Signposts and Junctions

The Bowers Power System

I copied the following from the Internet, it describes how the students at the Bowers Elementary School in Manchester, Connecticut 'created' the lyrics for the new school song. You can read it yourself by following the Link below:

(the linked entry has been removed)

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Bowers Power is our school wide behavior plan. It is based upon PBS (Positive Behavior Support), which is a proactive systems approach for creating and maintaining safe and effective learning environment in schools. Our emphasis is upon teaching and reinforcing positive behaviors at school.

All staff members, including our bus drivers, are encouraged to award Bowers Positive Power Points to recognize students who are displaying respectful, responsible, and safe behavior. Every time students accumulate 25 positive power points (or 12 for half day kindergarten), they receive a recognition certificate, their name is announced over the public address system and our principal or vice principal visits their classroom to have them pick a prize. Additionally, when students accumulate 100 points, their picture is taken for our Behavior Wall of Fame and they visit the principal's office to receive a special prize.

When a student misbehaves, the focus is upon re-teaching and corrective intervention strategies. Misbehaviors are categorized by level of seriousness. Level I offenses (rules violations) are handled by the classroom teacher. Level 2 offenses (disruptive/offensive behaviors) and Level 3 offenses (serious safety concerns) are referred to the administrator for related consequences.

With the guidance of singer/songwriter Les Julian, the students of Bowers Elementary School created the lyrics to our school song, "We've Got the Power at Bowers!" The lyrics of the song were created by students representatives from all grade levels during several song writing sessions throughout the spring of 2006.

Children learn best when they are actively involved and emotionally connected to their learning. Les Julian's song writing sessions were an easy way for students at Bowers to demonstrate our three school wide behavior expectations: Be safe, respectful, and responsible.

Eight months later, on January 4, 2007, our school auditorium became a recording studio! With Les as our musical key, the power at Bowers was unlocked and the students sang out - "We've got the power at Bowers, a power that is big a (sic) strong! Every minute every hour it's the power to all get along!"

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What a piece of self-serving twaddle this is. It is hard to imagine that an elementary school education in America has come to this. Am I the only person in or from Manchester, Connecticut, that finds this article loathsome and offensive?

I’d like to send out a big “Thank You” to ‘singer/songwriter’ Les Julian for being the ‘musical key’ that led to the creation of this claptrap, this anthem of solidarity for the young at the expense of individuality. I imagine that the lyrics to this formidable composition were just flying off the tongues of the ‘student representatives from all grade levels’ during the ‘several song writing sessions’ held in the spring of 2006. Did the bus drivers contribute any lyrics? Oh how I wish we had more sense.

If memory serves, the initial Bower's school song was written by a first grade teacher (the names Sylvia Grady or Sylvia Claflin come to mind). I’d imagine she’s rolling over in her grave right now. Her song went something like this:

Oh Bowers, dear Bowers,
We sing this song to you.
We're all so very happy here in everything we do.
Oh Bowers, dear Bowers,
With colors rose and gray,
We always will remember you forever and a day.

I guess that was too saccharine for first graders to sing, so the Politburo asked the Ministry of Truth to organize this little 2006 'songwriting' fest to make sure there was enough ‘goodspeak’ to go around for everyone.

I remember a Principal by the name of ‘Granny’ Granstrom (or something like that). When you went to her office you discussed your behavior quickly and succinctly, then you got your just rewards with no quarter asked and none given.

Should I report to Big Brother in the Principal’s Office to get a ‘special prize’ for being an obsequious lickspittle? I think not. And you might as well leave my picture off the ‘Behavioral Wall of Shame’ (I mean Fame).

I wonder, does the aforementioned 'Behavioral Wall of Fame' have a corporate sponsor?

“The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.”

William Butler Yeats

Laudizen King
February 2009
Los Angeles