Will Work for Bread and Smiles

Though it has been quite awhile since our last post, the H.O.P.E. Crew has continued on in their quest for inspiring themselves and others through service. In November the H.O.P.E. Crew celebrated the success of a school-wide canned food drive and led the entire TPA community in a convocation fostering gratitude. In December we had a clothing drive and we were able to donate a good amount of much-needed clothing to the people of Chinle.
Currently, in February, we are about to put our main focus into two areas: co-creating an all school multi-cultural event along with the P.O. ~ Born and Bread: We are ALL American, and adopting the organization, Operation Smile as our service project.
Born and Bread: We are ALL American will be a school-wide celebration replacing the Renaissance Faire as our fundraising event for the year. Born and Bread is a multi-cultural celebration that will include the sharing of bread (and other foods), visual art, music, dance, and games from many different cultures. We are excited to be part of this unique, first-time at TPA event, and thrilled that the P.O. agreed that this is a worthwhile endeavor. The evnt will probably take place at the end of April/beginning of May.
 "Operation Smile is an international children's medical charity that heals children's smiles, forever changing their lives.As a children’s charity, we measure ourselves by the joy we see on all of the faces we help. At Operation Smile, we're more than a charity. More than an NGO. We're a mobilized force of medical professionals and caring hearts who provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate." In our mission to be of service, the H.O.P.E. Crew aims to do what we can for an organization that, for one, helps children, and two, helps us promote tolerance, care, and respect for those who struggle both physically and socially.
The next four months are going to be busy, exciting times. We welcome all to join us on this grand adventure!

http://www.5min.com/Video/Day-of-the-Dead-Traditions-35862752

Think About It...

The most destructive habit	Worry
The greatest joy	Giving
The most endangered species	Dedicated leaders
Our greatest natural resource	Our youth
The greatest “shot in the arm”	Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome	Fear
The most effective sleeping pill	Peace of mind
The most crippling disease	Excuses
The most powerful force in life	Love
The most destructive pariah	Gossip
The most incredible computer	The human brain
The worst thing to be without	Hope
The deadliest weapon	The tongue
The two most powerful words	Can do
The greatest asset	Faith
The most worthless emotion	Self-pity
The worst thing you can lose	Self-respect
The most satisfying work	Helping others
The ugliest personality trait	Selfishness
The most beautiful attire	A smile!
The most prized possession	Integrity
The most contageous spirit	Enthusiasm
The most powerful communication	Prayer

Friday, October 28, CHALLENGE: Day 3

Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land amongst the stars.
~ Brian Littrell

Friday's Challenge: Use positive words (let go of negative talk) and
refrain from using profanity (for a full 24 hours).

The best thing about today's challenge for this writer: Awareness. Awareness about how easy it is to use expletives without thought. Awareness of how many negative thoughts and chatter take place in my mind. Awareness how easy it is to fall into "negative traps" - and this, from someone who feels that most of the time she's a pretty positive human being!

I didn't meet this challenge completely. However, my awareness is definitely heightened, which is a very good thing.

How about YOU?

Were  you able to maintain a positive attitude? Speak positive words? Refrain from using expletives?

What did you notice about yourself? About others?

Hopefully, the last three days gave many of us an opportunity to change up our habits, meet some new people, become more aware of our thoughts and actions, and feel a part of the TPA community in a new way. 

Thank you to everyone who participated in one, two, or all three of the challenges. Enjoy your weekend, and come visit the H.O.P.E. Crew table outside the Zelman Monday before school and at HS lunch to let us know how you did on this week's challenges.

Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.
~ Robert Schuller

Thursday, October 27, CHALLENGE: DAY 2

Today's challenge: Talk to/reach out to someone at TPA that
you have never spoken to before. Learn their name and a little bit
about them.

It can be intimidating to reach out and speak to someone you don't know - even if you pass them by every day on your own school campus. Without a concrete reason, it can feel awkward to walk up to someone and say, "Hi, my name is so & so. What's your name?"

For some of us, this challenge may not have been difficult at all. In fact, for some, it was probably relatively easy. But for a good number of us, that was probably not the case.

Why is it considered odd, and even uncomfortable, to do something that seems, on the surface, so simple?

What is our fear when it comes to putting ourselves "out there," and extending ourselves?

What do we think will happen if we reach out - for no specific reason except only to reach out?

Do we sometimes choose to not extend ourselves because it takes a little more effort than we want to give?

What if reaching out to someone in a friendly way ended up being that person's only positive contact the entire day? Would it make a difference in your choosing to make the effort?

Did you meet today's challenge?

Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)
By Diana Ross

Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can

(Just try)
Take a little time out of your busy day
To give encouragement
To someone who's lost the way
(Just try)
Or would I be talking to a stone
If I asked you
To share a problem that's not your own
We can change things if we start giving
Why don't you

Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can

(Just try)
If you see an old friend on the street
And he's down
Remember his shoes could fit your feet
(Just try)
Try a little kindness you'll see
It's something that comes very naturally
We can change things if we start giving

Why don't you
Reach out and touch
Why don't you (Why don't you)
Reach out and touch somebody's hand

Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can

Wednesday, October 26: CHALLENGE DAY 1

---

Only through our connectedness to others can we really know and enhance the self. And only through working on the self can we begin to enhance our connectedness to others.

- Harriet Goldhor Lerner

Challenge 1: No Facebook today - for the WHOLE day (24 hours)!

For some of us, this was easy: Some of us don't have a Facebook page,
Some of us only check our Facebook once in a blue moon.
For some of us, it just wasn't a big deal: Some of us only check our Facebook
here and there, and/or go without checking it for days at a time.
But, for many of us daily checkers and posters, going without for a day
brought to our attention what a habit Facebook has become.

So...

Which category do you fall under?
Did you meet the challenge?
What was it like not checking Facebook for a day if you are a daily user?
Did you practice communicating by other means? i.e. texting, telephone?
Do you believe Facebook is a positive way to communicate? Negative?
                                              Both? Neither?

Red Ribbon and Not My Kid Week

The H.O.P.E. Crew met today with their focus being on Red Ribbon and Not My Kid Week. Alexa Muniz helped jumpstart our session by preparing a Power Point presentation which included PSA videos on internet safety, bullying, and texting while driving (graphic – please click on the link at your own discretion). This segued us into a discussion about each of these topics which gave us the opportunity to look at our own past actions and think about our responsibility to ourselves, to others, and to our community.
We concluded our meeting by deciding to put forth three challenges this week to the TPA community at large. Wednesday through Friday, students and faculty will be given the opportunity to take on one, two, or three challenges to help increase our personal awareness as well as the affect that our behavior has on our own selves as well as others.

The challenges are as follows:

Wednesday, October 26: No Facebook for a day –
24 hours free and clear of posting, reading, and checking our own
page or that of others’.


Thursday, October 27: Talk to/reach out to someone at TPA that
you have never spoken to before. Learn their name and a little bit
about them.


Friday, October 28: Use positive words (let go of negative talk) and
refrain from using profanity (for a full 24 hours).


H.O.P.E. Crew members will pass out information about the challenges
on Tuesday, October 25. Students and faculty will have the opportunity
to sign up and participate in one, two, or all three of the challenges on
Wednesday morning outside the Zelman Center. While we would like
everyone who participates to do this for the value of simply doing it to
better themselves and the community at large, those who meet their
challenge goals, will be recognized on Monday, October 31.