Superintendent Nielsen Introduces Nebo School District Theme - Answer to Wednesday Challenge

Submitted by lana.hiskey on

Superintendent Rick Nielsen addressed just over 4,000 employees in the opening institute kick off for Nebo Employees at Salem Hills High in two separate sessions. He announced the Nebo theme, “Discover the Power Within.” The Superintendent reflected on his childhood and referenced the “penny candy” he enjoyed including Zotz. He titled his remarks, “You Can Learn Lotz from a Zotz” and referenced the candy that everyone was given as they walked into the auditorium at Salem Hills High. The Superintendent mentioned that regardless of your plot for eating a Zotz and when you pop your Zotz, you will Discover the Power Within. 

Superintendent Nielsen said, “Just like there are lots of plots for eating a Zotz, there are countless ways to ‘Discover the Power Within’ you. I am sure that you have many of your own strategies and ideas.” 

Superintendent Nielsen suggested an additional resource. A favorite book of his is titled, “The Resilience Breakthrough,” by Christian Moore. He is “convinced that each of us has a power hidden within, something that can get us through any kind of adversity. That power is resilience.” Here are four:
Relational, Street, Resource, and Rock Bottom Resilience.

The Superintendent concluded with the following story designed to help all remember these principles in our personal lives and in our organization:


You can learn Lotz from a Zotz

The students down south in the county of U
Gets lots of great schooling from each one of you
But this doesn’t happen by chance, it does not!
It comes from the lessons we learned from the Zotz!

The story begins in the city of Sprotts
And those who lived there were small creatures called Zotz.
Every Zotz was the same, nothing special to tout,
Each perfectly BLAH, both inside and out.

This seemed perfectly fine, until Mrs. McPotts
Got a class full of students and all were named Scott!
Yes, she did. And that wasn’t a good thing at all.
You see, when they tried to line up in the hall,

She’d say, “Scott’s the leader”, but she didn’t get one.
All forty-nine Scott’s of hers came on the run!
That made things quite tough in the class of McPotts’
As you can imagine, with so many Scott Zotz.

To help solve her problem, she thinked and she thought
Then the Lorax’s wisdom into her brain popped.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lotz,
Nothing is going to get better, it’s not.”

‘Well, I do care a lot,’ McPotts said with a shout
“The Zotz hit Rock Bottom, but I’ll help them get out!’
My Street Res, Relations, and Resource Resilience
Will help each young Zotz to discover their brilliance.”

She said, “I can do this. I’ve got Power Within,
But to help it come out, I need Op-ti-mi-sm.
Then add to that Thankfulness, Oneness and Trust.
Original - Teamwork, together a must.”

“I’ll tenaciously act with 100 percent,
On each opportune chance to use my tal-ent;
Then the Power Within me will help a whole lot
To bring color and fizz to each plain little Zotz.”

She went forth with great courage, like all of you do,
To help each Scott Zotz find their zest and their hue.
She needed to strike while the iron was hot,
So the first thing she did for each bland little tot

Was to reach out and act, “Here’s one thing I can do.
Look!  Now look!  Now you Zotz are all blue!

And now you Zotz are orange!
Say!  You look very good that way!

Now look at this!  What do you see?
Green Zotz!  As green as green can be!

Violet Zotz!  Say!  You are good!
Do more!  Tots begged.  We wish you would.

I can do more.  Look!  This is new.
Blue, orange, green, and violet, too.

And now that each Zotz has a hue
They’ll see the things my Zotz can do.

Zotz tots have learned their ABCs,
And lots of things from history.

They read and write and dance and sing.
These Zotz can do most anything!

Yes, they can do things with a ball.
And they can paint upon on a wall.

They know their math and science well.
In all their subjects, they do swell.

They act and weld, plant flowers too.
Their gifts and talents will a-maze you

Look, now!  Here is one thing more,
These kiddos help each other soar!

With kindness, service, gratitude,
They help each other to be good.

So, tell me now, each one of you.
Do you like what these Zotz can do?

We do like all the things you do.
We like your Zotz, we like you, too.

With all the things that you can do,
The schoolhouse is the place for you!

Yes!  This is where I want to be.
The schoolhouse is the place for me!

And so, learn a lesson from Zo-rax and McPotts
And the power that came to each small little Zotz:
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lotz,
Nothing is going to get better, it’s not.”

[Just in case you forgots!]

Congratulations to Emily Gunderson for answering this week's "Where are we Wednesday?" challenge sponsored by Wiggy Wash.

1 Adapted from Too Many Daves, Dr. Seuss
2 The Lorax, Dr. Seuss
3 Adapted from Put Me in the Zoo, Robert Lopshire
4 The Lorax, Dr. Seuss  
 

#DiscoverPowerWithin #nebohero #NeboSchoolDistrict #studentsuccess #empowerstudents #engagestudents #focusonstudents #loveUTpublicschools #utpol #uted #ThankATeacher #LoveTeaching

Attributions
By Lana Hiskey