SWIVL Brisenia Flores Memorial Award

SWIVL Brisenia Flores Memorial Award

On March 11th, the Southwest Institute for ViolenceFree Learning (SWIVL) presented the Brisenia Flores Memorial Award to four sixth graders from Sopori Elementary School.  Each student described their relationship with a companion animal and how they became more responsible and a better person.  Students received a certificate of success and a $25.00 gift card.

Sopori Elementary Principal Desi Raulston & 6th Grade Teacher Mrs. Gettinger with the four SWIVL Brisenia Flores Memorial Award Winners

The SWIVL Award acknowledges the beauty and creative spirit of children – a spirit that was exemplified by Brisenia Flores.  Brisenia’s young life was tragically taken through a brutal and senseless killing.  According to SWIVL co-founder, Dr. Kathleen Wishnick, the Award pays tribute to Brisenia and promotes the view that our schools should encourage compassion, creativity, and responsible behavior. From this Award, SWIVL hopes the dreams of a little girl will be realized through the lives of other children.  According to Wishnick, we celebrate the young life of Brisenia and we hope that good people everywhere will keep her memory alive.

 

SWIVL endorses the view that ViolenceFree can be created through personal self-reliance and accountability in a culture that encourages a strong work ethic, independence, and innovation. Through a learning environment, based on the Golden Rule, our schools can create relationships that are ViolenceFree.

Working for Beauty, Compassion, and Innovation in our Schools

There is no time in our schools for beauty, compassion, and innovation.  What makes us human – our desire for freedom, creativity, and love – is being pushed out of the way by teaching practices that are being strangled by excessive rules and regulations.  Educators are finding less time to teach the arts, music, and creativity in the classroom.  Instead of teaching our children to be intuitive, critical thinkers we are developing students that are only able to regurgitate facts.  SWIVL works with parents, teachers, and school officials to develop classrooms that integrate state standards with a compassionate, humane educational environment.   One SWIVL initiative is the Brisenia Flores Memorial Award.   This initiative encourages a civil, compassionate teaching and learning environment where children increase their capacity to be responsible, resilient students.

 

Brisenia Flores Memorial Award Encourages Academic and Social Development

Most parents hope their children will grow up to be self-reliant and independent adults.   Parents want their children to be well-rounded, caring, and thoughtful thinkers.  While mothers and fathers appreciate the need for academics, standards, and tests they know that without a sense of responsibility and discipline, all the academics in the world won’t matter. Children are not small adults that can be programmed to behave, respond, and react.  Anyone who has been a parent or a teacher knows that children are naturally creative, kind, and engaging.  Children are also compassionate and kindhearted with a unique quality of care for companion and farmed animals.  Just take a look at elementary school text or story books and you will find a strong sense of morality based on fair play and compassion for all.  Children seldom make a distinction between humans and nonhuman animals, expressing respect, dignity, and love for both.  Our schools need to take advantage of this powerful bond as it can act as a catalyst for a multitude of learning experiences.  Continue reading.

The relationship between children and animals was expressed so eloquently by the four sixth graders who were SWIVL Brisenia Flores Memorial Award winners.  In multidimensional terms, students told their stories with both their heart and head.  With pictures and words, contest winners expressed their joy and love within a climate of accountability and dedication.  Students gave voice to the value they felt for their animal friends and how their relationships taught them many lessons.  Students became aware of their feelings by recording and reflecting on the values and beliefs they practiced when taking care of their animals.   Students expressed attention, pride, commitment, responsibility, and appreciation for their animals – all qualities we hope our children achieve. 

The purpose of the SWIVL Brisenia Flores Memorial Award is to acknowledge the beauty and creative spirit of children – a spirit that was exemplified by Brisenia Flores. Brisenia’s young life was tragically taken through a brutal and senseless killing. According to SWIVL co-founder, Dr. Kathleen Wishnick, the Brisenia Flores Memorial Award not only pays tribute to Brisenia, the SWIVL Award also promotes the view that our schools need to encourage compassion, creativity, and responsible behavior in our children. Dr. Wishnick believes our schools are becoming less civil and more violent.  According to Wishnick, the rush to standardize and regulate our schools has resulted in few opportunities for our children to become independent and self-reliant. Instead, Wishnick believes our schools need more parent and family involvement and more community-based partnerships.

 

SWIVL promotes the view that ViolenceFree can be created through empathy and compassion in a school-community culture that encourages a strong work ethic, independence, and innovation. Through compassionate behaviors, based on the Golden Rule, our schools can create student-to-student relationships that are ViolenceFree.  SWIVL collaborates with parents and families, teachers and school officials, and community and business leaders, to create a culture of success where all individuals have the freedom to explore and maximize their talents and strengths.  Starting with children and their families, SWIVL is committed to creating a world that believes all children have special talents that should be nurtured and valued in our school-communities. Through the Brisenia Flores Memorial Award, the relationships that children have with companion and farmed animals provide wonderful opportunities to develop caring, concerned, and compassionate behaviors.  From this Award, SWIVL hopes the dreams of a little girl will be realized through the lives of other children. According to Kathleen Wishnick, we celebrate the young life of Brisenia and we hope that good people everywhere will keep her memory alive.

Representative Fleming to Present Student Awards

The Brisenia Flores Memorial Award honors the young life of Brisenia Flores by offering to intermediate grade children the opportunity to display and share their creative ideas around the care and responsible treatment of companion and farmed animals.  Students have the opportunity to promote kindness and compassion towards animals through creative writing, poetry, art, and music. 

For those who knew Brisenia, she had a unwavering love for animals and a passion for life.  Brisenia was a joyful young girl who loved everyone she met.  According to SWIVL Executive Director, Dr. Kathleen Wishinick, the Brisenia Flores Memorial Award will help students become more responsible and self-reliant by experiencing firsthand the love and friendship they can have with a companion or farmed animal.   SWIVL hopes the memory of Brisenia Flores will help children connect their hearts and minds as they dream of a life filled with hope, possibility and most of all compassion.

In honor of Brisenia , LD 25 House of Representative Member, the Honorable Pat Fleming will present awards to students on March 11, 2010 at Sopori School. 

All winners, parents/guardians, and teachers are invited to attend a celebration party at SWIVL on Sunday, March 28, 2010 from 2-4 p.m.

Washington State Companion Animal Program

Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine is working with students to examine the human companion animal bond.  Take a close look at the work they are doing to get some ideas around the Human-Animal Bond.  Click here for grades 1-4 multi media curriculum.    

According to Washington State University animals are fascinating to humans.  Humans like to be around animals and observe their appearance and behavior. Having companion animals around us makes our lives more interesting and more fun. In order to fully benefit from these relationships, one must take good care of their companion animals.   Click here for student work.

 

December Book of the Month - "The Three Little Javelinas" by Susan Lowell & Illustrated by Jim Harris

Each month SWIVL showcases a book that exemplifies the spirit of the Southwest.  For the month of December is a wonderful story - The Three Little Javelinas - for young children to learn about life and survival in the desert.  

From Scholastic News: Young children familiar with "The Three Little Pigs" will delight in the twists and variations that make up this engaging Southwestern retelling, now available in a bilingual edition. Coyote, the traditional trickster of the Native American Southwest, is the villain in this version, and his meal of choice (to be eaten with red chili sauce) is not pig, but javelina, a hairy, swine-like creature native to the area. The first javelina lives in a tumbleweed shack that's an easy target for the huffing, puffing coyote; likewise, the saguaro rib hut of the second javelina falls down without too much ado. Luckily, the third javelina comes to her brothers' rescue — she has built her house out of sturdy adobe bricks, with a coyote-sized wood stove as its best feature.

Susan Lowell tells her story with energy, spicing it with bits of the culture and languages of the Southwest, yet maintaining enough of the original for children to recognize it. Jim Harris's exuberant illustrations give a realistic picture of the landscape, but depict the characters with playful exaggeration, dressing the dapper javelinas in snazzy western duds. Consider using this enjoyable retelling to introduce students to the culture, wildlife, and environment of the Southwestern United States.   Student lesson plans are available for teachers and parents.

Animal Stories for Children

United by the belief that bonds with companion animals contribute immeasurably to children's development and education, more and more teachers, parents, administrators and education policy makers are recognizing the importance of integrating animals into the teaching and learning process.  At a time when resources are limited, we are required to rely on those educational practices that have worked over time.  We know that children have a strong affinity for animals – just take a look at the number of books for children that involve animals.  Companion animals are inextricably linked with intense emotions that run the gamut from joy to sadness – all involving animals.  Everyday experience and observation show how children relate their lives to animals, with major developmental incidents that have lifelong implications.  Companion animals should matter to educators and parents, if for no other reason than that they matter so much to children.  Click here for animal stories.

Watch, Listen, and Communicate with Farmed Animals

Many people know that pigs root around in the ground, that cows have four stomachs, and that chickens have wings, but some of these beings also make friends, remember faces, can play games, and exhibit other characteristics that people often attribute only to humans.  You will only know this, however, if you pay attention.  By watching, listening, and communicating with farmed animals you will discover a new world and find out how much we have in common with these wonderful beings.  You may also decide that we need to treat these animals - cows, pigs, goats and chickens – differently and with much more respect.   Click here to learn more about these animals and possible activities for your classroom.

 

Thinking about a Career with Animals

You love animals, you enjoy working and playing with them, but you aren't sure what exactly you want to do with them...or what you can do with them.  Even as a 4^th, 5^th, or 6^th grader, it’s not too early to be thinking about a career working with animals.  There are many ways in which you can combine your interest in animals with a great career and future.   Click here for a general summary of careers. 

Other possibilities include careers in the animal protection movement. Our advice, if you are thinking about a career in this area, is to research the various animal protection organizations and decide which would best suit your beliefs, talents and capabilities.  Make sure you talk with your parents and teachers to get their opinions and ideas.  Again, it’s never too early to be thinking about your future and what you are going to do with your life.  Click here to find out more.

Teach Your Children Well . . .

If children live with hostility,

they learn to fight.

If children live with fear,

they learn to be apprehensive.

If children live with pity,

they learn to feel sorry for themselves.

If children live with ridicule,

they learn to be shy.

If children live with jealousy,

they learn what envy is.

 

 

If children live with shame,

they learn to feel guilty.

If children live with tolerance,

they learn to be patient.

If children live with encouragement,

they learn to be confident.

If children live with praise,

they learn to appreciate.

If children live with approval,

they learn to like themselves.

If children live with acceptance,

they learn to find love in the world.

If children live with recognition,

they learn to have a goal.

 

 

If children live with sharing,

they learn to be generous.

If children live with honesty and fairness,

they learn what truth and justice are.

If children live with security,

they learn to have faith in themselves and in those around them.

If children live with friendliness,

they learn that the world is a nice place in which to live.

If children live with serenity,

they learn to have peace of mind.