Grand Haven High School students attended an hour-long pep assembly in the field house this Tuesday, Nov. 19 in collaboration with the organization Positive You. The assembly focused on promoting healthy habits and reducing cell phone dependency.
The presentation “Digital Detox” addressed the rising concern surrounding the impact of excessive cell phone use on students and covered strategies for digital well-being. Instead of saying no to phones, students are encouraged to find something to say yes to instead.
“I don’t want you guys to get rid of the screens,” said Kenny Spear, Founder of Positive You. “I just want us to get rid of the toxic part of the screens.”
The assembly encouraged focusing on innate talents and interests as an alternative to screen time. Spear encouraged the students to identify and develop their superpowers — the unique skills they have — in nine different categories: athletics, music, art, people, word, numbers, life, self and nature.
“So there’s nine superpowers but you guys might only have three, might have eight,” Spear said. “Everybody has a different profile and it catches them a little bit differently.”
Assistant Principal Brad Cusumano connected with Positive You about four months ago. Cusumano had previously worked with Spears at De La Salle Collegiate High School in Warren Michigan. Spears was working on drug prevention programs while Cusumano was teaching. As time went on, he shifted focus towards emotional learning, which interested Cusumano when the two reconnected.
Positive You is also looking to be more prevalent in the district. With the school directly partnering with them, it is expected that they will lead the academy curriculum. While no plan has been finalized, there has been talk of videos, journals, workbooks and other online content.
“We’re looking to bring Positive You in for some emotional intelligence learning, just to make things more applicable and relevant on daily issues that we all are dealing with in our lives,” Cusumano said.
The Positive You curriculum aims to replace the school’s approach to emotional learning. Unlike current strategies, which focus on a wide range of topics without immediate connection to the student, Positive You brings a more personal touch.
“What’s going to separate this is a lot of things,” Cusumano said. ”You’re going to see the person who’s going to be talking about this emotional intelligence stuff and it’s going to come from somebody who is experienced and knowledgeable in the topic versus just pushing a lesson.”
For Cusumano, this personal touch is what sets Positive You apart from the programs in recent years. Focusing on each student’s personal strengths and interests to develop emotional skills with content from an experienced source is a significantly more effective way of connecting with students.
“I’m not here to tell you to say no to technology,” Spears said. “I’m here to give you something better to say yes to.”
