Shout Outs from Superhero Academy!

YOU HEARD IT FIRST FROM THE SUPERHEROES: 

“This event was a huge success! The creativity of the concept, the props, the capes and belts and badges, the games.... everything put together made for an inspiring, positive, and fun morning!” ~Cindy Wu aka "Vortex", Blue Tornadoes  

“I remember when I just got there, we had a lot of quiet ones, but towards the ends I remember a lot of the kids were starting to hold my hand and even though it was just a day, I felt that the kids and I were very attached to each other” ~Angel Chan, Orange Flames

“I think the most compelling argument in this is that I couldn't tell who had a better time: the kids or the volunteers.  The volunteers were just glowing after they had got done with the day” ~Daniel Wang aka "Mr. Maniac", Green Mutants

FAVORITE MEMORIES FROM THE SUPERHERO PARTY:

“It was one of our very first training stations and we went to the one where we had to use teamwork to roll the toilet paper over our heads and the hula hoop over our bodies. I could tell that our entire team was very shy, but after working together and cheering each other on, I could see that they were starting to open up. That by far has to be my favorite memory of the event.” ~Angel Chan, Orange Flames

“I am a horrid drawer and everyone else was drawing these amazing works of art on the kids faces. One very little special girl says to me "I only want stars and hearts, so you can draw on my face". Made my day, she had hearts and stars everywhere!” ~Renia Lusby-Butler aka "Purple Rocket", Purple Protectors

"The thoughtfulness in the inception concepts (ie: teamwork, healthy eating, diversity) that the kids discussed about before completing the training challenge. Great job Daniel Wang & Sam Mar for incorporating the pertinent learning into the 6-page script!" ~Alissa Kit aka "The Cross Examiner"

“My favorite memory was when I saw that I had an older kid on my team, I was a bit worried that he would think all this superhero stuff would be cheesy and dampen the mood. It turned out that he loved it! He was the one providing ideas to our cheers, poses and chants. The other kids looked up to him and even called him their older brother. That made my heart smile.” ~Jeena Lee aka "Violet Venus", Purple Protectors

“The smallest girl on Team Thunderbolt conquered the "flying" station like a champ.  She has the sweetest smile but when asked what building she wanted to leap over, she chose the tallest one with a look of ferocity and determination on her face.  The power of empowerment!” ~Stephanie Truong aka "B-Fly", Yellow Thunderbolts

“Our youngest kid responding only to the name of "Superman" the whole day and completely ignoring his real name.” ~Daniel Wang aka "Mr. Maniac", Green Mutants

“When the kids started chanting each other's names during kryptonite bowling!” ~Stephanie Truong aka "B-Fly", Yellow Thunderbolts

“{A young boy} saying that he didn't want to eat the strawberries and yogurt cup, then eating two cups of it after we said it was super food.” ~Daniel Wang aka "Mr. Maniac", Green Mutants

“The oldest girl on our team took initiative and helped count the kids when transitioning from station to station and put on their badges for them.  Favorite quote from her..."help others before you help yourself" ~Stephanie Truong aka "B-Fly", Yellow Thunderbolts

“Darnell, aka Bee-Guy, SO committed to staying in character that he was willing to subject himself to the sweltering heat in his leather jacket the entire day!” ~Stephanie Truong aka "B-Fly", Yellow Thunderbolts 

"Loved the fashion show and all the team chants / poses / cheers! Truly debuted the camaraderie and unity within each group." ~Alissa Kit aka "The Cross Examiner"

“My favorite memory was when the Superheros got captured by villains and the students immediately chased after them all the way to the cafeteria. I don't think any of us expected their indignant reactions because just 1.5 hours before, many of these kids were shy and tentative about participating. By this point, it was evident that they formed really tight bonds with their groups and Superhero leaders. The kids had to collaborate with each other and answer questions correctly in order to break the chains off the door. It was so great to see them work together as a collective whole to free their captured Superheros!  When the chains were broken and their leaders were set free, the kids stormed into the conference room and embraced their leaders with huge hugs and smiles from ear to ear; order in this world was finally restored again. It was such a heartwarming, Kodak moment! :)” ~Denise Liau, Vox Volunteer

“{During the rescue} I was explaining that we needed to come together and use Teamwork to get the Heroes back. They were so concerned for Stephanie aka B-Fly! One of the girls on our team just kept saying "We gotta get her back!! What are we gonna do?!! How are we gonna get her back?!" It was so sweet how they were concerned for her! :-) They were all so excited when the Heroes were released! A truly blessed day!! Thank you for this experience!!”  ~Darnell Allen aka "Bee-Guy", Yellow Thunderbolts

“{During the rescue} We asked them what they learned today that we could use to save Cindy aka Vortex.  One kid said jump, and then another said use our brains. Once we were all inside to save the superheroes, I was proud to see {a young boy and girl} raise their hand to volunteer to save Vortex as they were one of the quietest kids in our group.  Once Vortex was released, {the young girl} gave Vortex a huge hug, and it was once again, very adorable. Overall, it was amazing to see how with such a short period of time, the kids opened up so quickly after the attention and praise/confidence we gave them.” ~Stephanie Wei aka "Whirl Girl", Blue Tornadoes

“I was surprised and touched when the kids ran up and hugged the Superheros after being released by The Sphinx. It really felt like we had made some kind of team bond (even with the more shy kids) at that point.” ~Sam Mar, Orange Flames

“When our kids first arrived, it was immediately obvious some kids needed some encouragement to participate. One little boy, was so shy he was practically stoic. Coming up with the chant and pose without much bonding time was a little tricky for our group, but luckily we had one girl who obviously had cheer-writing experience and we eventually came up with something, thanks to her. As we moved on to the activities, {the young boy} started warming up to Stephanie aka Whirl Girl, who would do most of the games with him. He began to relax a little. After the event was over, he ran up to us while we were packing up in the Green Room, waved and yelled "Bye!" It was neat to see the transformation in his little face in over just 2 hours.” ~Cindy Wu aka "Vortex", Blue Tornadoes  

“A kid asking us in our group if we would come back, even asking us to stay for lunch, and trying to sell it by saying "we're having pizza" to make it more compelling.” ~Daniel Wang aka "Mr. Maniac", Green Mutants

“Towards the end of the day, I was following one of the students talking to his Superhero, and he asked if we would come back anytime soon. I know it's always an amazing thing to be invited to do something, but I think the real telling part is when you've touched somebody so much that they want you to come back. That was awesome.” ~Keith Chan aka "The Professor"