Did your child come home miming or talking about chairs recently? That’s because on the first Friday of February La Mariposa students were treated to great show. During two separate assemblies, one for kinder to 2nd grade students and another for 3rd to 5th grade students, entertainer Cary Trivanovich used his amazing and hilarious pantomime to draw the kids in for a very important message:
“Choosing Character Over Bullying”
Bullying has become a hot topic in the last few years and something that schools and districts are actively addressing. Providing an anti-bullying assembly was on the PTA’s list of things to do this year. What is so wonderful about Carey’s message is that it not only points out negative behaviors, but also shows kids how they should aspire to act. This message is especially poignant because Cary shares what it feels like to be picked on and the difference it made in his life when kids treated him with kindness and respect. In this way, he is able to give kids a something to live up to.
So what’s the deal with the chairs? During his presentation, Cary uses chairs as a metaphor to symbolize the opportunity each and every one of us has to make an impression on others. A first chair person is encouraging and kind, selfless and inspiring, accepting–someone who you always remember because they drove you to be better and you felt good about yourself just being around them. First chairs make the people around them feel great by uplifting others, getting involved, and being a positive influence. A second chair person is one of those people who for whatever reason, doesn’t leave a mark on your life. These people seem nice, but don’t make much effort and are therefore unmemorable. With so many people in the world we are all bound to be someone’s second chair person, even if we are first chair to many. Finally there is the third chair person–we all remember someone like this growing up. These people were mean, immature, selfish, and not fun to be around. They might put others down or be outright bullies. All of this leads to the question each student should be asking themselves…what chair do I want to be?
If you’d like to learn more about Cary Trivanovich here are a few links:
Special thanks to PTA Assemblies chair Dorothy Hanchey for arranging all our assemblies this year and to Mr. Ben for always making sure the MPR is ready to go, even when we go from Abilities Awareness Week to Talent Show to an Assembly in the span of 24 hours.
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