The Jedi Engineers, pictured above, researched the benefits of aquaponics for long distance space travel! The Cosmic Ducks were more interested in retaining body mass with a hamster wheel treadmill made into human size!
FIRST LEGO League always inspires with fun, out of the box challenges! 

us.nyrorganic.com/shop/lisastockekoop/
​

I am looking to build my Dream Team! Are you in?? What a great collection to WIN! 
When new consultants join our team between April 17-19th, 
they’ll have the opportunity to win the entire Bee Lovely Line!
bit.ly/shopLisaSK
We’ll draw the name of one lucky winner each day!

     This past weekend was the Neal's Yard Remedies Leadership Conference in Plano, Texas. What a beautiful area! We stayed at the Renaissance. I would highly recommend this hotel for events and vacations!
     This company just steals my heart more and more everyday! The training and recognition they offer is amazing and inspiring. We heard from Sue Rausch this weekend and she was funny and super informative! I am ready to just keep growing this business! Helping others to remove chemicals from their daily lives is truly a privilege. 
     

     One thing introduced at conference in Host Exclusive Bundles! This is super cool and I am so excited! We now can really offer our hosts something special! They will be changing them out every month, too! February's bundle is the diffuser with four essential oils for only $45! The diffuser itself is $55! That is a savings of $82! Cha Ching!
      In addition to the Host Exclusive Bundles, we are now also offering a Booking Bonus Gift! This gift is a shown below with three of our luxury oils! Hosts will receive this for FREE when they host a qualified party, ($200), and have two booking which hold qualified parties! LOVE IT!

     Well, we are back to school and the cold and flu season continues! I had to miss the last week of school before our Winter Break due to bronchitis. I was so sad to miss that week! That is always the week where we are allowed to wear holiday shirts and hats. It is just such a fun week with everyone so excited! My illness continued almost throughout the entire break! Now, we are back and everyone is still coughing around here. Ugh! I am breaking out my Neal's Yard Remedies Organic Defense to clean desks and diffuse! Go away sickness!

     Before break our Leadership group organized a fabulously fun winter assembly! We had all of the bands and choirs performing, games and a special visitor from the North Pole in our make shift sled made from a recycling cart and poster paper. It was hysterical! Our reindeer were teachers in brown shirts with the names painted on them, sunglasses and antlers. As soon as I find where my Social Media class saved the pics, I will upload one!

Now, we are all gearing up for second semester. The kids are back with their morning bedhead. :) New classes are loaded in to our Learning Management System. Pre-tests are being given. The learning is ready to commence!  Today my Leadership Club will be meeting after school. We are going to start the year with vision boards. I want to give them the chance to dream big! Stay tuned to see how we do!
​Happy New Year to all!

Discover the #MagicOfAlchemy during our 12 Days of Giving! Each day we’ll reveal a beautiful Holiday Gift which we’ll give away to one lucky winner. Enter now to win our Rejuvente Frankincense Collection which includes Rejuvenating Frankincense Cleanser, Rejuvenating Frankincense Toner, Frankincense Hydrating Cream and an organic cotton cloth. Enter: http://bit.ly/NYR12Daysofgiving Check back tomorrow to see our Day 2 gift revealed! T&Cs apply. Open to US residents only.

Also, today there is a FLASH SALE on this collection! 20% off! Priced at $72.00, today only $56.00!

     Wow! What a great group of Leadership kids we have this year! They have already completed so many tasks! Here at EVMS our Leadership group is an after school club. We have 6th, 7th and 8th grade students who all volunteer their time together. Usually, we have a number of 6th grade students that drop out as they realize how busy they become as middle school students. This year, not one!! I am just so impressed with this group!
     Some of the activities these students have already accomplished are a Summer Leadership Camp, welcome back bags for teachers, FISH Canned Food Drive, bulletin boards, teacher requests, a fall "Hollywood/Red Carpet" dance, a Caps for a Cure fundraiser, a Carson Strong fundraiser, locker tags for teams,  and being "Buddies" to new students. Whew! They are busy! Not bad with only meeting once a week for two hours.
     This week they have been painting posters for an upcoming FIRST tournament that will be held at our school. They are also planning a Winter Assembly! This will be the first Winter Assembly at our school since I have been here. That is at least six years! I cannot wait to see how they do! I think they are going to make it fun and all inclusive! 
      I am truly so proud of how altruistic this group is. They are all about helping others. It is a Leadership Club that is true in heart and spirit!

     I know it is a new school year, but wow, what an end to last year! Our Jedi Engineers went to the World Festival in Houston, Texas and took home a third place Core Values - Teamwork award! Then they went to the International Championship in Bath and took home the 2nd place Robotic Design - Programming! Incredible!
     The outstanding element of all of this is not that they achieved so much, but that they achieved it after they were initially disqualified at their own Qualifier! These students were the prefect storm. They were determined, always displayed integrity and never gave up hope. As a teacher, I could not have been part of a better team. They were a delight from the start. 
     Five of these six students had gone to the LEGOLAND Invitational when they were in 6th grade. They saw how much they had to learn and wanted to grow. They had taken STEM in 6th grade. They all came back as 7th graders to the after school robotics teams and took Advanced STEM in 7th grade. Then they came together to act as one team in 8th grade. The Advanced STEM class was cancelled, so the majority of them took Coding as 8th graders. They took all of these opportunities to increase their skills. They set a goal as a team to advance past the Northern Nevada Championships. I at that point, set a goal to not stress about all of our data/administrative  expectations, but to support these kids in getting as far as they wanted to go!
     When their robot failed at the Qualifier I have never seen a more disappointed group of students. They broke my heart. Yet, as sad as they were, they were the only team that stayed and cleaned up our school. I had two other teams participate. One of those teams advanced to Championships and they did not stay to help. I was so disappointed in my other teams, but so proud of the Jedis! What they didn't know at the time was, that our Northern Nevada FIRST LEGO League representatives were so proud of the integrity they displayed they submitted them to the International competition. The FIRST reps all felt that these students would be great representatives of Nevada.
     Then, that these kids took their robot home over Christmas break and rebuilt and reprogrammed it to be successful with no hope of advancing just inspired me! I was so proud of them, I admit I made a pain of myself trying to get them in to the Northern Nevada Championships as an alternate. They had won 2nd place Core Values at our Qualifier, so they were prepared in every aspect other than their robot. Their project was amazing! Finally we received the news that we were in the Championship! The kids and myself were all over the top excited!
     From that point on the kids practiced like crazy! They researched their project to make animals more comfortable in shelters by creating adaptable shelters. They met manufacturers! They participated in Outreach! They were excited and they were ready! They went to the Northern Nevada Championship at UNR and won the Championship! That is where they received the invitation to Houston for the World Festival! These kids had already surpassed their dreams!
     It was not long after that the students found out that they were also invited to the Bath competition. They were going to Texas and the the UK! Let the fundraising start! There were car washes, yard sales, an Applebees Flapjack Fundraiser, school dance, free dress, Olive Garden luncheon, etc. Kohl's Cares was there every step of the way. Tisha Cook from our local store was one of our biggest supporters that made all of the difference!
      The World Festival in Houston, Texas was AMAZING! What a rush! All of the students, coaches, parents, sponsors! People from so many countries, all getting along. Our politicians can learn so much from these students. The team next to us in the pits had kids that were not granted Visas. Watching those students Skype with their teammates at home was such a powerful learning experience for our kids! Seeing that emotion and the impact that political decision had on other kids their age was more of a life lesson than any text book or lecture could provide.
     The learning experiences in travelling to the UK were so numerous. Not only did they meet and interact with people from all over the world, they stayed in the dorms at Bath University. They also were able to travel around London, visit Stonehenge, walk through Windsor Castle, visit the Abbey at Bath and so much more! It was a trip of a lifetime. The students were a blast and we all gained so much from the trip! As a teacher, it truly felt like it should have been the mic drop on my career! I will always hold a special place in my heart for the 2016 - 2017 Jedi Engineers!

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/opinion/kudos-jedi-engineers-thankful-for-support/
​

 WOW! What an amazing adventure! Please read our story from the Go Fund Me page below.

We are the Eagle Valley Middle School First LEGO League Robotics Team, The Jedi Engineers! We are from Carson City, Nevada. We are a team of five 8th graders and one 7th grader. Our coaches and mentors are: Lisa Stocke-Koop, Eric Fancher and Jason Koop.

We have been invited to the FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas this April! We are stunned, overwhelmed and excited! 

The First LEGO League is a three prong competition. It involves building and programming a LEGO robot to accomplish specific tasks on the field, (mat), provided. Teams are also given a problem/issue to research and provide an innovative solution for.  Teams must go into their community and speak with experts and share their results. The third prong of the competition is the Core Values! Teams must exemplify FLL Core Values and display Gracious Professionalism at all times.

Our team has had quite the roller coaster of a season! The students have worked so hard!! They participated in our Qualifier Tournament in December and won 2nd place Core Values. EVERY category was marked as exemplary! Unfortunately, our robot had more than its share of glitches! In fact our robot game kept us out of the Northern Nevada Championships!!

Despite this team's disappointment, they were the ONLY team that stayed to clean up the entire event venue! WOW! What integrity! The students were put on an alternate list for the Championship, because of their high marks in all other categories and their behavior before, during and after the season.

Without any guarantees that they would be placed in the Championship tournament they took home the field kit and robot. Over their Winter Break there was a complete robot redesign, build and programming!

They continued to practice and improve their project. They reached out to the community, shared and learned! 

They did receive an invitation to the Championships. They kept working and improving. These kids were motivated! They started a blog of their journey! Check out the link!

Championships arrived and they were ready! They performed in an outstanding manner all day! THEY HAD A BLAST! They knew they had put in the work and they enjoyed the day! At the end of the tournament they were rewarded for all of their efforts by winning the 2016 - 2017 Northern Nevada First LEGO League 1st place Champion's Award! With winning this award they were invited to the World Championship at Houston, Texas!

Now, we are on a fundraising drive to get them there! Airfare, hotels, meals, transportation, banners, swag, shipping, etc. are all going to be fairly expensive. Registration alone for the event is $1,000! We are a determined group though and have multiple fundraisers in the works!

We appreciate any assistance you can give us! We are extremely grateful for all of the support we have received throughout this amazing season!

Thank you and see you in Houston!

www.gofundme.com/lego-team-to-world-championship Go Fund Me Link

Check out our photos on the First LEGO League page! 
I am so proud of all of these kids!!!

If interested in this amazing offer, even for just your personal use, please use this link! 
https://us.nyrorganic.com/services/register.html?passedrep=US-0026270

This company has proven to be the ideal fit for me as an educator. It matches my passions and my ideals. I am so proud to represent Neal's Yard Remedies Organic! They are currently offering the Starter Kit at the lowest price that I have seen! $80! If you are interested in even just trying the product, this is the way to do it!
​ us.nyrorganic.com/shop/lisastockekoop/area/become-a-consultant/

This has been quite the month! 

At our school, our students learned about charity, empathy, community and having an attitude of gratitude in our Advisory Classes. They put this into action by working with our Leadership team to capture #attitudeofgratitude selfless selfies. They also continue to collect items for our Winter Clothing Drive for Faith Hope Love of Northern Nevada. I am so proud of all of our Eagle Family!

​

This is one of my favorite go to drinks! A powerhouse of anti-oxidants! Rich in Vitamin C to help boost our skin's radiance and collagen production as well as supporting our immune system! I personally enjoy it mixed with ice water, in smoothies,sprinkled over oatmeal and yogurt or used to make popsicles!

Here is the recipe from my friend's 10-year old daughter.

 "Mix 2 cups of water with 2 scoops of Berry Complex and squeeze 1/2 a lemon into that. (Stir.) Fill popsicle cups 1/2-way with wild berries and pour Berry Complex over berries to fill. Freeze about 5 hours to be safe." She said that mix will make 4 of these big popsicles."

​

Click on the photo of the Berry Complex to visit my NYR website to purchase this product! This is a great deal!

WOW!!! We are only three days into this drive and our school has collected 489 items!! Warm clothing, coats, shoes, mittens, gloves, etc. I cannot wait to see how far they can go! 
Way to go Eagles!

On Monday, November 7th Eagle Valley Middle School held an assembly with Think Kindness Founder Brian Williams. It was amazing! Our Leadership Team did a great job getting ready and helping with this assembly! See the article below for coverage from our local newspaper, The Nevada Appeal!
www.nevadaappeal.com/news/local/massive-kindness-explosion-hits-carson-city/ 
​

Photos from Nevada Appeal article.Cathleen Allison, Nevada Photo Source.

It was an amazing assembly! Students saw the impact that the shoe drive they participated in last year had. They had donated over 2,000 pairs of shoes to orphanages in Africa to allow children there to go to school! So powerful!

This year, Brian challenged our students to perform 5,000 acts of kindness in 15 days! We can do it! The kids have all stepped up in an inspiring fashion! Part of their acts of kindness is to participate in a Winter Needs Drive to help Families in Northern Nevada. 
​

For our Winter Needs Drive our school is collecting coats, hats, scarves, warm clothing, blankets, sleeping bags, etc. You name it and we will probably take it!! These donations will be distributed to Faith Hope Love of N. NV which is an organization of families helping families and homeless in need.

Our Leadership team has been in the last two mornings, sorting and counting! We already have BOXES and BOXES!!! The students and staff here are so generous! They give more than many schools twice their size! The Leadership team, which meets before and after school, give countless hours in service to our community. I am so proud of this group!!! They are all LEADERS!

Wishing you all a day filled with kindness!

​<3 Lisa

     What a successful day! Our Leadership students did an amazing job with our Teaching Tolerance Mix It Up at Lunch Day on Monday, October 24th! You can see from the photo above how pleased some of our kids were!! 
    The kids designed our day wonderfully! I purchased bead necklaces for them ahead of time. They really wanted wrist bands, but we would not have received them in time. So instead I went to a local party store and purchased 400 bead necklaces. 
     As students arrived in the cafeteria they were asked if they wanted to participate in the Mix It Up At Lunch activity. (They had heard about the activity from the announcements and from their teachers.) The students that wanted to participate in the activity were given a slip of paper with a table number on it, 1 - 20. Students then went to the table with that number on it.
    Having students enter this way was a genius addition adaptation from previous years. It took all of the kids who said they were participating, but truly were not, out of the prize mix. 
     As students found their tables, there was a board game and question card on each table. Some students immediately jumped on the games and started playing with others at the table. Other students picked up the question cards and started reading them out loud! :) Success! Our Leadership students wandered from table to table handing out beads and facilitating conversation and games as needed. They truly stepped up and demonstrated leadership and compassion. They ensured that ALL students were included and had a great time.
     A huge shout out goes to our amazing principal, Mr. Conley! He actively participated with the students! Mr. Conley went from table to table, learning card games and reading and answering questions. We are a lucky school to have a principal that so enjoys getting to know his students!
     Now to start brainstorming for our other Teaching Tolerance events!
#MixItUp #TeachingTolerance #Leadership