WMU students get to be kids

WINFIELD — Winfield-Mount Union Schools (WMU) committed a full day to social emotional learning fun again.

According to Elementary Resource teacher and event organizer Tyler Stevens, the last four years WMU has hosted a fun-filled day of social emotional learning for their kindergarten through fifth grade students, but this year they added and additional day for sixth through 12th grade students as well.

“It’s getting bigger every time,” WMU Instructional Coach Patricia Jones said.

This year, students from 4-year-old preschool through 12th grade participated in activities such as Zumba, a bounce house, kickball, tie-dyeing, dance lessons, a safety seminar, eating DeLovely’s Donuts, and watching a movie.

“It’s always a lot of work to set it up and you’re not sure if you want to do it again, then you get to the day and you see how much they enjoy it and you’re like yes, I have to do this again,” Stevens said.

Students are put into groups of mixed grades and classes and sent out to rotate through the stations for the majority of the day, which ends with a movie.

The elementary students enjoyed watching Encanto this year.

“I chose Encanto because I think it showed a lot of diversity,” Stevens said.

Themes of connection with one another to be stronger and being able to come out of slumps were also important themes to Stevens.

Jones was most moved by all of the children singing along to the movie as they watched.

“I don’t think you could even hear the movie at that point,” Jones said.

High school students took to the day immediately and appeared to have just as much fun as the younger students.

"It's been fun," seventh-grader Rachyl Kisor said. "I like the bouncy house. It's all really fun.“

Stevens felt that adding a day for the older students was the right move.

“I think that even high schoolers just want to be kids,” Stevens said.

They are given that exact opportunity as they played kickball, bounced in bouncy houses, and ate ice cream.

“Ice cream was busting,” was 11th-grader Isaac Wilson’s take on the day.

Even teachers could be seen enjoying the sunshine and activities.

“SEL day reignited some of our teachers,” Stevens said.

Many teachers have since come to Jones with different ideas of social emotional activities for their students throughout the upcoming school year.

Stevens has no plans of letting up on these fun-filled days ahead as he feels they are necessary to create community within the school and promote social emotional well-being.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com