Trainer Spotlight: SaRah Bowers, Potter Road Elementary

05/18/18

For this trainer spotlight we spoke with SaRah Bowers, lead trainer at Potter Road Elementary School in Framingham, MA. SaRah got involved with BOKS when her daughter joined the program three years ago. Since then, SaRah has graduated to Lead Trainer, giving her the freedom to create new opportunities for the students to enrich their experience with BOKS. One such opportunity has been replacing “Students of the Week” with “Teams of the Week.”

“[At BOKS] you have kindergartners in the same space as 5^th graders and you see the older kids helping out the younger ones without even being asked to,” SaRah remarked. “We really wanted to highlight the relationships being built as a team.”

In addition, Potter Road has implemented a “BOKS Leadership Council” made up of 5^th graders who have been in the program for a few years. This BOKS session they gave ten students the opportunity to teach a class in groups of two. Not only does this type of independence and creative freedom allow the students to explore, but it also reminds the trainers of which kinds of activities the kids want to be doing.

When asked if there was a standout BOKS moment for SaRah, she recalled watching the students run, “You used to have kindergartners lagging behind, we’ve eclipsed that. It’s not about how fast you run, they all come across the finish line together,” she added.

The leadership and team-focused efforts SaRah introduced show her dedication to our shared values here at BOKS. It’s not about winning or losing, but rather the efforts that make us better and the moments that inspire us.

Trainers like SaRah are part of what makes BOKS so unique. If you know a trainer who deserves recognition nominate them for the BOKS Trainer Appreciation Awards! Deadline to submit is May 18th: SUBMIT HERE