stare at each other, not knowing what to do next. “What now?” Will asks. Jeremy smiles like a kid in love. “Maybe we can come here another day and continue the lessons.” “It’s a date.” Will says as he waves goodbye. He gathers his stuff and exits the field. Jeremy high fives himself. He happy dances knowing he finally has his first date planned. Or second if he were to count today as a date. Whatever, all he knows is that he’s happy Molly got what she wanted like always.

[junker-town]

A common goal

Sean Archibong, reVision FC

How young refugees find belonging and opportunity through soccer.

Warshan Hussin is a new kid in Baltimore. He’s a native Iraqi by way of Syria. He’s lonely. And he really hates the kid speaking English.

He is sitting in his seventh-grade class, unable to say a word. Nothing. His family arrived in 2007 through a refugee resettlement program, almost four years after leaving Iraq.

He’s looking around the room, hoping he can find some way to communicate. Maybe someone speaks his language. Maybe English actually isn’t hard at all and he can pick it up in the next 30 minutes. Maybe he’s a language prodigy. Maybe the other kids are just as behind as he is in learning his new country’s primary language. He is in Moravia after all, one of Baltimore’s most diverse neighborhoods. There are kids at his school from all over the world.

Nope. Plenty of his classmates speak English just fine. Especially this one kid. Like many kids at the school, he’s a refugee, but he’s communicating effortlessly with everyone, including the teacher. Yet another refugee who seems light years ahead, Hussin thinks.

Hussin’s experience isn’t unique. Isolation and culture shock are normal for kids coming to a new country — heck, they’re normal for kids moving across town. But in addition to the new kid awkwardness, refugees also face the challenge of overcoming language and financial barriers.

There is no easy way to immigrate to a new country, but finding common interests with others when you feel like you’re an island goes a long way. Fortunately, for a large percentage of refugee children who enter the United States each year, they share a game.

Shortly after his first day in school, Hussin went to a meeting of the Baltimore chapter of Soccer Without Borders. It happened to be the organization’s first-ever meeting, making it one of the few things that had been in the city for less time than him.

But Hussin didn’t know that. He just knew that someone had brought a few soccer balls to a field in Moravia. It seemed like a good time. Until he realized that kid, the one speaking circles around him in class, was there too.

“Shit.” he thought. “Not this kid again.”

Soccer Without Borders began in Oakland in 2006. Former Lehigh University soccer player Ben Gucciardi founded the organization after writing his master’s thesis on sports as a vehicle for social change. SWB began as a small, well-received day camp in Oakland that hosted soccer, dancing and nutrition education. It now serves four American cities and more than 1,900 participants. The Oakland chapter alone works with more than 400 refugees from 38 different countries that speak 23 separate languages. Participants in the organization boast a 95 percent high school graduation rate, compared to the Oakland average of 60 percent.

Balazs Gardi, via Soccer Without Borders - Oakland

Soccer Without Borders founder Ben Gucciardi, left, with an athlete.

“In the communities where our kids are, there’s just not a lot of support. A lot of our kids don’t have their full families here. A lot of them have undergone some really intense situations,” Gucciardi said. “So just having that space where there’s somebody that takes care of them … I underestimated the power of that alone.”

With the help of community partners like Albany-Berkeley Soccer Club, SWB has given refugee kids that space. The organization develops English language skills through games and lessons, requires students to meet classroom performance standards before they can compete on the field, and helps facilitate post-secondary education.

Gucciardi once found out a promising student and player within SWB hadn’t taken the SAT. He helped the player sign up, drove the student to and from the testing center, then called a coach from a local university. The player got a good test score and a scouting session. A scholarship followed.

“The kids are super bright. They’re super talented. And if there’s somebody who’s kind of advocating for them the same way that I had advocates for me, then they can access these other opportunities,” Gucciardi said.

Kids like Yohannes Harish have made the most of those opportunities.

Harish is 25 now, but he came to Oakland as a 14-year-old by way of Kenya and Eritrea. His mother had left for the United States when he was five, and they spent 11 years apart before reuniting in Oakland. Harish’s transition to the United States was a challenge, but soccer helped him face it head on.

When you first come, it just feels like you’re on your own. And then when you see that there are people going through the same thing. It just makes you feel better.” - Yohannes Harish

After joining Soccer Without Borders, Harish picked up English quickly. He became captain of the team and class salutatorian at Oakland International High School. He found a spot on the team at nearby Division II Holy Names University and was named captain there, too.

“It kind of felt lonely [when I moved to the U.S.] because I couldn’t speak the language, didn’t know the culture as much and didn’t have many friends,” Harish says. “When you first come, it just feels like you’re on your own. And then when you see that there are people going through the same thing. It just makes you feel better and that you just need to keep working and keep pushing.”

Now Harish plays for the Oakland Roots, a first-year National Premier Soccer League team in the city he calls his home away from home. He wears No. 91 in honor of the year of Eritrean independence.

The kid from Hussin’s class, the outgoing one who appeared at the same Soccer Without Borders meeting, is named Glory. He came to Maryland as a Congolese refugee at about the same time as Hussin.

The day after Hussin’s first practice with SWB, Glory recognized Hussin in class. He also saw Hussin hadn’t organized his new binder yet.

“He took my stuff and put it in there, and to me, that stood out because I know he remembered me from practice. I know I remembered him,” Hussin said.

That simple gesture brought them closer together. After hours of school, soccer practice and English lessons, the pair became best friends.

“We had a really good friendship because, basically, I learned English speaking to Glory because I wasn’t afraid of talking to him,” Hussin said. “I didn’t know how to talk, but he wouldn’t make fun of me because he was in the same boat.”

Sean Archibong, reVision FC

Soccer Without Borders uses the game as its primary link to the refugee populations it serves; others use the game as one among many tools.

In and around Atlanta, New American Pathways helps resettle, stabilize and improve the lives of Georgia refugees through a number of initiatives, including an after-school program for elementary and middle school-aged kids.

“We have a student survey that the kids fill out at the end of the year,” NAP’s Middle School Coordinator Caitlin Barrow said. “When we asked them, ‘What’s your favorite part of the program?’ A lot of them are coming for the soccer and happened to get the literacy or the academic help. They know they have to complete that part of the program before they can go outside.”

New American Pathways’ after-school programming encompasses nearly 175 students at three Atlanta-adjacent Dekalb County schools. That service is vital to the area’s growing refugee population. Georgia annually welcomes 2,500 to 3,000 newly-arrived refugees, according to the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies. And within DeKalb County, refugees make up three percent of the student body.

Every weekday, the three schools provide participating students a snack, a lesson, homework help and, of course, soccer.

The sport has permeated almost every aspect of afterschool programs. For example, teachers show yellow cards as a warning to misbehaving students, and red cards when the warnings have ended. Even when it involves discipline, the shared language of soccer helps students and teachers build trusting relationships.

“I remember when I first started and I played soccer with the kids. I instantly gained respect, maybe some street cred that comes from the idea that ‘she kinda knows what she’s talking about,’” elementary program coordinator Caroline Miller said. “To me, it went hand in hand. It was the thought that, ‘Oh they think their teachers are cool and they respect me and they want to listen to me because I’m also helping them with their soccer skills.’”

The instructors at New American Pathways say after-school soccer helps break up cliques, and develop skills that go far beyond the classroom. On top of that, the kids also play some damn good soccer.

“It’s pretty incredible,” Barrow said. “Last year they put the middle school students against other rec teams and it was just like not fair to the other teams. The other kids are so disheartened by the end.”

Whether it’s English skills or building empathy through soccer. These things are essential for success in our very complicated interconnected society.” — Winston Persaud, New American Pathways

Some teachers have been forced to relinquish their names. Winston Persaud used to go by ”Mr. Persaud” when he was the lead teacher with the middle school program in 2018. Now he is known to his students as “Coach.”

Persaud has amassed a substantial collection of international jerseys over the years as a former high school player and long-time soccer fan, enough to wear a different one to class every day. So that’s what he did.

The jerseys led to conversations with his young refugee pupils, and those conversations led to relationships. That ultimately led to Persaud becoming a pro-bono coach during daily pickup games, but that was fine by him. It’s all in the name of giving students a strong educational foundation.

“A lot of these kids they’ve had interrupted schooling. A lot of them carry trauma. Combining something with academic support and athletic participation is huge,” Persaud said. “It’s a program of social education. Whether it’s English skills or building empathy through soccer. These things are essential for success in our very complicated interconnected society.”

Soccer doesn’t have to be solely an educational tool, however. Often, it is a much needed release: a space to feel belonging, and a space to cry.

In Houston, there’s been some crying.

At least for a few kids. By itself, that’s an accomplishment. It’s hard to get teenagers to cry in front of each other, even those who aren’t from one of Houston’s toughest areas.

But the larger accomplishment is how the kids have come together in the first place.

Fifteen kids, each an ocean away from their first homes, have been brought into the space that will become their locker room. They’ve been sat down. And they’ve been told they’ve made a soccer team. Not that they’ve gone through a tryout process, been evaluated and selected, but that their Sunday pickup group has become an actual, honest-to-goodness, team.

At first, there wasn’t even soccer. ReVision is an organization dedicated to creating positive outcomes for Houston’s most at-risk kids.

It operates out of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in the southwest part of the city, which is densely populated with resettled immigrants. The vacant lot in the back of the church gave the organization an easy way to reach its neighbors.

A soccer ball plus empty space equals a gathering.

“I decided to just stand out on the field on Sunday afternoons after church and invite high school age kids to come and play pickup games,” reVision CEO Charles Rotramel said. “We thought it was a good way to introduce us to kids and introduce kids to our new field and just see what happened.”

Here’s what happened: Kids showed up, all refugees, and they were very good with a ball at their feet.

They kept showing up Sunday after Sunday, more and more kids. They made difficult moves look easy. Rotramel, a soccer coach since 2007, gave them pointers on tactics and technique. Eventually, the talent outgrew the confines of the makeshift pitch. Rotramel believed the kids were ready for bigger challenges.

He invited a friend, a high-ranking member of Houston Dynamo’s youth academy, to come to the field one Sunday afternoon. Just to watch. Just to make sure Rotramel wasn’t imagining things.

The game started. About a minute passed.

“Charles,” the friend said. “These kids are amazing.”

The next day, Rotramel called the players into their future locker room. They were the first members of reVision FC.

The team began playing in the South Texas Youth Soccer Association’s U-19 level in April 2017. Positive results didn’t come quickly. It spent the entire summer losing. But eventually, talent and passion turned into wins. The team got better. Exponentially better. The next year, despite a massive disadvantage in funding and resources, reVision FC won the state championship in Texas’ second-highest level of club competition.

The group’s effort earned them much more than a trophy. Afterwards, six reVision FC players signed to play at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri.

Via Warshan Hussin

Warshan Hussin, far right, coaching for Soccer Without Borders.

Stories from organizations like reVision FC, New American Pathways and Soccer Without Borders show refugees that there’s a direct path to building a future in the United States. They are reminders of how much a game can empower people. Take Hussin, for example.

The kid who felt lost in school not only learned English, but went on to become captain of his SWB and high school team. He graduated from Digital Harbor High School in 2015 with honors and moved on to play collegiate soccer at Stevenson University in Baltimore.

“I think, most importantly, it gave us a safe place and especially getting placed in Baltimore,” Hussin said. “I think especially as a kid at that 14, 15, 16 age, we’re all just growing right now when we just want to explore everything. Coming here in a free country when you can do whatever you want, drugs, gangs, all that stuff, it’s literally right there in front of you as a kid. I think it kept a lot of us away from that stuff to do something that we love.”

Hussin is now finishing up his degree and coaching one of Soccer Without Borders’ many teams. He says it’s a blessing to be able to use soccer to mentor kids facing the same challenges he did not long ago.

“It’s like stress relief, you know?” Hussin said. “Just putting that smile on these kids’ faces. It’s basically telling them that four or five years ago, I was just where you guys are right now. It’s going to be OK. I made it. A lot of people made it. You’re going to learn English. It’s going to get better. It’s going to get a lot better.”

[angeltriestoblog]

Sophomore year recap, vol. 1

Funny how I only ever go on this blog to give sporadic life updates, which are honestly just lengthier versions of what goes on my Instagram dump. But, I'd hate to let this practice die—plus, I love to write, so it continues for another year. I recently wrapped up my first semester of sophomore year—yet another testament to how fast time flies by—and it's safe to presume that it was the most rewarding chapter of my stay in Ateneo, thus far. I admit I did spend most of my freshman year in my comfort zone (while still managing to make my fair share of rookie mistakes, go me!). Although I don't completely blame myself for not being able to adjust from the get-go, I do admit that my life would have been much easier if I didn't take so long to warm up to the idea of embracing change and taking risks. Upon realizing this, there was a certain pressure that came with it to make up for lost time and try to do as much I could before my body eventually gives out.

For starters, I became more active in the three organizations I am a member of, all of which demanded so much of my energy, and pushed my brain power and time management skills to the test, but were very fulfilling to be in nonetheless. (A little note from Editing Angel: This is where this post starts to look a little bit like a LinkedIn profile.)

I signed up to be a part of the Sanggunian, the student government of the University, under the Commission on Mental Health, since I am an advocate for challenging the stigma that surrounds this issue, as well as providing the proper support to those who need it. I was eventually put under Secretariat, where I was in charge of the databases and documents, taking minutes of the meeting, and updating attendance and post trackers. Although it wasn't the department I had originally planned on getting into, I did enjoy learning about the more technical side of the team and took pride in the fact that I was able to put some of the lessons I learned in ITM over intersession to good use. And by that I mean conditional formatting, but whatever ok!

But, at some point the forces of the universe decided to pull some strings and bring me to my first choice: Humans of Ateneo (HOA), a page that aims to share stories of those within the Ateneo community with the hopes of inspiring others. To this day, I work there as a literary editor, who is basically in charge of transcribing recordings of interviews and turning them into the text posts our audience sees on their Facebook timelines. I love what I do right now, because not only do I feel endlessly inspired by each story of resilience I encounter, but also fulfilled since I am partly responsible for getting that story out there for the rest of the world to see. But, I guess it wouldn't be entirely wrong to say that my favorite story so far has to be Mayor Vico Sotto's, especially because HOA Core (minus Marice, and plus Yanna) and I travelled all the way to Pasig City Hall to hear it from him in the flesh. I can confirm that he is definitely more good-looking in person, that he establishes eye contact when he speaks, and that he is one of the most insightful and substantial human beings I've ever met.

Since being a part of the team, I have also had access to opportunities both within the sub-commission and Sanggu, as a whole. I've been given leadership positions that allowed me to step up to the plate, one of which was directing a video we launched in celebration of World Mental Health Day. My co-project head Bel and I had to conceptualize it from scratch based solely on a spoken word poem given to us, and plan and plot its shooting over the course of one week—definitely a feat given our conflicts in schedule, and the unpredictable weather. Next year, I'll be pretty hands-on when it comes to manning the Peer Support Group of our commission, as I have been assigned as a member of the core team, so that's definitely something to watch out for.

I've attended active listening workshops to help me be better in tending to the needs of others: by either providing them with a newfound support system, or sharing sound advice. I was a part of the sub-core team behind Humans of Ateneo: IRL, where prestigious alumni were invited to speak on their journeys, much like three HOA posts come to life. I also ended up emceeing a freshman drug talk all by myself, because I was only informed at the very last minute that my co-host had other commitments to attend to. I remember practically shaking from the nerves and squealing right in front of the speakers that day, but I managed to pull through with more confidence and less awkward finger guns than I thought possible.

I think this is the org where I took the most initiative and was therefore the busiest, but I didn't mind at all because I was surrounded by such wonderful people. I met most of my team over intersession during a workshop that I wasn't even wholeheartedly willing to attend (because it coincided with what was my last chance to catch Ben&Ben live on their Limasawa Street tour), and thus wasn't expecting much out of. But, we meshed so well together almost instantly as we opened up to one another about experiences and secrets we only would have shared to our closest friends. The acceptance and belongingness was palpable from that point on, and it continues to manifest in how strong our bond is right now.

Aside from that, I got in The GUIDON, the University's student publication, as a Features writer. This is going to sound like such a humble brag, but I honestly didn't expect to be accepted. I'm well aware of how rigorous the week-long application process is, I got the news from friends who failed to make the cut and even saw it for myself during the general assembly they held specifically for applicants. I remember checking my e-mail and being greeted by a list of requirements I needed to accomplish for both of the staffs I applied for: mock articles, interviews, live tweets that all needed to show my unique writing style and authentic take on issues both in and outside the four walls of the campus, that were so overwhelming in scope that I had to call up a friend just to yell in her ear for 10 straight minutes. For the next few days after, tears were shed, friends were ghosted, drafts were created then scrapped, fished out of the Recently Deleted folder, and revised in an endless and vicious cycle—I don't think I had ever written as eloquently, gone as long without checking my phone, or listened to only one playlist on loop for literal days prior to those moments, and yet I was still very unsure of my chances because I knew I was up against some tough competition: veteran staffers of high school publications, and liberal arts majors who looked like they had more personality in their thumbs than I did in my entire body. I remember beating myself up for backing out of my second choice (hi Vantage), which would significantly decrease my chances of getting in. It's just that I knew I was incapable of submitting anything that wasn't half-assed at that point, and I couldn't bear to show them anything that I myself could not give an Angel Seal of Approval.

Thankfully, all of my hard work paid off eventually. Only two days after I had submitted the folder containing my requirements to the respective editor, I was working on a paper in a cafe (the table adjacent to the door of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Robinsons Galleria, to be very exact) when I received the acceptance letter in my inbox. I burst into tears, crumpled to the floor, and replied with the most articulate response I could muster: “SKLDFJSDLKFJSDLKFJSDLFJSLFSDKJ THANK YOU SO MUCH I am literally crying in the middle of this coffee shop.... thank you.... so much....”

As of this writing, I've published two articles under Features: one about the ghosting phenomenon that remains prevalent in romantic relationships, and another about the experiences of Ateneans with autism spectrum disorder. My job honestly feels like both work and a vacation at the same time, because it allows me to talk about a diverse set of topics with interesting people who are experts in the field, while doing what I feel like I'm best at. But, since a part of me will always consider Vantage my TOTGA, I took on some extra work for them and wrote a film review on "G!", a movie that came out as part of the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino earlier this year, which has proven itself to be the worst I've seen in my entire life for reasons I cannot even begin to explain. I didn't necessarily have high expectations of it upon seeing the trailer, but I hyped myself up for it nevertheless. I even bought tickets for me and my friend Christine online because I was afraid that they would be sold out, and we dashed out of our MSYS classroom as soon as our professor said goodbye to book a Grab and hurry to SM North EDSA to make it to our screening... only to barge in the theater and see that we were the only two people in the cinema. I mean, there was one couple in the far corner, but they didn't look very present. In addition to that, I did a food review on a JSEC stall called Chopsticks. I honestly think that food is the most challenging topic to write about, because it's hard to convey how something tastes. When someone asks me to describe the viand I'm eating, I often end up just giving them a spoonful so they can see for themselves. But, I hopped on it anyway, because how could I even say no to sampling an entire menu of Chinese food for free? Several plates of dimsum and chicken later, I gave them a well-deserved five star rating and consider myself as a frequent diner. The experience was made extra fun since I was able to chat with the owner of the business, and my photographer who turned out to be someone I followed on Instagram way back in 2015 and admired for how clean and curated her feed was! (Hi, Kim and Alexis hehe)

As if all of the things mentioned above weren't already enough, I also covered a talk on the future of scientists in the Philippines (which I also have an article on—this goes to show just how diverse the scope of my work can get), attended workshops on feature writing and the relation of journalism and mental health, participated in a rally against professors involved in sexual harassment cases in the Ateneo (pretty badass behavior, if you ask me!), and became a facilitator for a high school publication in this event called Point One. I guess I have The GUIDON to thank for my lack of writer's block: they've managed to keep my brain running on hyperdrive, and my creative juices flowing more than they ever have before.

Last but not the least, of course I chose to stay in my home organization, ACTM. Although I didn’t run for any position or apply to be a part of the Leaders Core (yet), I did my best to make myself visible and show my support in any of the events we participated in or projects that we spearheaded. I signed up as a part of the logistics subcore for the annual Prepcourse, where I helped out with set design and ran some errands for officers in the different booths they manned throughout that day. I honestly have a soft spot for the project, since I remember that the first time I felt genuinely happy during freshman year was during my own Prepcourse (Orsem didn't really do it for me, sorry friends) so even though I missed the chance to be a facilitator, I still wanted to be a part of the event in some way. I also hung out with blockmates and friends all throughout Tambay Week, supported our candidates for Mr. and Ms. SOM, as well as our dance team for RIB eliminations, and dressed up as Kim Possible for the annual Halloween party we held—I was even able to go with Ron Stoppable, thanks to my friend Iverson, who dressed up as him as a surprise.

Although the obvious highlight of my stay in ACTM so far has to be attending LEAP, a three-day leadership training seminar in Iba, Zambales. I remember this particular moment where I was wandering around the beachfront, lowkey frolicking in the water, while my groupmates were playing capture the flag. (In my defense, I was never the physically adept type of person, and knew I'd be helping my team out more if I stayed out of the playing area and cheered on them from the sidelines. But, anyway, I digress.) I could see the golden flecks of sunlight glistening on the waves, and the froth from the seawater hitting my toes, and when I looked back beyond the shore, I saw my friends having fun, running back and forth across the sand. As cliche as it sounds, I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "Wow."

Because at that time last year, I clearly remember being slumped on my couch, scrolling through one LEAP-related IG story after another, feeling this sense of FOMO that I didn't know how to deal with. On one hand, I hated that I wasn't part of something that looked equal parts fun and value-adding, but at the same time, I knew that if I were there, I'd be sticking out like a sore thumb and suffering all the more because I was at the point where social interaction had become physically painful for me. Maybe that's why this LEAP was extra special to me: besides all of the great people I met and the insights I picked up along the way, it served as a reminder of how far I've come, and how much farther I have to go during the rest of my stay in college.

(That honestly would have been the perfect way to end this post, but I have so much more I have to cover. How anti-climactic.)

Aside from my newfound love for organization life, I gained a lot of new friends and strengthened the ties I have with old ones. Back then, I was very selective of those I talked to and let in my circle: I let first impressions get the best of me, or allowed shyness to take center stage every time there was a chance to meet new people. Now, I'm close to both blockmates and batchmates: I go to their birthday celebrations, support events that they're a part of, hang out in their condo units to binge on fastfood, or sometimes just sit on the Matteo Steps with them in the middle of doing requirements to vent for 10 minutes before begrudgingly returning to our tables.

I miraculously also had time to sneak in some pretty fun stuff in my schedule despite my workload. Although I wasn’t able to prioritize making content for this blog, I got my writing on the national paper! It was in the first semester of my freshman year when I heard about Inquirer Youngblood from my English professor. Apparently, they accept essays about any topic under the sun from anyone aged 29 and below. Since I felt there would be no harm in trying, I crafted this little piece that aimed to show a different side of being an only child, as opposed to the “spoiled and entitled” stereotype that is usually stuck on us. I didn’t get my hopes up so as to not be disappointed, so when a couple of days had passed and my article wasn’t showing up on print, I gave up and moved on. Good thing my friend Bea sent me a photo of the September 8 issue of the newspaper (coincidentally the same day I got accepted into The GUIDON!), or else I wouldn’t have seen that I got published. I admit that even though writing is all I’ve ever really known since I was young, I’m not a hundred percent confident in my skill, nor do I always see the purpose behind what I do. But, it’s instances like that, that remind me of why I keep at it.

Another capital-G Great thing that happened was getting tickets to the UAAP men’s basketball championship game! As someone who made Ateneo her dream school at age five because of how much she loved the Blue Eagles, witnessing them end the season with a sweep and a championship was everything to me. And getting to do so with my closest friends in my block just made the experience even better than it was. Also, seeing Renzo Subido play in person—all my friends can attest to the fact that I was facing a huge moral dilemma mid-game, because every time he made a basket, I would end up cheering for him. (With a face like that, how could I not though)

I even found my way back in the gig scene after a long hiatus, with no less than Ang Bandang Shirley, Over October, and Munimuni welcoming me back with open arms. I had got tickets on a whim with my friend from my days as a full-on K-Pop stan, Reanna, even though it was the weekend before a big Accounting exam, if I remember correctly. But, I have no regrets: I have a feeling that very few moments in life can make me feel the way I did when Umaapaw (one of my favorite songs in the world) was being played right in front of me. Surprisingly, I didn't cry when that happened—same for Wait and Sa Hindi Pag-alala, but then again maybe I was too dazed to process what was going on.

I saw Ben&Ben just a week ago, which served as the perfect way to cap off this stressful semester. The last time I saw them was way back in October 2018: conflicts in schedule due to prior commitments, or location issues kept getting in the way that it's like they had to take matters into their own hands and head on over to Ateneo just so I could see them again. Although they didn't perform my favorite song, I can't exactly say that I was disappointed because nothing really beats the feeling of seeing them and singing along to tracks that have served as the soundtrack of my life, and are practically etched on my heart. (I am actually tearing up just writing this paragraph god am I emo! I miss them already, wow! Just wanna hear Araw-Araw live, what do I do about this!)

I also managed to finish all 10 seasons of Friends despite my irregular viewing patterns—I started it during our trip to the States before the school year began, and constantly teetered between watching one or two episodes as a reward for finishing a reading due the next day and binging one season during rare weekends that do not require working on deliverables but honestly could have been used to get ahead in lessons. This is a pretty big deal, considering that I have the attention span of a sleep-deprived cockroach and haven't finished a single White People Show since... well, Austin & Ally back in 2017 (which I actually marathoned on Dailymotion, but that's a story for another day). But, I guess there's just something special about this group of pals going through the motions of their everyday lives in the eccentric, sometimes borderline stupid ways that only they can, because I admit: the emotional investment was and is very, very real! I personally identify myself as a Chandler-Rachel hybrid now (thank you, Iverson), try to see which character the people I meet are like most out of fun, and argue to no end with anyone who ever claims that Ross and Rachel (1) were on a break, and (2) are endgame.

Most importantly, I was able to do all of this and still clinch a spot on the Dean's List. I started this semester on an optimistic note: I found all of my subjects interesting, and the professors who taught them, engaging. I'd even make notes on the readings the day before they were to be discussed in class, complete with pops of color here and there courtesy of my fineliner pens and Stabilo highlighters. But, once I reached the halfway point, my motivation started waning. Papers and quizzes, oral exams and video projects were thrown in my direction at breakneck speed: I often found myself cramming output for the sake of having something to submit, and not even having the time to look at readings due for discussion the following day. It came to a point where I thought of shifting out, because I felt I wasn't doing well enough in my majors to justify my stay. Sounds pretty stupid when I look back at it, I guess I simply mistook extreme stress and fatigue with falling out of love with the only program that I ever wanted to get in when I was applying for Ateneo. Thank God I didn't give up though, or else I wouldn't be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor right now. I honestly wasn't expecting stellar grades, considering the number of extracurricular commitments I took on, but now that they're there, I'm not complaining at all! Shoutout to my favorite professors of the semester: Mam Vaswani, who taught me that there is always room for improvement even in my own area of expertise; Sir Atienza, who made lectures feel like casual kwentuhans (or sometimes even chillnumans); and Sir Rebato, who broke the world record for longest patience in the world.

I guess it's safe to say that I am the happiest and most content I have been in a while, and although I am afraid of jinxing it, I feel like it's only gonna go upward from here. I am beyond excited to see where the new year and semester take me, because I know I'll do my part in making sure it's even better and brighter than this one. If you read up to this point, you deserve a pat on the back! Maybe you only scrolled to this point to see if there were any pictures with your face on them, but who cares! It adds to my website traffic, so thank you, happy holidays, and I wish you nothing but love and light always!

[ihtspirit]

Macomber teacher Teresa Mahjoory shines in SEL challenge

Macomber teacher Teresa Mahjoory shines in SEL challenge Originally published May 12, 2019 in The Herald News. By Linda Murphy As Alice A. Macomber Primary School physical education teacher Teresa Mahjoory proves, there’s more than one way to bring social-emotional wellness to her students. https://ihtusa.com https://ihtusa.com/macomber-teacher-teresa-mahjoory-shines-in-sel-challenge/ Originally published May 12, 2019 in The Herald News. By Linda Murphy As Alice A. Macomber Primary School physical education teacher Teresa Mahjoory proves, there’s more than one way to bring social-emotional wellness to her students. In fact, Mahjoory slipped social-emotional wellness initiatives into just about every facet of the school day, handily landing the school in first place for the 8th annual Greater Fall River School Fitness Challenge. With the $500 prize, she plans to bring another element to the school that will promote social-emotional wellness: an outdoor classroom in an unused grassy area adjacent to the building. [caption id="attachment_18921" align="alignright" width="550"] LInda Murphy photo[/caption] In one of her initiatives, students had the opportunity to convey how they were feeling that day by choosing to walk over one of three colored tape blocks on the floor as they entered the gym. Green indicated a good day, yellow, was a bit more challenging and red meant they weren’t having a good day at all, giving Mahjoory an indicator that she should check in with those students. In the Integrated Hallway, she created a hopscotch-style pathway where students with sensory needs can get the input they need to refocus as they travel from classroom to classroom, and for those students who do something extra kind, there’s the Helping Paw award. Mahjoory cleverly decided to use recycled donated trophies to give to the recipients of the Helping Paw award. “Throughout the challenge, I was able to showcase kids who were going out of their way,” she said. In an unused nook of the school, Mahjoory did a bit of “remodeling” to make the Wildcat Zen Den, a cozy spot where kids dealing with social-emotional issues could go for some quiet meditative time. And in the gym, she established a Conflict Corner, a safe place where kids can work out conflicts among themselves, thus learning an important life skill. She also created a Social Emotional Learning book bank with special education teacher Amy Sousa. The bank is stocked up with books addressing an array of SEL issues for teachers to use with their students. Mahjoory selected some of the books to use in her PE classes where she read the book and then incorporated the concept into a PE lesson. “Emmanuel’s Dream,” about a boy who wanted to play soccer his despite being born with a deformed leg, led to a lesson in which the kids played scooter soccer, but they were only allowed to use one leg. “They were able to see the struggle that he went through so I was able to relate it back to the book,” said Mahjoory. “To be able to integrate that into PE has been super fun.” Another SEL book, “The Juice Box Bully,” turned into a lesson using recycled juice boxes. One of the promises in the book, she said, was to “take care of ourselves and others.” That promise turned into the students signing a message against bullying that Mahjoory placed into a bottle that was tossed into the ocean. In her classes, Mahjoory created lessons in which kids who wouldn’t normally play together had to work in partnerships, and she added jobs and leadership roles to boost kids’ confidence. “They loved it; having a sense of responsibility,” she said, adding she plans to keep that initiative now that the challenge has ended. She also brought SEL worksheets into the PE classes so kids could think through issues they may be having, and she established a positive character attribute of the week such as “responsible” that the kids explored as it related to the PE class.

For the first seven years of the school challenge, the January through March initiatives centered around some kind of physical activity that goes beyond the programs and activities that are already taking place in the physical education classes. “This year we wanted to take it to another level as well as show others that PE is lots more than simply playing games and shooting baskets. With that in mind, this year’s challenge to PE teachers was to come up with proposals focused wholly on the social-emotional wellness of students,” said Marcia Picard, school wellness coordinator Greater Fall River Partners for a Healthier Community.

Picard said they were blown away by the proposals they received from the teachers, and especially the one from Mahjoory. While most were a couple pages, Mahjoory’s was a 10-page proposal that took the concept from the PE classroom to the entire school. Mahjoory, said Picard, is “the absolute best physical education teacher I have ever seen in my 60 years of being involved in education.” Some of the other initiatives Mahjoory brought to her classroom include You Are, in which the students conveyed positive things they thought about each other and the #IwishmyteacherknewIwasgoodat initiative, in which the students shared things they’re good at outside of PE classes on a slip of paper in a jar. “I couldn’t believe how many kids wanted to tell me what they’re good at, from archery to drawing. I learned so much about them,” she said. “It helps me build relationships with the students.” Principal Cheryl Greeson and the teachers also embraced the SEL challenge. Greeson issued daily kindness challenges and the teachers added lunch book talks, yoga and mindfulness practices, morning teambuilding meetings and an SEL collaborative art project, among many others. A native of Fall River, Mahjoory worked at the Sylvia School in Fall River before taking the position at Macomber Primary School this fall. The kickoff to the challenge at Macomber started on Feb. 6 with Global School Wide Play Day. And this year, Greeson gave them the “green light” to scrap the regular lessons to engage in play. “She’s a huge supporter of learning through play. Dr. Greeson understands the importance of play, and all the social-emotional issues,” said Mahjoory. After Macomber, the following schools placed in this order in this year’s challenge: Westport Elementary School, Edmond P. Talbot Middle School, John J. Doran Community School and Joseph Case High School. This year’s School Fitness Challenge served over 3,000 area students.

Seeking IHT Spirit System information?

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[goflyaviation-blog]

The Insanity of Noise Complaints from People Who Choose to Live Near Airports

As the owner of a busy flying school, I often get complaints passed on from the local council, or sometimes directly from residents, in relation to the sound of aircraft flying near or over their house.

On most occasions it is not the planes from my flight school which are causing the noise, however, when a resident searches online for ‘flight school Caloundra’, GoFly Aviation often comes up as the number one entry on the list, so they mistakenly assume that there is a good chance that it is one of my aircraft making the noise. It’s important for our school’s reputation that we deal with nearby neighbours in a courteous manner, regardless of whose aircraft it is making the noise.

GoFly Aviation has well maintained aircraft with low-noise engines and very strict rules on avoiding flying over noise-sensitive areas, but even so, some nearby residents will still find a way to be unhappy while living beside a busy airfield.

Why do they complain?

I find noise complaints a very strange phenomena as they appear to be solely targeted at smaller general aviation airports. I am going to list a few reasons why I find it strange:

Most airports were built long before residential housing came along. For instance Caloundra aerodrome was first used as a landing field in 1931 and has been used as a professional general aviation airport since 1971. There were no houses in the area then.

If a person then buys or builds a house adjacent to the airport, does it not stand to reason that there will be aircraft noise?

All busy urban areas grow in size, so if people are all ok with town and suburbs growing, why do they then complain when airports get busier or expand?

I do believe there are some occasions where noise complaints make sense; for example if a new international flying school opens up without public consultation and all of a sudden an airport has five times the number of aircraft movements per day (and an increase in noise). The other reason might be an aircraft completing emergency procedures or flying outside the nominated times for noise abatement procedures. The times for flight training that GoFly offers, are between 7.30am and 4pm, when the majority of people are not only awake but most are heading out to work and school.

If you buy or build a house beside an international airport or a busy highway do you think the local government is going to listen to you if you start complaining about noise? The answer is obvious, of course they will not, and I believe the reason why is very simple. Highways, expressways and international or major airports are what we deem ‘essential services’ which most people use on a semi-regular basis. So it doesn’t make sense for them to complain about the existence of an essential service. I believe that smaller general aviation airports are seen to be places which most people will not visit or make use of often, and are also perceived as the domain of rich individuals who fly for fun. While this may have an element of truth, general aviation airports provide so much more than a base for millionaires to enjoy their hobby. Most of my clientele are middle class workers and struggling students with their hearts set on joining an airline one day. If not learning at a small airport – without the confusing radio calls and without commercial aircraft taking precedence over them –  then where are our future pilots going to learn to fly, so that they can then fly these complainants away on their future holidays?

Let’s try to see it from their point of view

I believe some real estate agents do not disclose truthfully the proximity of the airport and possible noise issues when individuals are buying or building a home near the airport. A lot of individuals will also inspect a home before or after work, when aircraft noise is at a minimum.

If someone rings me with an honest request to take a different route to minimise noise, and it makes practical sense and does not jeopardise safety, than I am more than willing to change our flight paths accordingly.

Recently I had a local retired couple call me to tell me that they have at least 20 aircraft each day turn over their house at a height of about 700 feet. When I looked at google maps I discovered that their house was situated directly under the designated crosswind turn, where aircraft were doing circuits on a particular runway.

Although everyone based at Caloundra airport was sticking to the ‘Fly Neighbourly’ policy and not turning crosswind until 700 feet, the couple were still getting up to 10 aircraft er day doing circuits (at approx 8 circuits per lesson!). This equated to 80 aircraft per a day turning over their house at the 700 feet level. I could understand their frustration. All it took to solve this problem was to get together with other Caloundra airfield operators and agree to turn into the crosswind section of the circuit once we reached the water at Pumicestone Passage. For pilots it simply meant another twenty seconds of climbing in the upwind section of the circuit to keep the residents below, happy.

Sometimes though, you cannot make everyone happy. I once had a very aggressive (and gym-buffed) nearby resident come down to the airfield wanting to pick a fight with one of my instructors. This resident had just purchased a house at the end of the runway and could not understand why we had to keep flying over his house!

My instructor was very calm and explained that in certain wind conditions we have to land and take off on that particular runway, and, as his house is situated directly off the end of the runway, there is no way  to avoid flying over his house as aircraft cannot turn below 500 feet. He didn’t like the fact that the aircraft noise was affecting his afternoon nap. Ironically, he told us he worked as a jet ski instructor (now those things are really noisy!!!). He eventually backed off and went home.

I believe we need to use common sense when it comes to airport noise complaints. We require general aviation airports for the healthy future of our aviation sector, both for training as well as maintenance and private operations.

I believe that one way forward would be for all houses within the noise radius of airports to require a disclosure for new purchasers, to ensure that the prospective new owner understands that there will be airport noise and that the airport may grow in size in the future. Also, the disclosure document would state that the resident cannot complain about the noise unless a particular operator or aircraft has broken a law or gone against the ‘Fly Neighbourly’ policy.

Light aircraft will be more quiet in the future

The good news is that the future for light aircraft is going to be electric and it’s going to be a lot quieter. So hopefully technology will allow both sides to get what they want: afternoon circuits and a nanna nap at the same time!

Alternatively, another idea that could work, is that all houses in the surrounding area should only be available for sale to aviation enthusiasts only!

Happy and safe flying (as quietly as possible)!

[ihtspirit]

Macomber teacher Teresa Mahjoory shines in SEL challenge

Macomber teacher Teresa Mahjoory shines in SEL challenge Originally published May 12, 2019 in The Herald News. By Linda Murphy As Alice A. Macomber Primary School physical education teacher Teresa Mahjoory proves, there’s more than one way to bring social-emotional wellness to her students. https://ihtusa.com https://ihtusa.com/macomber-teacher-teresa-mahjoory-shines-in-sel-challenge/ Originally published May 12, 2019 in The Herald News. By Linda Murphy As Alice A. Macomber Primary School physical education teacher Teresa Mahjoory proves, there’s more than one way to bring social-emotional wellness to her students. In fact, Mahjoory slipped social-emotional wellness initiatives into just about every facet of the school day, handily landing the school in first place for the 8th annual Greater Fall River School Fitness Challenge. With the $500 prize, she plans to bring another element to the school that will promote social-emotional wellness: an outdoor classroom in an unused grassy area adjacent to the building. [caption id="attachment_18921" align="alignright" width="550"] LInda Murphy photo[/caption] In one of her initiatives, students had the opportunity to convey how they were feeling that day by choosing to walk over one of three colored tape blocks on the floor as they entered the gym. Green indicated a good day, yellow, was a bit more challenging and red meant they weren’t having a good day at all, giving Mahjoory an indicator that she should check in with those students. In the Integrated Hallway, she created a hopscotch-style pathway where students with sensory needs can get the input they need to refocus as they travel from classroom to classroom, and for those students who do something extra kind, there’s the Helping Paw award. Mahjoory cleverly decided to use recycled donated trophies to give to the recipients of the Helping Paw award. “Throughout the challenge, I was able to showcase kids who were going out of their way,” she said. In an unused nook of the school, Mahjoory did a bit of “remodeling” to make the Wildcat Zen Den, a cozy spot where kids dealing with social-emotional issues could go for some quiet meditative time. And in the gym, she established a Conflict Corner, a safe place where kids can work out conflicts among themselves, thus learning an important life skill. She also created a Social Emotional Learning book bank with special education teacher Amy Sousa. The bank is stocked up with books addressing an array of SEL issues for teachers to use with their students. Mahjoory selected some of the books to use in her PE classes where she read the book and then incorporated the concept into a PE lesson. “Emmanuel’s Dream,” about a boy who wanted to play soccer his despite being born with a deformed leg, led to a lesson in which the kids played scooter soccer, but they were only allowed to use one leg. “They were able to see the struggle that he went through so I was able to relate it back to the book,” said Mahjoory. “To be able to integrate that into PE has been super fun.” Another SEL book, “The Juice Box Bully,” turned into a lesson using recycled juice boxes. One of the promises in the book, she said, was to “take care of ourselves and others.” That promise turned into the students signing a message against bullying that Mahjoory placed into a bottle that was tossed into the ocean. In her classes, Mahjoory created lessons in which kids who wouldn’t normally play together had to work in partnerships, and she added jobs and leadership roles to boost kids’ confidence. “They loved it; having a sense of responsibility,” she said, adding she plans to keep that initiative now that the challenge has ended. She also brought SEL worksheets into the PE classes so kids could think through issues they may be having, and she established a positive character attribute of the week such as “responsible” that the kids explored as it related to the PE class.

For the first seven years of the school challenge, the January through March initiatives centered around some kind of physical activity that goes beyond the programs and activities that are already taking place in the physical education classes. “This year we wanted to take it to another level as well as show others that PE is lots more than simply playing games and shooting baskets. With that in mind, this year’s challenge to PE teachers was to come up with proposals focused wholly on the social-emotional wellness of students,” said Marcia Picard, school wellness coordinator Greater Fall River Partners for a Healthier Community.

Picard said they were blown away by the proposals they received from the teachers, and especially the one from Mahjoory. While most were a couple pages, Mahjoory’s was a 10-page proposal that took the concept from the PE classroom to the entire school. Mahjoory, said Picard, is “the absolute best physical education teacher I have ever seen in my 60 years of being involved in education.” Some of the other initiatives Mahjoory brought to her classroom include You Are, in which the students conveyed positive things they thought about each other and the #IwishmyteacherknewIwasgoodat initiative, in which the students shared things they’re good at outside of PE classes on a slip of paper in a jar. “I couldn’t believe how many kids wanted to tell me what they’re good at, from archery to drawing. I learned so much about them,” she said. “It helps me build relationships with the students.” Principal Cheryl Greeson and the teachers also embraced the SEL challenge. Greeson issued daily kindness challenges and the teachers added lunch book talks, yoga and mindfulness practices, morning teambuilding meetings and an SEL collaborative art project, among many others. A native of Fall River, Mahjoory worked at the Sylvia School in Fall River before taking the position at Macomber Primary School this fall. The kickoff to the challenge at Macomber started on Feb. 6 with Global School Wide Play Day. And this year, Greeson gave them the “green light” to scrap the regular lessons to engage in play. “She’s a huge supporter of learning through play. Dr. Greeson understands the importance of play, and all the social-emotional issues,” said Mahjoory. After Macomber, the following schools placed in this order in this year’s challenge: Westport Elementary School, Edmond P. Talbot Middle School, John J. Doran Community School and Joseph Case High School. This year’s School Fitness Challenge served over 3,000 area students.

Seeking IHT Spirit System information?

[contact-form-7 id="3054" title="How'd you find us?"]

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