This week the heroes have been over exceeding in math. Right away in the morning, the heroes get started on math, collaborating and helping one another. Even during lunch, the heroes continue working and mastering skills. The oldest hero in the studio, Brinley, has been helping the younger heroes with math. Everybody has made incredible progress since then. They have named her Sally Khan, inspired by Sal Khan.

Wednesday was an exciting 14th birthday for Emma D.! Emma brought a dozen doughnuts to share with MHS! The doughnuts were a big hit. The heroes all wished Emma a happy 14th birthday!

All the heroes have been encouraging Emma S. to finish 5th grade. And this week, she worked really hard to reach her goal. Close to the end of Wednesday, Emma S finish 5th-grade math!

The heroes have also made their fourth renovation of the year. Every time they move they say “I love it! I don’t think we’ll move again.” But they always end up moving the huts.

                

This Thursday, the heroes got to experience the first Fire Drill at Journey Academy. It happened at 11:48 in the morning and the heroes did an awesome job of listening to the guides and getting to the right safe place, which is in the parking lot in front of the school. The heroes are now prepared in the event of another drill!

The heroes have also been working a lot on their debates for the exhibition in November! They are really coming along. The heroes are very nervous because they had to prepare for both sides of the argument, though they won’t know what side they will argue until debate day. A coin flip will determine their arguments.

The MHS heroes had the special privilege of being the first to walk the new path behind Journey Academy. Maddie’s dad mowed an awesome walking path that tours a lot of the land behind the school. Though it was cold outside, the walk was enjoyable and they hope to use it a lot more.

During the second week of  the US Government Quest, the heroes focused on the Executive Branch of the government. Their field trip to the Gerald R. Ford Museum helped them learn how to become a good leader from the life of President Gerald Ford. Hearing the stories from his childhood and growing up, the heroes discovered that because of his hard work and kind heart, people around him always asked him to be their leader.  The heroes experienced what it felt like to be in the Executive branch when they each sat in the seats of the President and his Cabinet in the Cabinet Room. The heroes learned that the president does not make decisions on his own but he listens to the ideas of his Cabinet members to make the best choices. One hero noticed that the Cabinet Room looked like our Launchpad because they do the same thing that the President and his Cabinet does every time they meet for their Socratic discussions.

Many of the heroes demonstrated their leadership skills as they campaigned to be the UCC president. Each presidential candidate convinced their friends that they would be a good president. After each hero nominated someone to run for president, each nominee had a choice to either accept or decline the nomination. Some heroes declined because they believed their “Call to Action” was to be in Congress or the Supreme Court. The heroes who accepted their nomination promised their friends that if they were elected to be president, they would  “be nice,” “be helpful,” and “think of others before themselves.” One presidential candidate promised all the heroes that if she becomes president, she will tell everyone to “worship God and love Jesus.” After the the Presidential Campaign and Debate, the heroes cast their ballots and elected Ellery as their UCC President. Ellery chose her Vice President, her sister Myla, and all the other members of her Cabinet, giving each hero a voice in the UCC Executive Branch.

The Executive Branch

President	Ellery
Vice President	Myla
Department of Agriculture	Eloise
Department of Commerce	Reaghan
Department of Defense	Stella
Department of Education	David
Department of Energy	Simon
Department of Health	Remmi
Department of Homeland Security	Carter
Department of Housing	Nora
Department of the Interior	Amelia
Department of Justice	Boden
Department of Labor	Jack
Department of Veterans Affairs	Annabelle
Department of Treasury	Henry

The ELS heroes have been owning their entire learning process each day when they set their own goals each morning and choose core skills work that they would like to work on. Their motivation to learn stems from the freedom and independence they experience when they have a choice on what they would like to learn about, how they best learn, and who they would like to learn with. The heroes continue to achieve the goals they set for themselves and make significant progress towards earning their badges.

 

Week 2: October 22-26, 2018

Monday	Tuesday Field Trip: Gerald R. Ford Museum	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Bible verse	2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 God will give relief to you who are troubled. How has God comforted you when you are sad?	2 Thessalonians 1:11 …by His power He may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. How does your faith help you make good choices?	2 Thessalonians 1:12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. How are you glorifying God?	2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way How do you make your choices? How can you tell when your choices are good or bad?	2 Thessalonians 2:13 God chose you as firstfruits (from the beginning God chose you) What has God chosen you to do?
Citizenship	What is citizenship? Why is it important?	What makes a citizen? How are you a citizen?	What are some ways you can be an active citizen in your community?	What rights do you have as a citizen of the United States?	What are your responsibilities as a citizen?
Relaunch US Presidents	George Washington: A life of self-discipline By Anne Todd How does self-discipline help you reach your goals?	Gerald R Ford By Megan Gunderson How do you show your friends that you are a good leader?	Barack Obama By Jennifer Strand If you were the president, how would you help bring people together when they disagree a lot?	John F Kennedy By Megan Gunderson What part of his life helped him learn to have a growth mindset: his childhood, education, or World War II experience?	Thomas Jefferson By Tonya Leslie Would you accept the challenge to write a Declaration of Independence if your friends asked you? What risks are you willing to take?
Focus topic Executive Branch	What are the levels of government?	What is the executive branch? What three qualities do you feel are most important for a president to possess? Why?	How to become president How would you keep your promises as a president?	President and Cabinet If you were the president, what would you look for in choosing your Cabinet? Why is it important for the president to have a strong cabinet?	How the executive branch works Why does our government need the executive branch?
Project time Government for Kids	Three branches of Government UCC national symbols	US Presidents UCC government Presidential nominees	Presidential campaign	Presidential debate	Electing a President Cabinet members selection White House Virtual tour
Close How can we be good citizens?	Why do citizens need to follow rules? Town hall meeting agenda Math work mats, materials, pillow Library maintenance	Why do citizens need to be respectful? What ways do you show respect?	Why do citizens need to take care of the environment?	What is the best way to make your voice heard?	Why do citizens need to help others?

Journey Academy traveled the world and took on different forms of government each day. An entire day consisted of heroes experiencing a certain form of government that they would be learning about in the afternoon.

On Monday, the heroes were under the rule of a dictator. Heroes had to:

• Salute the dictator each time they spoke to her.
• Sit in desks during core skill time and during lunch.
• Stay in their country.
• Go to jail if they conspired against the dictator.
• Only work on what the dictator asked of them.
• Get approval for eating a healthy snack.
• Pay a “lunch tax” before eating their lunch
• Could only eat during snack time and lunch time.

During close, some of the heroes commented on the frustration they had due to the lack of freedom, trust, and having a voice. One hero said, “Actually, today felt a lot like what a regular school is like. I had to ask you to go to the bathroom. I had to do the core skill you assigned for the day at the time you scheduled it. And I had to eat in my desk for snack and lunch.” Such a profound statement.

On Tuesday, the heroes were part of a socialist government. Heroes had to:

• Work on their assigned jobs for their country during Core Skills.
• Hand in their snack and lunch so they could be divided up equally amongst the country.
• Report their Core Skill points before tracking. The country’s total points were added up, divided by 11 (total heroes), and shared equally so all the heroes received the same amount of points for the day.
• Cover up any name brands with tape.
• Move all desks into a row and have them at the same height.

During Tuesday’s close, the heroes reflected on how there were times they felt a mixture of emotions. One hero who earned 272 points for the day was hugely disappointed and frustrated to receive 114 points for the day. A hero stated, “You say that this is fair and equal, but it doesn’t feel right. Another hero worked harder than me and that helped my points go higher, but I don’t feel good about that happening.”

On Wednesday, the heroes were part of a monarchy. The founders, Matt and Dana, were King and Queen, and Prince Simon and Prince Crust made decrees throughout the day. Heros had to:

• Eat a healthy snack during snack time only.
• Work somewhere in the studio other than their desk space.
• Go outside (weather permitted) during recess.
• Take part in a dance party when the guide turned on music for the studio.
• Respect and follow any decrees made throughout the day by the king, queen, or princes.

Wednesday’s close was filled with joy due to the monarchy that was leading the studio. They shared how host of the day felt more like a democracy, but how that may not be true for all monarchies. It led to them sharing how many kings from the Bible cared about themselves and their throne – King Darius and King Herod, but that the True King, Jesus, is the greatest of all.

 

On Thursday the heroes were part of an oligarchical government. All level two heroes were given authority to make decisions for all the heroes in the studio. For this day the heroes had to:

• Dance when they heard music.
• Work on math for the first core skill.
• Have a morning brain break.
• Work in groups they made during project time.

Thursday’s relaunch focused on how the morning went as a studio. It was an honest discussion about kindness, understanding, and forgiveness. The heroes (both leaders and non-leaders) shared ways they were being more hurtful than helpful to the studio. Each hero reflected on what they would do as an individual to improve the studio for the afternoon. There were tears, opportunities to grow, misunderstandings, opportunities to listen, and in the end a beautiful image of restoration as they, together, danced to Joy by Of King and Country. At close the heroes recognized how the afternoon went much better because they:

• Let the appointed leaders have a voice.
• Listened to one another.
• Spoke kindly to each other.
• Stayed on task.
• Followed the Hero’s Contract and JA Processes.

Lastly, Friday was a democracy. If you haven’t guessed it yet, the heroes were thrilled to “have their studio back the way it should be.” It was a normal day at Journey. The heroes were filled with gratitude for how the studio is set up like a democracy where everyone’s voice is heard and matters, as well as a place where they have freedom.

What a week these heroes have had experiencing different forms of government around the world. Thank you for taking the time to have fruitful conversations at home. Also, thank you for sharing with us how this week has:

• Provided insight for your hero about what people experience in different governments around the world.
• Taught your hero how being a leader is not as easy as it might look.
• Challenged your hero to pray for other Christians risking their lives to share the Gospel in oppressive governments.
• Revealed to your hero how we can take our freedom in America for granted.

Have you asked your hero:

1. What animal came and visited Journey on Thursday?
2. What form of government was most difficult for them? Why?
3. What form of government was most enjoyable for them? Why?
4. What kind of prayer we do at Launch Friday mornings?
5. Who the new ES heroes are that joined our studio this session?
6. What FUN Friday was?

Dictatorship Day

Monarchy Day

A Special Visitor

Oligarchy Day

Playing Forever Tag