Profiles in Positivity

How does the Happiness Advantage manifest itself among our staff?

Consider Les Shepherd, director of buildings and grounds in the Cardinal Community School District. He is a poet. After Cardinal schools introduced their Orange Frog program last December, which encourages people to think more positively, now everyone knows about his passion.

“Ever since I was a little kid, I have always had a talent for making up songs and rhymes,” Shepherd said. “I grew up with Dr. Seuss, and it really stuck with me.”

He now e-mails poems to his coworkers at least once a week.

“If we do not have a poem in the morning,” said curriculum director Cindy Green, “many staff members will be e-mailing him, asking him where the poem is.”

Shepherd even penned an Orange Frog motto for the schools. The poems cover topics that inspire him: It could be the sunrise or an academic event. He’s always scanning the environment for something positive to share.

“I am just happy knowing that I could help put a smile on someone’s face because I know it’s contagious,” he quips.

Attending to Positive

Cardinal students are coming to understand the power of positive through the school’s staff. A prime example is attendance secretary Brenda Stevens, leader of Cardinal’s Positivity Challenge. She decided she would select students throughout the week and challenge them to improve their personal outlook.

Ninth-grader Jadelyn Jones was having a bad day. She had woken up late, almost missed her bus and was counting down the hours until she could go back to sleep. She made a stop by the school’s attendance office to talk her problems out with Stevens.

“She gave me one minute to get all of my complaints out,” Jones explained. “After that, she challenged me to be more positive the rest of the day.”

Jones had her doubts, but she gave the challenge a shot and immediately felt an impact.

“Every time I started to say something negative, I would catch myself and try to re-examine the situation with a positive outlook,” she added.

Stevens checked in with Jones and her teacher throughout the day to see how she was progressing. At the end of the day, Stevens gave Jones a stuffed orange frog to celebrate her accomplishment.