EL Education Podcasts

Series Premiere: What is Crew? (Part 1 of 2)

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In this introductory episode, Host Roel Mason-Vivit will dive into the question, "What is Crew?" He  shares some of his own perspectives on Crew structure and culture and offers us a window into what Crew sounds and feels like.

Roel's guest is a media producer, Rosa Gaia, who has visited and made multimedia work about over 30 schools practicing Crew across the country. She presents an original song-essay that gives an overview of Crew that uses audio illustrations, verbal explanations, samples of real Crew recordings, and instrumental performances from middle school Crew members . Rosa visits Escalante school in Colorado, and hears from a Crew leader and teacher of 30-years of teaching experience, John Hise. We also talk to his students, Canyon and Dallen, and hear recordings of their Crew meetings.

Roel then connects with the school he helped open in Chicago, Polaris Charter Academy. We visit a daily crew session and a special yearly Crew Community event.  Roel reunites with a former student, Mikael, who speaks of the impact of Crew on his life.

Original music, audio engineering and mixing on Crew Not Passengers is by Sean Brennan.

Produced and edited by Rosa Gaia.

Thumbnail Artwork by Jada Walters, a high school student and Crew member at Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School in Queens, NY.

Audio clips featured in the heartbeat song and throughout the episode include:
- Conway Elementary School in Escondido, California,
- Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School in Queens, New York,
- Fox Creek Elementary School in Littleton, Colorado.
- Meadow Glen middle school in Lexington, Kentucky.
- River Bluff High School in Lexington, Kentucky.
- Capital City Charter School in Washington, DC.
- Casco Bay high school in Portland, Maine.
- Launch Expeditionary Learning School in Brooklyn, New York.
- Hollis Innovation Academy in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Springfield Renaissance in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- Amana Academy in Alpharetta, Georgia
- Polaris Charter Academy in Chicago, Illinois.

The Crew heartbeat song featured instrumental performances by Adeline, Gianna, Destiny, Tomeh, Malia and Lizzie at the Expeditionary Learning Middle School ELMS in Syracuse, New York. ELMS musicians were directed and recorded by their teacher, Megan Hirsch.

To learn more about our organization and to find additional crew resources, please visit eleducation.org and to hear additional episodes of the podcast and learn more about implementing Crew, check out EL Education's Crew Navigator. This interactive course will give you tools and strategies to understand, prepare for, practice and improve Crew at your school. Find it at https://eleducation.org/what-we-offer/curriculum-services/online-courses

- [Child] We're Crew, not passengers.- [Adult] Say that again.- [Child] We are Crew, not passengers.- [Group] We are Crew.(students chattering)- [Roel] My name is Roel Mason-Vivit, and I am the director of partnerships for the Midwest for our EL education. So I came into this role, having founded a charter school on the west side of Chicago in West Humboldt Park, Polaris Charter Academy, with two of my colleagues and friends, wanting to create a place where students felt that sense of belonging and also this sense of purpose and agency. And so built our school around this idea of Crew not passengers, where students every day had an experience to be able to be with their, with their fellow Crew mates, being able to have really important conversations, being able to share all parts of themselves and explore things that were impacting them on a day to day basis through Crew.- [Multiple children] Crew, not passengers.- Crew, not passengers.- We are Crew, not passengers.- [Adult] Yes!- [Roel] Today, we will dive into the question, what is Crew? I'll be speaking with a media producer who has seen Crew across the country and getting a window into what Crew sounds like and feels like. We'll be having conversations with some Crew leaders and students from Escalante, a school in Colorado. And visiting the school I helped open here in Chicago, Polaris Charter Academy. I'll also share with you some of my own perspectives on Crew structure and culture. Crew is many things. It involves the structures that make up Crew. It's also the culture behind Crew that make those structures come alive. It is a place where real important conversations can be had, shared experiences that promote both joy as well as a place where people can express really important issues to grapple with together. And it's been wonderful to be able to hear reflections from students, from teachers who say that Crew is a family, Crew is something they always return to, Crew, they could count on.- [Children Chanting] ♪ Take care of each others feelings ♪♪ Always do our best ♪- [Roel] So it's great to be able to reflect on that. It's also great to be able to join other schools and districts in their journey for something that is truly powerful and really impactful in what students can do and achieve, once they're seen, once they're recognized, and once they have a regular place to be able to explore their place in the world and their purpose and power in the world.- [Student on megaphone] Peace and Unity- [Students chanting] In our community!- [Roel] It's exciting work that I'm involved in right now, where really helping schools think through: what does it take to create a culture of Crew and structures around Crew? Our EL schools within the network, have experienced the power of Crew in cultivating really meaningful and deep relationships with students, as well as unleashing the potential of students through Crew and more schools and more districts want that. They want that for their students. They also see it as something that's essential in the work that students are doing in school. There's such high excitement about doing it and also doing it well. Academics cannot continue or get any deeper, if we don't have this structure for students to feel belonging and also develop their own identity. For it to really come across, there's gotta be this idea of Crew as a way of being. So staff Crew is just super critical. And by having that deep experience for themselves, they will be able to give that to students because they realize the value of it. One of the ways that's been really helpful for schools to be able to actually see the animation of Crew is by hearing, seeing, and experiencing it through videos and through the sounds of students talking and reflecting about Crew and happy to have one our media team people with us. So would love to dive more into Crew with Rosa.- [Rosa] Hello, Roel.- [Roel] Hi, Rosa.- [Rosa] I'm so excited to talk to you about Crew today because it is one of my very favorite things in the world.- [Roel] What do you love most about Crew, Rosa?- [Rosa] It's something that I feel like is about togetherness and teamwork and unity, but it's about this idea that you are your own unique person with your own unique gifts. And it's a structure that supports both, the kind of collective success and complex achievement of everyone around you, as well as trying to become your best self as an individual and being, having a space to be able to express that. This metaphor of "We are Crew, not Passengers", I think it's so poignant because it's this idea that we're all on the ship together and we're working towards making a better world. And we're trying to keep each other safe and that we have to do that by both being agents of our own learning and our life. And also by making sure that everyone is achieving their greatest potential.- [Roel] I love how you talked about both the individual to continue to grow and build that identity as well as do it in the company of other people. So, Rosa, you've been in over 30 schools and across the country, having been able to see Crew in many different communities, in many different contexts. I'm just really curious, just having seen all the different kinds of Crew. What are some of the things that you find similar across those Crews and what are some things that are, are different and unique?- [Rosa] It's a great question. And I was thinking recently about how there's these common elements of Crew that are practiced at all these very different schools and the structure, it creates a kind of rhythm and cadence, and then upon that this complex and rich and unique school culture can be built. And all of these parts of Crew, they come together to create a kind of symphony. So I thought I would try to illustrate that musically. So I did this with a little help from Crew at ELMS in Syracuse, New York. This is a school that really lives and breathes Crew and has made amazing contributions to our entire network. So you're gonna hear some of their orchestra and Orff ensemble playing along to this piece.[Music Begins][Rosa] Crew is both the structure and a culture of support. A foundational part of the structure is the daily meeting. It's like the heartbeat. The daily meeting is usually about 25 to 55 minutes. In primary grades, it's the whole class and their teacher. In middle school and high school, the grouping is about 12 to 15 students and their Crew leader. The Crew leader can be a teacher, a school leader, or a support staff member. Sometimes Crews change year to year, and sometimes they loop and stay the same for all three or four years. Often Crewmates are in the same grade, but sometimes schools have mixed grade Crews. The students who you meet with every day are called your Crew. It's like your family in the school the people that always have your back, that you turn to for support, that you look out for and help along their journey, Crewmates lift each other up and also hold each other accountable. These Crew meetings often follow the format of a greeting, a reading, a main activity and a debrief.- [Teenager] So we're gonna circle up first.- [Rosa] The greeting helps everyone in the Crew learn about each other's daily lives.[Adult] How are we arriving today?- The optional reading can prompt a group discussion or set the tone for the activity ahead.[Older Child] Quote number one,"The person who follows a crowd will usually go no further than the crowd."[Rosa] The main activity can be an initiative, which is a fun often physical group challenge that requires collaboration and perseverance.[Older Child] Go to the right, go to the right. To the right, to the right.- It could be a group discussion, like a courageous conversation about an important issue or a group processing of a recent event.- [Adult] Now you know the gossip across the school.- Activities could be academic support sessions or post-secondary planning.- [Adult] We need to know what your career goal is, so we can push you to reach that goal.- [Rosa] Crew is often a time to prepare for events or presentations of learning.- [Adult] What does an expert sound like or look like?- [Rosa] It varies a lot, but the activities tend to build character and community, student confidence, social care, and ethos of scholar citizenship.[Adult] This time, your prompt is again, planting something, something you want to flourish and grow.- [Rosa] The debrief helps students make connections, reflect and build on their progress as a Crew.- [Adult] Did we reach our target?- [Young child] Yes.- [Rosa] This Crew structure goes beyond the daily meeting.- [Students] ♪ One, two, three, four, ♪♪ This is we do it ♪♪ We do it ♪♪ This is how we do it ♪[Rosa] Some schools have multi-age Crews or mentor Crews.(Crews chattering)[Rosa] Some schools have weekly or monthly community meetings,[Children] Shout out![Rosa] special events and celebrations serve to build and reinforce the spirit of Crew.- [Teenager] Special thanks to my Crew. Yes, guys. I love you.- And every staff member is part of a staff Crew as well.- [Adult] I know it's hard.- [Rosa] The frequency of staff Crew meetings vary school to school. Sometimes they're part of regular staff meetings, and sometimes they're separate.- [Adult] To be in your journey for next year.- [Rosa] But the structure is a scaffold for a school culture that is joyful, rigorous, supportive, loving, and brave.- [Adults] (laughter) So true.- [Rosa] Being together in a Crew, means that you are steering the ship together, that you are responsible for the success of yourself and those around you, and that you are an active agent in your life and learning. Every student belongs and can arrive in the learning community with their full self.- [Teenager] And thank you so much for all your support.(students cheering)- [Rosa] There is a commitment to equity for all students and a mindset of continuous improvement.- [Older child] I think Crew should, like Rebecca said, talk about real world problems-- [Rosa] This is Crew culture and it resonates throughout the school. It impacts and is impacted by all that are a part of it. It becomes stronger and more complex over time. When Crew is embraced by the staff and students, you feel it everywhere and you feel it powerfully.- [Older Child] They are making a difference in their Crew one by one. That's right and you can make a difference in your Crew...- [Rosa] So Crew goes beyond a meeting structure. But these intentional practices: the daily meetings, consistent groupings, community events, they give the space and support needed for a culture of Crew to thrive.- [Roel] Well, that was just amazing Rosa, to hear and feel Crew through that piece, how both structure and the culture are working together to create something beautiful.- Well, thank you. And shout out to Expeditionary Learning Middle School in Syracuse, New York, for your help making this song.(Shimmery Music)- [Rosa] So a really good example I've seen of where Crew structures are serving this culture and kind of what happens when that's let go, is a school in Colorado called Escalante.- [Adult] My name is John Hise. My pronouns, he\him\his. I've taught at Escalante, smiley Escalante for 30 years.- (John laughs) Hi Crew.- [Students] Hi Hise.- Hi.- [John] (Interview) This idea around Crew, not passengers, that when we walk in there, that whatever we're doing on any given day, we're doing it together and that each and every one of us is important and each and every one of us has value. And then that value has reverberates within the community, how we carry and comport ourselves academically, and socially has an impact on those around us. And so like the GRID we do every day, the greeting, the reading, the initiative and the debrief. The greeting today is I want you to do a-- [Intercom] Pardon the interruption.- [Rosa] So Escalante, they've been using these Crew structures like daily meetings with the same group and staff Crew for about the last decade, with the exception of one year. So in fall 2020, they decided to take a break from this model when they returned back to in person school, after the pandemic started.- [John H] It was just too hard based upon like cohorting and like the exposure to kids. So I essentially last year had four different Crews and it would depend on which block and blah, blah, blah. Like there was all this other stuff. Those kids that I missed from seventh grade that I had in sixth grade. And we finished out that weird year and then missed each other seventh grade. They're now my eighth graders today.- [Rosa] I've recently had a wonderful conversation over a, not so wonderful internet connection with Canyon and Dallen, two of John Hise's eighth grade students.- [Dallen] It was just gonna be a three day weekend in sixth grade. And that turned into a month and then another month. And then we came back in seventh grade.- [Canyon] Yeah, so seventh grade, we were in one class, we didn't switch classes. So we were in one class the entire day, same people, same environment. It was just a place. It was a meeting like what, what is gonna happen that day, things like that.- [John H] Even the most reluctant Crew kids came up and talked to me."We wanna be back in Crew. We want, we wanna be, we want Crew together." For whatever reason, we felt Crew was the thing that we were missing. Like, it was the one piece, the mortar that was kinda missing from holding the whole thing together with kind of intentionality and like this purposefulness that like we're heading to something bigger. So then when we went back this year as a staff, we decided that we were gonna stick to Crew.- [Hise In Crew] Okay? I want you to give me a thumbometer on you. Like "I'm doing great today, meh, not so great." Okay. And then I just wanna know your favorite color.- [Dallen] I think Crew became more united when we did come back because we made, we're trying to make each and every day special because we don't know when we're gonna be able to come back, you know, it might be a three day week and we're, we don't come back. So we try to make each day as best as we can. And so everyone's engaged.- [John H] What is special about it, is the fact that it happens daily and that it happens daily with the same people and that as bittersweet as that can be, you take the, you take the sweet with the sour or whatever the bitter with this sugar, however you want, right? You take all that together. That that builds a relationship. That's genuine. That's where it comes from.- John H (Hise Crew) I just, I don't know about you, but Mondays for lately in my life have been just kinda lame. I don't know. So I'm gonna make a commitment today to make Monday good. All right. So, and then my favorite color is green.- Hi, Crew.- Hi Yuhow- [John H] (interview) It's not that I'm a jerk or you're a jerk, it's that I have things going on that you don't understand. And that maybe if we started every day at the beginning of the day, and we talked about where we were coming from, or we had an opportunity to talk about something different outside of school.- [Students] (Hise Crew) Hi, Crew.- Hi, Owen.- I'm like, kind of in the-- Morning, Owen.- Between thumbs up and thumb sideways because I have a game that and excited for that, but I'm also tired and my favorite color is light blue.- You have a game today?- Nice.- [John H] (Interview) I believe that it's the opportunity for you to for you to grow as an individual on a daily basis, right? It's for me to put my best foot forward to show the better angels of my nature on a daily basis, right? Like it's an opportunity for me to grow as a human being. And it's also an opportunity for them to grow as a human being.- [Owen] And in sixth grade, I didn't really wanna be in that Crew,'cause I only knew like one person.- [Canyon] Same.- From my elementary school.- [Canyon] Well, I don't really have any like my main friend group in there, which I like personally, like sometimes it's good. Like outside of your friend group, to just talk to others.- [Owen] I became to love this Crew because we got to meet with each other every morning.- [Canyon ] Yeah.- [Owen] We circle up and, or we can all have our voices heard and be seen. And so we're all engaged in the activity that we're in. So everyone as an individual makes the circle what it is and meaningful because everyone's in there and participating.- [Canyon] We actually talked about this, this morning, in Crew, like you are all equal in this circle. Like no one's above anyone else. No one's below anyone else. We're all equals and it's a safe space. You can be brave in this circle.- As we go around the circle, everyone answers. And so if someone's having a hard time, we're not just like,"Ah, get it over with." We try to help them and engage them. And so they feel respected. And so they can have fun as well. Instead of just us moving along and forgetting about them, we actually try to help and engage them into the conversation that we're in. In Crew, it's a good way to learn like patience and respect towards other people. If like someone brings something new to the environment, we're not just like shutting them down, we're being patient and listening to what they have to say. And it's, Crew is a good way to help with that and be able to learn that patience that you need in order to listen to each other and be able to know more about each and every individual.- [Rosa] I love that you bring up patience there.'Cause when we talk about learning about each other and we are talking about building community, I think that a lot of people feel frustrated that it can't be really fast, you know?[Rosa] (commentary) So as I was talking about this with Canyon and Dallen, we got into this really lovely conversation about like how you can't force a flower to bloom and open, but you can give it an environment that it needs to flourish and become its best self. So they ended up kind of waxing poetic to me about this nature imagery and how it was connected to Crew. And it was really lovely to hear.- [Open] We just keep watering it and watering it until it starts to become that flower. And then we finally get to see their true beauty as we keep progressing in Crew and be able to learn about people. And so they come out of their shell a little bit more and sprout and grow and become this amazing person that they are to be able to go into the ordinary world and like show every everyone their true beauty instead of just being tucked in the corner, we try to invite them to become themselves and to become better.- [Rosa] That's really beautiful. Like the gift of returning and continually watering to allow your Crew mates, to allow your peers to become their best selves. And that, that takes patience.(soothing jazz music)- [John H] Persistence and perseverance in Crew will create an auger, if you will, in which like something will flourish and grow.- [Owen] In elementary school, we had this brown patch of field that was open for our future and Crew alone has just brought millions of different kinds of flowers and plants and fruit to this garden. And now it's really colorful and we have different aspects of life now and different communication skills because of this Crew. And so instead of just being a brown patch with just a little bit of flowers from our friend group, we get to see all these flowers that we haven't even seen before.- [Canyon] Yeah.- [Owen] And be able to grow our garden because of that.- [Canyon] Yeah.- [John H] It's like water dripping on a stone, right? It's not the structure itself, it's the, structure's part of it. The consistency in the structure is part of it. But it's also the consistency in the individual who shows up, it's also the consistency in the way that we approach it. But it's steeped in this idea of building a relationship together. And if that relationship then is built towards this idea of helping you grow academically and socially as a leader and as a part of the community, those things are built over time.- [Roel] I think that really speaks to this real deep need that we have for ritual and for things that we can count on. We try to find ways for us to be able to, to live a culture, but that culture can't live if we don't have like actual access points to it. And that cadence provides just really specific ways for us to enter in. I would love for you to be able to hear and come into Molly Brady's Crew. And Molly Brady is a colleague of mine at Polaris Charter Academy. And just being able to, from the very beginning, how she recognizes the importance of every single person's presence, every single one of her students through a greeting.- (Brady Crew) Morning, Maya.- [Roel] It also is giving her information about how students are entering that space, where they're at.- [Teenager] (Brady Crew) I feel good and I'm checked in.- [Group] Checked in- [Roel] And she can also enlist her Crew mates in the class in order to provide the best supports for that student on that day. Or if they're coming in really happy and joyous, like, like what are some things that we can celebrate together?- [Adult] (Brady Crew) Right, so we are gonna play a game, a minute to win a game, and we're gonna figure out how you can stack the tallest penny tower.- [Roel] Initiative is this shared experience that the Crew is going to engage in and it could be something that's competitive. It could be something that's gonna really prompt some, just reflection on, on the part of those who are participating to be able to say,"Oh, what can we learn from this and what way can we apply this to the rest of our day?"- [Teenager] I wanted to give them a lift up for their team work together, like sometimes when they were building, like their structure would fall down. It wasn't like, just stop right there. They kept going. And it got pretty tall. I didn't expect any of the teams to be that tall.- [Adult] Okay, so there were some explorers out there.- Yes.- [Roel] The debrief is this really critical and often missed part of Crew and the initiative, because that's where the real learning is. It's really stepping back and being able to say, this event happened, what do we make of this? It's just a great model for how we can live reflective lives and also take advantage, full advantage of every single experience that happens to us to say, oh, I can learn something from this. And I can grow from this.(Chill music)- Molly Brady had a student and his name's Mikael who now attends DePaul college prep. And I had a chance to be able to, to have a conversation with him and reflections about Crew and what it meant to him.- [Mikael] Before I dive into that, I just wanna say that my Gmail signature, I have,"We are Crew, not Passengers."(both laughing)- [Roel] Oh, I love that. I love that. Did you feel seen as your full self here, Mikael, in Crew by your Crew?- [Mikael] To that yes and no. I was seen and I was recognized and I was, you know what I'm saying? Not overlooked. I can say that, but I cannot say that I was fully seen because I still haven't fully found who I am as a person. And I still don't know who I am fully as a person, I'm in a midst to find that so...- [Roel] Yeah. How would you say that you grew in, in sort of discovering who you are?'Cause I know you're still continuing to grow and develop and become.- [Mikael] I don't know if you remember, but we used to have like reflection sheets and stuff like that.- [Roel] I do remember, I do remember.- [Mikael] And with those reflection sheets, I'm saying write down. Um okay, I do just was being disrespectful to Ms. Brady, but then why? So now with that "Why" question on the paper I'm asking myself, "Why did I just do that? What made me just do that?" You know what I mean? And y'all gave me so many chances and chances and a chance and a chance and a chance and it end up work. Y'all allowed me to grow'cause y'all seen something in me that I didn't see yet. I was only, I was only a kid and still is a kid. You know, I been to schools where like they was passengers, and like Ms. Navarre, she never gave up on me. My teachers, Ms. Brady. And many times I drove her crazy. She never gave-- [Roel] Uh-huh.- [Mikael] (laughing) She never gave up on me. And it is like, it started, it began to register to me. Like these people actually like care. They showed that they care; they being Crew; they are my Crew.(Relaxed hip hop music) They allowed me to make mistakes. And they allowed me to learn from those mistakes that I had made. It wasn't just, it wasn't just one person. You know, when you have a group of people, when you have that Crew of people, that's telling you something, it becomes a difference so...- [Roel] I love that you brought up reflection up like, oh, that reflection question, "Why?" that it did hit at some point where you're like,"Oh, I can actually step back and think about, oh, a little bit about me."- [Mikael] Yeah.- [Roel] Can you tell me about a time in those years where you really felt that they, Crew-ness from your peers and from your classmates?- [Mikael] Oh, yeah. Everyone had an assignment that needed to be done and stuff like that. And it was just amazing to see how like everyone was like helping everyone, Alexis was going over to help me, the DeTrayvon and Larrell, all at one time to make sure we get all our work turned in and it was just a good, it was just a good vibe in room. You could just show that like everyone was care. You know, people, I haven't talked to like, I didn't talk to every day, like Cyrus, I didn't talk to Cyrus everyday.- Yeah.- But I remember him coming up to me. He was like, "Michale, you got your work done, bro?" And I was like, "Nah, can you help me with this?" During that time with my Crew, they always knew that I was always out the classroom. I was always out the classroom because I was in some disciplinary, disciplinary act or something like that. I was acting out. And with that, they knew, them being my homies, they knew that, "All right, you gotta chill out." They like, sometimes they'll tell me, like, "You need to relax." Like, "All right, relax." Like "You shouldn't have said that." Like again, I'ma go back to Alexis. She was trying to keep me in class. Cause I had her all four years and we always had class together. She was always in my Crew. And she knew me. She was like, she always tried to help me stay in class. She always tried to help me do my work. When she can tell that like I was upset, I was mad or angry like something was bothering me. She'll like, "Just go to the bathroom, go get a drink of water." You know? And if I needed help with something, she was always lending me a helping hand. You got someone when you need 'em or you got, you always, that's always gonna be a support even when you don't need 'em. That's what, what it was about.- [Roel] Do you have a favorite memory of Crew, Mikael?- [Mikael] Oh, yeah. We used to get them big old bags of snacks, like with the goldfish and the trail mix and stuff like that. I forgot what that day was called, but-- [Roel] It was homecoming.- [Mikael] Oh, that's homecoming.- [Roel] Yeah, that was like, are you talking about polar bear kibble?- [Mikael] Yeah, the polar bear kibble.(both laughing)- [Roel] So of all the things about Crew, what, why, like why did that come out for you?- [Mikael] It was just a great day where everyone could just be relaxed and just enjoy the time, enjoy the day, enjoy the moment and stuff like that. And then I also remember Miss Navarre. Yeah, she used to wear this blue tutu and just get festive and everyone would just get festive and just have fun and just enjoy the day. And on my eighth grade year, we had made these shirts and I had my picture on myself, on my shirt and like people just helping me make it. And while other people was passing out the kibble, it was like a little Santa's workshop, you know?(both laughing)- Everyone had that part in doing their own little thing. We was making posters. It was just like everyone was contributing, in which, what makes a good Crew.- [Adults] (cheering)- Happy homecoming!- Happy homecoming!(students cheering)- [Roel] So we've got recordings from Michelle Navarre who's the head of school of Polaris. We are able to get a window of what actually took place over there.- [Student] What's that?- [Michelle N] It's a recording device.- [Students] Hello, Happy homecoming.- Happy homecoming.- Homecoming people that is not, that I probably hadn't met before, but hello.- [Roel] It's interesting because when you think homecoming, you're thinking of football games, you're thinking of college and we didn't have either of those things happening at Polaris, but the whole idea of homecoming, was just really celebrating Crew.- All right, tell me why homecoming is such an important event at Polaris.- [Teenager] It's basically showing that you care about your school, what they culture is.- [Teenager] And we are Crew.- [Roel] A place where we could say, what are all these rituals and traditions that we embed day to day in morning meeting? How can it come together in this event that we have once a year?- [Adult] Hi, Polar Bear.- [Students] Hi, Polar Bear.- [Adult] And the polar bear has brought a very special treat. What is it called?- [Older child] Polar bear kibble.- [Everyone] Wow!- [Older Child] It comes from polar bear.- [Adult] And is made specially for homecoming. Once every year.- [Roel] Homecoming took place in a different way this year, but they were able to hold to the same rituals and traditions. So a lot with that kibble, you can't get rid of that kibble.- [Adult] Whoa, check that out, guys.- [Older child] And it's the polar bear secret ingredient.- [Adults] The Polar bear is a secret ingredient.- Ooh, that looks yum.- [Roel] We are also able to have the polar bear there as well.- [Rosa] Which is like a mascot?- [Roel] Oh, the polar bear is the mascot of Polaris. And so everyone wanting to know like, who is the polar bear? Is the polar bear gonna come?- [Rosa] The Polar bear was you?- [Roel] Well, the Polar bear was not me this year. So in previous, in previous parts of my life, I was the Polar bear, but we keep that from the students.- [Rosa] I'll never tell. But that's very crew, not passengers of you to be willing to be in a polar bear costume all day. Sounds like a lot.- [Roel] Oh, oh yeah. But it was totally worth it.(soothing music)- [Rosa] You are helping these districts and these schools all over like implement Crew for the first time. And it seems to be something that's growing.(Wondrous Music) I wonder like what do you think is the potential impact of that?- [Roel] Some real huge impact from this, is really tending to this need that all of us have, particularly at this time where we wanting to feel connected to each other, where we wanna feel this sense of community and working toward something together. So if every person felt that they belonged and every person felt that they could do something and can contribute something in their own way, whatever which way that's going to be, there's some remarkable things that could happen, across communities, across the country, across the world. And I think that that's so needed right now.(Positive music) This is Roel Mason-Vivit with EL Education. Thank you so much for listening and for tuning in to"Crew, not Passengers."- Original music, audio engineering and mixing on Crew, not passengers is by Sean Brennan. This episode was produced and edited by myself, Rosa Gaia. Content advising for this project came from Elizabeth Marsh, Tiffany Fick, Sarah Norris, Natalie Cooper and Katie Schneider-Gumiran at EL Education. This episode featured interviews with John Hise and his eighth grade students Canyon and Dallen from Escalante Middle School in Durango, Colorado. We also heard recordings of Escalante Crew and two Crew meetings of Polaris Charter Academy in Chicago, Illinois. A seventh grade Crew led by Molly Brady and Jamila James. And a second grade crew led by Trinity Allen and Laura Hert. Polaris homecoming recordings were created by John Liden and Michelle Navarre. We spoke to Polaris alumni Mikael a senior student at DePaul college prep in Chicago, Illinois. The Crew heartbeat song featured instrumental performances by Adeline, Gianna, Destiny, Tome, Malia and Lizzie at the Expeditionary Learning Middle School ELMS in Syracuse, New York. ELMS musicians were directed and recorded by their teacher, Megan Hirsch. Audio clips featured in the heartbeat song and throughout the episode include Conway Elementary School in Escondido, California, Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School in Queens, New York, Fox Creek Elementary School in Littleton, Colorado. Meadow Glen middle school in Lexington, Kentucky. River Bluff high school in Lexington, Kentucky. Capital City Charter School in Washington, DC. Casco Bay high school in Portland, Maine. Launch Expeditionary Learning School in Brooklyn, New York. Hollis Innovation Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. Springfield Renaissance in Springfield, Massachusetts. Amana academy in Alpharetta, Georgia and Polaris Charter Academy in Chicago, Illinois. if you enjoyed this podcast or learn something from it, please rate it, like it, share it and subscribe to our EL education channels. You can also grab a copy of the El education book,

"We are Crew:

A teamwork approach to school culture." To learn more about our organization and to find additional Crew resources, please visit ElEducation.org and to hear additional episodes of the podcast and learn more about implementing Crew, check out EL education's Crew navigator. This interactive course will give you tools and strategies to understand, prepare for, practice and improve Crew at your school.