Coach Emily is a Playworks Site Coordinator who rotates between four New Bedford schools to facilitate safe, healthy, and inclusive play for more than 1,300 students every day. This is Emily’s second year as a site coordinator with Playworks, and she has gone above and beyond to provide her students with the positive and playful school day they deserve.
Over February break, Playworks hosted our 11th annual Junior Coach Leadership Convention in Jamaica Plain. This event brings together students from across greater Boston for two days of learning, laughter, and leadership. For the first time ever, more than 40 students from New Bedford got to attend the event thanks to Coach Emily’s planning and leadership. Emily arranged school buses to bring her students between New Bedford and Boston and kept all students’ families in the loop to ensure everything went as smoothly as possible.
The theme of our Junior Coach Leadership Convention was ‘Community,’ and students learned what it means to be a positive member of the community and the importance of giving back. But Coach Emily works hard to build a strong community in her New Bedford schools every day of the year. This month, Emily has made her Junior Coach trainings extra special by throwing hot chocolate parties and making personalized Playworks valentines for each of her students. She promotes community service with her Junior Coaches by organizing opportunities for them to clean up and paint their school playgrounds.
This year, Emily has implemented a ‘Golden Kickball’ award to encourage students to demonstrate Playworks core values of respect, inclusion, healthy play, and community. The award will be given at the end of the year for the grade level that best demonstrates these core values during recess. Not only does Emily support her students, but she is also committed to supporting her school staff in New Bedford to facilitate safe and healthy play during the weeks she isn’t leading recess herself.
We are grateful to have a hardworking and caring Coach like Emily representing Playworks in New Bedford. We know she will continue to transform the school day for her students for the rest of the school year and beyond!
