Regional Workshop December 13, 2025

Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Community Center

8:05 Groton STA bus picks up New London High students

8:25 Groton STA bus picks up Fitch High students

8:45 Arrive at Mashantucket Tribal Community Center

8:30 Icebreakers

 Name games - You, me, left, right

 Strong Wind blows (say something about yourself, for example, for everyone who plays violin)

 Plate game – head, shoulders, knees plate (Rita and Damaris will bring plates and lead activity)

9:10 Mission Review: (Mike will lead)

 The mission of More Than Words is to promote resect for diversity, facilitate communication

and build trust among members of our community.

 Goals: develop a group able to respond to crises, work proactively to prevent problems and

celebrate diversity.

9:15 Fish Bowl (Introduced by Rita and Damaris)

 Topic: Responsible behaviors – what are the problems we see in our schools today

 How do we refer to behaviors (online and in person) that are not responsible?

 Recap the main points: what are the main take-aways to highlight in the middle school

workshop?

10:15 Small group activity:

 Kurt will share notes from the Ledyard Middle School workshop last year regarding format of in-class

sessions, suggest 4-person facilitator groups.

 Discuss as a group what are the best ways to structure the middle school sessions and report out

recommendations to the large group

10:45 Small Group:

 What are some things that are going well in your school? What are some concerns you have. Write on

index card personally, then share in small groups and then report to large group. What can we do as

members of More Than Words do about them?

11:30 Lunch

12:00 Practice the in-class workshop activity:

 two 4-peron facilitator teams will present to 20 More Than Words students playing middle school kids

 each group role plays one session

 after each role play – the large group will make observations and recommendations. What worked well

what needs to be modified.

1:00 Culture Night – Ledyard High will host culture event on Jan 30, all three clubs are welcome

1:25 Update on Mystic Chamber of Commerce Black History Month celebration – Feb. 8, 2025

1: 30 Group picture

1:40 Bus departs Tribal Community Center

2:05 Drop off Fitch High students

2:25 Drop off New London High students.

Regional Workshop November 4, 2024

New London High STEM Building
 
7:45 Groton STA bus picks up Fitch High students
8:00 Groton STA bus picks up Ledyard High students
8:30 Arrive at New London High STEM Program Lecture Hall
 
8:30  Icebreakers
·   Name games - You, me, left, right
·   Strong Wind blows (say something about yourself, for example, for everyone who plays violin)
·   Plate game – head, shoulders, knees plate
 
9:10  Mission Review:
·  More Than Words is a group of student leaders from Fitch High School, Ledyard High School and the Mashantucket
Pequot Tribal Nation, and New London High School Multi Magnet Campus High School.
·  The mission of More Than Words is to promote resect for diversity, facilitate communication and build trust among members of our community. Goals: develop a group able to respond to crises, work proactively to prevent problems and celebrate diversity.
 
9:15  Opinion Continuum:
·  Governor Lamont recently met with Fitch High School students and spoke about his proposal to ban cell phones in
   schools. “I see the value in banning cell phones in schools.”
·  “I feel heard in my community.”
·  ‘I feel comfortable speaking up when I see my peers making unsafe behaviors such as texting and driving or
    drinking and driving.’
 
10:00   Fish Bowl:

•  Scenario of friends or teammates joking about slurs or insults. They are not being hateful, but you feel uncomfortable. However, you don’t want to risk being seen as a jerk or expose yourself to being excluded from the group. 

10:45   Small Group:

•  What are some things that are going well in your school? What are some concerns you have? Write on index cards personally, then share in small groups and then report to large group. What can we do as members of More Than Words do about them?

11:30   Lunch
 
12:15   Presentation of the NAACP Education Award to More Than Words by Kevin Booker
 
12:30 Clayton Potter – GO Groton program dialogue
 
1:00 Free time and group picture

1:15 Bus departs New London High
1:45 Drop off Ledyard High students
2:15 Drop off Fitch High students.

Regional Workshop October 2, 2024

 We went to Camp Hazen for team building activities. We'll post photos and an update soon.

Regional Workshop May 31, 2024

 Mashantucket Tribal Community Center

8:05 Groton STA bus picks up New London High students

8:25     Groton STA bus picks up Fitch High students

8:45     Groton STA bus picks up Ledyard High students 

9:00 Arrive at Mashantucket Tribal Community Center

 

9:00 Icebreakers

• Dyads – introduce new friend, school and plans for the summer 

• Name games

• Movement games (Blob tag and fishy, fishy)

9:30  Mission statement and goals 🡪 Read statement and then review year’s program:

More Than Words is a group of student leaders form Fitch, Ledyard and New London High Schools and the Mashantucket Pequot tribal nation. Our mission is to promote respect for diversity, facilitate communication and build trust among members of our community. Our goals are to develop a group able to respond to crises, work proactively to prevent problems and celebrate diversity.

 2023-24 Activities:

• Sept.  Camp Hazen

• Nov. 2 – New London STEM workshop

• Dec. 15 -Workshop at Tribal Community Center to prep for Ledyard Middle School workshop

• February 3 - Black History Month celebration in Mystic – student led panel

• Mar. 15 - Ledyard Middle School workshop

• April 8-10 and May 16 – Amistad Leadership Academy

• May 31 – Final workshop for year

School groups report out what they accomplished – large group setting 

• How did we do in terms of meeting the mission and goals?

 

10:00 Amistad Leadership Academy – Video and program overview by Reeshemah

10:15 Pre-mortem: Set up small groups

• NAACP Award – 2024 Education Award

• The More Than Words program disbands and you find out a few years after you graduate. 

• In small groups, identify the reasons why the groups died out. 🡪 report out

• In small groups, how do we address the problems identified 🡪 report out

11:00  Lessons learned from LMS program as we plan for next year. 

• Kurt reads follow-up notes.

• Year-end review in small groups 🡪 Report out in large group 

• Best aspects of program, what should we keep, what eliminate? 

11:30 Lunch

12:00 Refocus activity: Fishbowl/Opinion Continuum: 

• Fishbowl: - Student generated topics?

• Can a student leadership group like More Than Words make a meaningful difference in the school community? Can student leaders really affect change? 

• Is modern technology as source of new good for out country?

• Academic integrity in world of AI; what does it mean to invest in your own education? 

• How might ChatGPT help us?

• Opinion Continuum: 

• Most students have become too dependent on smart phones and other types of tech

• In schools where students must place their phones in pocket racks are better for learning

• Allowing student athletes to compete in events by the gender with which they identify is unfair. 

• Colleges were right to call in police to remove peaceful protestors

• Thankfully the pandemic is over and there are no longer any effects 

12:45 Senior recognition

• Post-secondary plans

• What would be hope or future of More Than Words

• What do you want to pass on?

• Recommendations for the future.

  

1:15 Free time

  1:30    Bus departs Tribal Community Center

  1:45    Drop off Ledyard High students

  2:05    Drop off Fitch High students

  2:25   Drop off New London High Students

Regional Workshop March 15, 2024

Ledyard Middle School Workshop for 7th Grade

8:05     Groton STA bus picks up New London High students

8:25     Groton STA bus picks up Fitch High students

8:30     More Than Words students arrive at Ledyard Middle School

8:30 Workshop Preparation:

• Separate into teams of 3-5 high school students

• Seventh graders will be put into groups of 15 to 20 stuents, approximately 8 to 10 groups

• Review problem solving scenarios and workshop format

• Introduction – explain difference between bystander and upstander

• Icebreakers: birth order of class group without talking, this or that (Sarah has list)

• Skits: middle students will be put into small groups of four to five and asked to develop skit to illustrate upstander response to a scenario. 

• You hear a joke that is just over the top (for making fun of a group).

• One of your friends keeps pressuring you to use the n-word. (They may even say you have a pass because your uncle's wife is Black or whatever.)

• You hear one student say to another (who is mixed), "It looks like someone rubbed dirt on your skin."

• You see someone touching a Black student's afro and saying, "It's so soft."

• You hear someone saying any of the common slurs, e.g. n-word, f-slur, r-slur.

• You overhear students planning a "fight" where they "pants" another student.

• You see a student touching another student (unwanted) or standing really close hovering over them making them feel uncomfortable. 

• Students are making fun of another student with special needs.

9:30 – 10:39 Conduct workshops

11:00- 11:40 Lunch with middle school students

11:40 – 1:30 More Than Words students get-together:

• debrief on workshop experiences

• share with each school’s club is doing

• hold separate school More Than Words meeting

• Walk/play outside -weather permitting 

1:30     Bus departs Ledyard Middle School 

1:40     Drop off Ledyard High students

2:00 Drop of Fitch High students

2:30 Drop off New London High students

Regional Workshop December 15, 2023

Mashantucket Tribal Community Center

8:05     Groton STA bus picks up New London High students at Jefferson Ave entrance

8:25     Groton STA bus picks up Fitch High students

8:30     Ledyard STA bus picks up Ledyard students 

8:45     Arrive at Mashantucket Tribal Community Center

 

8:50 Icebreakers

• Movement games/ Name games

Group challenge:  Quick Line-up - Have the group make lines of 8-10. If you have more than one line, they can race to line up in order of:

• Alphabetical city where you were born.

• Height, shortest to tallest

• After area code, first three numbers of phone number, least to greatest 

9:20 Mission Review:

• More Than Words is a group of student leaders from Fitch High School, Ledyard High School and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and New London High School Multi Magnet Campus High School.

• The mission of More Than Words is to promote resect for diversity, facilitate communication and build trust among members of our community. Goals: develop a group able to respond to crises, work proactively to prevent problems and celebrate diversity. 

9:30  Mystic Chamber of Commerce invitation:

• Feb. 3, 2024 Celebration of Black History Month 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

• Chamber would like to add student voices to the celebration. 

• Kevin Booker – Union Baptist Church and Mystic Seaport 

• Student-led panel discussion - Possible questions:

• Many people say that Black History Month is not very effective, how could we make the month a better learning experience?

• Knowing that major aspects of Black history have not been incorporated into our history; what would a meaningful Black History Month look like?

• Should the focus of Black History Month be primarily aimed at the African Americans community or the larger society? What benefits are derived various segments of the population?

• Does celebrating Black History month advance the cause of social justice?

• Development of strategies for panel discussion 

10:30 Orientation to More Than Words outreach: Middle school workshop 

• Topic: How to respond to negative talk like hate language, disability put-downs, antisemitism, Islamophobia

• Last spring workshop for More Than words students 🡪 Scenarios – how to respond to negative situations in various environments. Groups will respond to each scenario in three ways: (1) with buddies or allies, (2) in a mixed group and (30) in a potentially unsafe environment. 

• You hear homophobic joke and someone you thought was an ally, laughs and walks away.

• You are on bus and student displays swastika and gestures the Nazi salute.

• You hear a student say, "that's so r-slur" or "I'm so r-slur" or "They're so r-slur" (or you can substitute the f-slur here).

• In an academic situation, an academic word is used with a prefix of trans- or homo-, like transcontinental or homologous, then students start laughing and saying "homo" or they crack trans jokes.

• You are in a group setting and you think you heard someone say a slur and you want to say, "wait, what did you say?" but you are hesitant because of the group.

• A teacher that some students don't like get made fun of because of their physical disability. (While other students can empathize with not liking the teacher, making fun of them because of their disability is over the top.)

• After one student says something in class, another student makes fun of them by using the hand gesture for the r-slur (we can explain this one) so other students chuckle.

• You hear a joke that is just over the top (for making fun of a group).

• How to be a positive bystander - skits

11:00 Middle school workshop organization

• Facilitation skills

• Partners presenting the topic to middle school classes

11:30 Lunch

12:00 Amistad Leadership Academy – Reeshemah Norfleet, Discovering Amistad, April 2024

12:30 Opinion Continuum- Possible statements:

• Should schools allow free speech that some consider anti-Jewish or anti-Muslim 

• Social media has a negative impact on my peers

• I feel heard in my school.

1:20 Fishbowl 

• How to promote school spirit

• Bathroom access alternatives

• No sabo kids

  1:45    Bus departs Tribal Community Center

  2:00    Bus drops off Ledyard students

  2:05    Drop off Fitch High students

  2:30    Drop off New London High students