Junior Coach Wilmarys is a student at the UP Academy Holland in Dorchester with Coach Heather. She has shown incredible growth as a student and youth leader since joining the Junior Coach Leadership Academy in October. She enjoys resolving conflicts amongst her peers both in and out of the classroom. Many teachers have noticed an incredible difference in Wilmarys and her leadership skills. Junior Coach Wilmarys attend the annual Junior Coach Leadership Convention over February break. This convention was held at Northeastern University and gave more than 95 Junior Coaches from across Boston the opportunity to meet Junior Coaches from other schools and work on developing their leadership skills together.
During the month of February, Junior Coach Wilmarys stepped up and decided to lead indoor recess in classrooms all by herself. She was thrilled to be the leader in the room, explained directions clearly and students were excited to be around her. One day Coach Heather was able to observe Wilmarys in action and witnessed her stand in front of the room, speak clearly, and engage all of the students in the game. The students in the classroom were excited to be playing and were actively cheering for their peers. When it was time to end recess, Junior Coach Wilmarys stood in front of the classroom and she gave three different students shout-outs for the great things she had seen them do. As Junior Coach Wilmarys and Coach Heather left the classroom together, Coach Heather congratulated her on her stellar performance. Junior Coach Wilmarys responded, "The Junior Coach Leadership Conference really got me thinking and motivated me to try different strategies with younger students. Instead of getting irritated when they were not listening, I started complimented those who were and the students loved it. It made all of us feel great and we were able to play more!"
