If there was a word (or words) that served as a daily reminder of a goal, a dream or what matters most, what would that be?
The responses varied among students at Westerville Central High School: Energy. Breathe. Hope. Resiliency. Transcendence.
The school’s media center hosted workshops all day Wednesday where students could stop in during their FlyTime period, study hall or an open period to create bracelets and keychains that serve as daily reminders of their word as part of the MyIntent Project.
“I hope they were able to focus on something good they wanted to bring in their lives and think about how to remove obstacles that were in the way of reaching their dreams,” WCHS media specialist Amy Farris said. “Their word is the quality that they need to get over that obstacle. If they are wearing their word on their wrist, I hope it empowers them to overcome the obstacles in their life. That’s why we’re making these.”
She has typically worked with students individually or in small groups to immortalize their words by stamping them onto metal washers for bracelets or key chains. Wednesday’s day-long workshops were a first for Farris, who invited school and district staff members to be involved.
WCHS custodians Brian Bishop and Scott Flint, school registrar Molly Bussard and Lane Halterman, a district educational technology integration coach, worked with students as they practiced striking letters onto the metal, mapping out where to place the stamps and tying the straps of their bracelets.
“I thought about the people who are just as critical (as teachers) to the life of the school and I wanted to include them,” Farris said.
Flint was honored to be invited to help: “It made me feel appreciated. It made me feel welcome.”
“(Farris) is awesome as a librarian,” he said. “What she tries to bring to these kids in this building, it’s amazing.”
Throughout the day, students filtered in and out of the media center to work on their items for themselves or Valentine’s Day gifts for loved ones.
When senior Alpha Bangoura learned about the workshop, he immediately thought of his girlfriend and the words he wanted to imprint on her pendant. He said he enjoyed working on the gift at the start of the day.
“We just want some relaxation time before we get to our classes,” he said. “It’s a pretty fun activity, especially first period.”
Sophomore Max Iquina stamped the word “energy” on his bracelet to motivate him throughout the day.
“Sometimes I feel a little tired and I thought if I could see energy, it would help me to be more motivated to do a lot of things,” he said.
Meanwhile, sophomore Andy Wang chose “breathe” to remind him to pause.
“It feels like everything is so fast and things happen really quick,” he said. “A lot of times I find myself just needing to take time to breathe and stop.”
Students who couldn’t make the workshops can still make word bracelets and keychains; Farris said the materials are always available at the media center.