Coach Caroline is a second year Program Coordinator with Playworks Massachusetts, returning to the Gardner Pilot Academy in Allston. Over the past two years, Coach Caroline has worked hard to create a school culture that is healthy, inclusive, and safe for all students. She has developed school-wide norms that focus on healthy play, health community, respect, and inclusion. She emphasizes these core values through class-based action learning times, purposely playing specific team building and intentionally asking certain questions during group debriefs.
During the month of October, Coach Caroline made excellence happen by volunteering to take her Junior Coaches on a Saturday field trip to the inaugural Playworks Play for Peace event. This event was held to honor former Playworks Coach Dawnn Jaffier. Coach Caroline choose to bring her Junior Coaches to the event so they would be able to participate in the activities. Her Junior Coaches not only played the games but also helped facilitate games for other children at the event. The Junior Coaches brought an incredible energy to the event and helped the local community honor the legacy of Dawnn.
Coach Caroline has continued to make excellence happen through building excellent relationships with all students, staff, and families at the Gardner Pilot Academy. Additionally, she regularly hosts volunteers from New Balance and UPS at her school. When the volunteers come to her school, she ensures that her Junior Coaches are present and introduce themselves to each adult displaying their incredible youth leadership skills. Throughout the month of October, Coach Caroline has shown that she is committed to making excellence happen for the students in her school and the Playworks Massachusetts community.