Baby, You're a Firework

Well it was the Fourth of July. I love this holiday!! My chapter officer retreat was just around the corner, and I got this idea to center it around fireworks. I pretty sure that idea had nothing to do with the fact that it was the 4th. lol So it was about 7 o'clock that night when I convinced two of my sistas to visit the fireworks stand close to the highway. I had this idea to get sparklers to use at our chapter officer retreat. I also had a few ideas rolling around in my head about how to draw correlations between a fireworks show and the role of a FFA officer/team. It is kinda of funny actually. Later that night my sister, Kaitie and I had a big discussion on this as the fireworks burst in the sky. She helped me generate some pretty good ideas. I was getting pretty excited for retreat!!

So sometimes I do get a little carried away with ideas and such........ended up making a video and writing this reflection thing. The video is to the song Firework by Katy Perry. One of my students, MB, is extremely talented at singing, so naturally I recruited her to help me make the video. She must really like me because I made her sing Katy Perry, a singer she is not fond of. We actually had quite a bit of fun tweaking the lyrics and recording her voice. I could listen to MB sing all day!

And because I can't do anything short and sweet, the firework thing turned into something really long. But I think it turned out pretty good at retreat.

This is how I keep myself busy during the summertime. Enjoy!

Firework Video




And here is the Firework Reflection, copied and pasted. : ) It is long, so if you read it all, BYH. : )


Firework Reflection

Close your eyes. Imagine with me that tonight we are about to watch the greatest fireworks display that we have ever seen. It is going to be spectacular. Full of colors bursting in the sky. Many zip upwards and then crackle as they burst. Some stream down their colors like a weeping willow. You feel the earth shake and then feel the boom in your chest as the fireworks explode above you. And pardon me for stealing some Jason Mraz lyrics but “behind closed eyes you could not make them go away”. It is a beautiful sight to see. But wait here comes the grand finale….

Let’s pretend that we are the fireworks. Our firework show has been going on for three years now. We have definitely had some moments of awe sprinkled here and there but we have also experienced the disappointment of a dud. We have planned this awesome show, even debated between which firework to purchase, we are excited to light it and then after lighting the fuse…..nothing. It is very disappointing. So tonight I will share with us three lessons I have learned from watching the shows in the sky over the years, that can prevent us from having a dud.

Short-lived but they do have the capability to leave an impact

Each of you have pretty much one year left in your firework show. Which may seem kind of scary but actually it is very exciting. Think of the impact you can make on the members in your chapter this year. Actually, think of the impact you must make on the members of your chapter this year. When the members close their eyes after the grand finale, let the colors of the firework show still blaze on their eyelids. We must provide in their hearts the excitement that we have for this organization. We must empower them and get them involved. As seniors your firework show must lay a good foundation for future years.

So we have one year. How can our firework show be more impactful? It is important that we work together as a team. We can’t have one firework exploding now and another one here and then the rest two months from now. We can leave a greater impact if we help and support each other as a team. All of us here today have history with each other. We have good things and bad things among us. That is how life works. We have to overcome differences that arise throughout the year so to better serve our members.

So let’s take a step back from the firework analogy discuss something. Think about a team you have been on or a group of people that you have been associated with that has meshed extremely well. Think about how the people treated each other. How can we model the behavior of this team to make us a more united front? How can we, as an officer team, maintain a positive relationship throughout the year?



(Have one volunteer light a sparkler, everyone watches)


Questions:
Was it fun to just watch that person? How many of you wanted to join? Person with the sparkler, do you think it would have been more fun with other people lighting their sparklers too?



Differences in fireworks

If you think about it, we all have our favorite kinds of fireworks. Unless you’re like my friend Katie who pretty much loves all fireworks like she is a 10 year-old boy. But, some of us really like the simple elegance of the gold and white colors. Some of us like a party in the sky, filled with multi-colored fireworks. Some like the ones that sizzle, crackled, crack or boom. Some even like the ones with different shapes. We are all attracted to different things. Let us remember this point as we are planning our activities for the year. It is okay to provide our members with different events. It is even okay to do things completely different. There is absolutely nothing that can take your breathe away like a brand new, unexpected firework. In fact, if we do this don’t be surprise to hear people say, “Did you see that last one?! It was awesome!” If we want our members to stay excited it is our responsibility to provide something for everyone.

Let’s take another step back. What has been the best activity we have ever done as a chapter? What gave you the most joy? Why was it fulfilling to you?



Present sparklers to the group. This time present different options. When they go for the better ones, make them do something extra.

Questions:

How did you feel when you had to do extra work to get a different or better option? These sacrifices are small compared to the ones you will have to make during the year. What do you think those will be?

More than just six fireworks

Lastly, and perhaps the most important lesson we can learn from fireworks. We need each other. One firework isn’t even worth a person’s time. Six fireworks are bound to hold people’s attention for a time, but can hardly expect to leave an impact. In fact, imagine going to a fireworks show and the grand finale had 6 fireworks. That, my friends, would definitely be a dud. As a finale, we need more than just us eight. It is our duty to set others off, so that they can explode in the sky right alongside us. We must reach out and genuinely care about the other members in our chapter. Talk to them and get to know more than just our circle of normal friends. I know this isn’t always easy. We have bonds in this room right now that have already been built. Ones that we feel comfortable with and can have fun with. These are still important but imagine what could happen if we expand our circles and include more people.

To convince you even more, let’s take a step back from the fireworks comparison. And let’s have a little time to think and share. I would like you to think of a time you felt excluded or left out. Then think of who helped you out of this. What specifically did they do that made you feel included?



Thanks for sharing so openly. It is our task to do these things that you just mention to try to ignite the other fireworks in our chapter. Our year will be so much more fulfilling if we can include more and more people.


So in conclusion you guys are the 2011-2012 Ark City FFA Chapter Officers. I hope that each of you is truly excited to be able to dedicate a year to our members. As an officer, this doesn’t make you more important than the other members. However, they will look to you for excitement and to know how do act. So we must be united to leave that impact, provide them multiple opportunities to be involved, and most importantly be inviting. We are nothing without the rest of our members and we must ignite them so they can shine too!