Jessica

The Casey community day changed and affected me because after I felt differently when I read things in the newspaper like murders/suicides. I cried and I wrote a letter to one of the families that lost someone special to them, and I donated presents to kids in need.

I will never make someone feel left out or mistreated. I will sit next to kids who are sitting alone at lunch. I will go to work with my mom who is a social worker. I will help people as much as I can.

Davis  

I think the community day kind of helped me as a part of the community because I got to look at other people’s visions or sides in the Socratic seminar, but I did not think it helped me a lot more than that.

This year I think I will be a better addition to the Casey community by being more polite and more helpful. I will do this by not interrupting the speaker and help people with questions better.

Cole

These two community building days changed me by teaching me about some kids in our community that don’t feel like anybody likes them, or they can’t do something. This also taught me about what these five forms of a hero’s journey mean in a more creative way.

My goal is to help anybody who feels that they’re an orphan not have to go through those steps alone.

Edith

It changed me by showing me how people feel pain and that they’re lost without having something in their body (Example  An arm, a leg…etc.). Sometimes they feel like they can’t do nothing without that body part and that changed me because I thought it wouldn’t hurt.

I will help people who are sick or don’t have a body part by helping them go upstairs, write, etc.

Celina

The community building day changed me as a member of the Casey community because all the activities we did made me realize that we can do anything if we believe in ourselves.

My goal is to help people that need help.

Dara

It made me change when I saw all the other students raising their hands and not being shy. I started to do the same thing because I used to be really shy but not anymore, and I liked it!

I will share more and raise my hand so teachers will call on me. I will not be shy anymore and speak out more of my opinions.

Olle

Community building day changed me by thinking and working as a big community and not just working with a friend or friends. It also changed the way I think about helping others.

I will definitely do things differently. I will think of others and if someone is sitting alone or just feeling sad I will help them with open hands.

Jazmine

Community building day made me want to be careful about what I say whenever I joke around. Another change is I want to help someone who is being bullied.

One thing I will do differently this year is stand up for someone.

Poet  

I feel more empathy now for other people because I am closer to understanding how they feel. It is helping me become a caretaker.

I will stand up for people being bullied. If I see someone being bullied I will stand up to the bullies and try my hardest to stop them.

Ofir

I’m not really sure, but I think that it showed me that when we as a community are strong, everyone in the community is strong, and if we make it stronger that means we’re much stronger.

If I see trash on the floor I will pick it up, because the Casey community has to care about Casey.

Claire

It helped me realize that there are lots of people who go through hard times and that I can help them by doing random acts of kindness.

As a Casey community member, I pledged to help others when I notice they aren’t feeling so great about themselves. This is one thing I will do differently by nice notes in lockers, inviting people to be with me and my friends and many more ways.

Elke

It changed me because during it, I learned not to care what my friends say about someone but to go see for myself. I was told that a girl was super mean, but since I was in a group with her, we are now friends!

As a Casey community member, I will forget what anyone says about someone, and go meet them myself. I recently learned to do this because I might feel totally different about someone. At my school in California, I wasn’t liked by some girl, who told nobody to hang out with me. Eventually it rubbed off, but I know how it feels.

Abe

It changed me by knowing I’m not alone. I can help. I can have the upper hand. It affected me by not giving up in this world, where you have to earn things.

I will help be responsible and respectful.

Aquantis

The community building day changed me because I used to feel trapped inside myself. Once we had the community building day, I felt like I could finally open up.

The thing I would do differently at Casey is I will try to be helpful to other students. If there was a new student and they didn’t know where their first class was, I would take him/her to their class.

Lucas

I think the community building day changed me because I got to meet a lot of new people. I also strengthened my bonds with my friends that I already had.

I will try to make new friends and meet new people. I will do this by sitting with new people at lunch, and playing with new people at recess.

Brisa

I changed because I never ever stood up for someone and helped them, I just walked away but I can change now. I can stand and help people and it showed me to be strong and not afraid.

I’ll change and not fight or bully. I will not say bad words by standing out and do what it has to take.

Ben

I feel more sympathy for others because I know that they are acting angry or sad because they could be going through one of the stages. It affected me in a way where I now can understand emotions better.

What I’m doing this year is making one person each day feel better. Whether it’s picking up their dropped belongings or cleaning off their desk…etc.

David

I think it helped me understand a little better what the stages of life are. It pointed out how you change as a person from the orphan stage to the changer stage. It also helped me understand what each of the stages mean and when they occur. I find it helpful because it gives you a basic outline of what you go through as a person. It was nice to learn this but I find that community building is unnecessary because I think it is more important to do regular school. I think that the concept that we learned in the community building day is good to know but we should have only spent a half of a period talking about the hero’s journey.

Peyton

It changed me because heroes or caretakers are nice to everyone, even people who have annoyed them or they don’t like for some reason. They give those people a second chance. So I am going to be nice to everyone and give them second chances.

I will be nice and give people second chances. I will do this by not being mean.

Bebe

I thought it helped a couple people realize that you have to accept people the way they are.

I will make sure I don’t tease anyone and no one will get teased, and if so I will stand up for them.

Lily

On the first community building day we read about Bird Girl. That story changed the way I thought of people. The story was about a girl who was getting bullied. One day a girl got so tired of the girl getting bullied that she stood up for the Bird Girl. Now I will stand up for people who are getting bullied, just because they are different.

I will now stand up for people, help them and be nice to everybody around me. I will not think of anybody different from me because we are really all the same.

Carter

Community building day made me realize that everybody has hard times. It also made me realize that if you see someone who is having a hard time you should try to help them or support them.

I will try to stand up to bullying if I see it because bullying is horrible.

Emma

Now I am aware of what bullies can do to people and how I can stop it if I see somebody being bullied. I recognize when I feel like the orphan. I feel more on the lookout for people who are alone.

I will help others if they need the help, like cleaning up so the custodian doesn’t have as much work to do. If someone is confused, I can tell them where to go or what to do, try to help them in a way.

Isaac

I don’t think that the community building day really helped because the meanings of each phase were too buried in the activities. The meanings and real points weren’t surfaced enough to make a big impact.

Alana

The Casey community day affected me by reminding me that everyone feels lost at times but it always gets better. When you put someone down, it makes them wonder what they ever did to you and they start thinking of you as being mean and avoiding you. No one wants to be thought of as mean or someone to be avoided.

 Some things I might to differently are make sure not to do hurtful stuff or say hurtful things, be kind, think of other people before yourself and commit random acts of kindness.

Clare

I learned a lot about becoming a teenager. I learned how normal it is to feel lost and alone (the orphan). Even though I have not felt that way, when I do, I will accept it.

I will not judge ANYONE who is feeling like an orphan. I probably haven’t judged an orphan, but now, I most definitely won’t.

Hope

It showed that not everybody in the community is as strong as they would like to be, or treated like they’d want to be treated.

I will attempt to help others in the community more and have respect for how they feel as well to try that so others do too.

Iris

The community building day helped me realize that sometimes things are bad but they get better. I also realized that it’s okay to sometimes feel like an orphan but if you work hard you can make things better.

I learned that it is important to stand up for other people. I, now, will always help someone whenever I can.

Cubby

I think it affected me in a good way because it made me look at things from a different perspective. In the movie, Bethany overcame her challenge and came away from it stronger than ever. So I think of challenges as a good thing. Also, I think the people around you change you.

I will help keep the school a great place to learn and have fun.

Guillermo

The community building day changed me by following the five step process. It changed me because once I felt like an orphan and it made me think about all the bad stuff I did. It changed my personality. It changed the way I act. Now I’m not bad anymore.

I’m not going to be late to classes. I will be nice to my friends.

Patrick

Community building day helped me a lot by making me think deeply about bullying. I don’t do it at all, but sometimes I see it. Now I realize that bullying is a terrible thing and has affected people horribly.

Now that I have learned this, as a Casey community member I will try to stop bullying in anyway I can if I see or hear about it.

Kyra

I didn’t have any close friends in that class so I got to know some new girls. I was really glad things worked out the way they did.

When I was about to start middle school, I was super nervous, but after community building day it was different for me. I found my footing and now I want to encourage others to do the same. And maybe just even a small smile will help me with that.

Edgar

It changed me in a way by thinking more about how people’s life can be more difficult than mine. I also saw how helping someone you don’t know can make you new friends in life. I also learned that Casey is one big old family and that we are all partners in life and we should never stop loving and caring for each other.

I will try to do better on my homework and improve my writing so for the teachers it will be easier to read.

Brenda

It changed me and made me a better person because I now understand what some people go through in a hero’s journey or other kind of thing.

I will do something different this year by helping people expand on their friends. I will do this by asking people who aren’t doing anything at lunch or recess and asking them to join my friends and me.

Julia

It made me realize how much people go through and get bullied. It also encouraged me more to stand up for people.

I will stick to my pledge to smile at Casey students and teachers every day. I will do it because it makes me and other people feel good.

Janeth

It affected me because it showed me that not only because you are not with like an arm or something is missing you can still do what you love and never give up.

I will do something different like get better grades and being more respectful to Alberto, by making sure there’s nothing on my table.

Henry

For me, it didn’t really do anything that changed the community. I noticed everyone just seemed bored. But, I got to know a few more people. I disliked that we had the same groups two times because you didn’t meet nearly as many people.

I’m going to try to say hello to as many people as I can in the hallway.

Elliot

It made me think about helping people more often. It also made me look at Casey in a different way.

I’m gonna help people that are in need more often because of community building day.