Holmes students practice teamwork in various ways

Throughout the school year, Holmes AVID teacher Marny Schwartz coaches her students on two very important social skills: teamwork and cooperation. “We do a mixture of individual and team activities all year long and I encourage them to work with different classmates each time,” said Schwartz. During the last week of school, students encountered the “Pringles Challenge,” whereby teams received a canister of Pringles and were asked to create a ring of chips without eating any…  and without using any other items to aid in the structure.

“The challenge teaches them how to act as part of a team by letting leaders lead and by teaching others how to be respectful followers. It also teaches students how to cooperate with each other, the importance of listening and how to resolve conflict within the group,” Schwartz added. With approximately 30 minutes to form a ring with the Pringles, only one of nine teams was able to successfully build the arrangement. 

On another day, students were asked to stand side-by-side with a balloon in between their shoulders and walk in unison so as not to let the balloon drop. “Not only do they learn about teamwork with this exercise, but they also discover that their actions or slight movements affect others; cooperation was needed to achieve the end goal,” said Schwartz. 

These fun activities propel students towards a common goal while teaching them cooperation is a necessary component of teamwork.