Celebrating Gratitude in Network 11

With the holiday season in full swing, Ms. Brianna Nkemeh knows that this time can bring a range of emotions. While it is typically a joyful time, it can also bring feelings of grief, especially if one has lost a loved one recently. As a social-emotional learning specialist in Network 11, Ms. Nkemeh has made it her mission to get to know each one of the schools in her network so she can support their students and staff. 

Her latest project, a network-wide Gratitude Challenge, was an amazing success. Students were encouraged to creatively determine an initiative at their school to highlight how they show gratitude, kindness, and empathy. Many schools participated, including Barton, Bond, Earle, Jackson, O’Toole, Parker, and Stagg. 

The challenge was such a success that Ms. Nkemeh noted that some schools will be continuing their initiative through the end of the school year. We connected with her to learn more. 

What was your hope for this Gratitude Challenge? 

Network 11 contains some of Chicago’s highest-need neighborhoods, and I wanted to highlight how the schools in this part of the city are doing incredible things. I thought it was important to focus on mental health and remind us all of our humanness. This challenge helped us do that while also elevating our schools’ cultures and climates in a positive way. 

Now that this idea has been so successful, would you have done anything differently? 

It would be so cool to make these types of challenges monthly, with each month having a different theme. In my portfolio of schools, different schools have different approaches to social-emotional learning, and this would be a great opportunity for them to spotlight the great work they are doing. 

What do you hope the students who participated remember about this experience? 

I hope they remember the collaboration that was required to make their initiative a success. I also hope they remember that this was a great opportunity to learn more about themselves and also more about their peers. This challenge was all about building community and being inclusive. A lot of our students are going through similar things, so this opportunity to collaborate had the potential to be so uplifting for them. 

What is your message to your Network 11 students for the rest of the school year? 

I am proud of their resilience against the odds. I am in awe of their creativity and innovation. And I am so proud of what they come up with. I hope they continue expressing gratitude while also remaining true to themselves.