Principal
Principal Danny Garcia, Kohala Elementary School
TESTIMONIAL
“I’ll preach it until the day I die. If you are going to teach anything to improve school culture and student behavior, teach them the (Get Sensational Attention program) Home Breath.
The Wellness Through Movement program works! This program has improved behavior and learning on our campus.”
Principal Garcia
Get Sensational Attention, a program of the Homebreath
Kohala Elementary School was a Wellness Through Movement pilot school for over ten years. Classes for students, teachers, and community members developed a stronger sense of self that has sustained for years. The results? Higher academic achievement, stronger social and emotional wellbeing, and peaceful school environment.
“We incorporated the mindfulness program ( Get Sensational Attention) into our daily culture here at Kohala Elementary School (KES), calling them “Pono (Home) Breath” and “Pono Space” respectively. Our primary focus here at KES is to develop young children into young adults with a strong sense of self – physically, mentally, and emotionally. Through the training, both in movement and mindfulness, with the WTM program, we have seen individual students achieve success in overcoming anxiety and other behavior issues and improve in listening and communication. In addition, there has been a school-wide decrease in poor behaviors and referrals.
Our teachers use the “PONO Breath” with the students daily, and our school counselor has incorporated the “Sensational Attention” video into her curriculum. As the school leader, I personally believe in the WTM methodology and its importance in primary education. I say, teach the body first then the mind will follow…we are spiritual creatures having a physical experience.”
Mahalo Nui Loa,
Danny P. Garcia
Kohala Elementary School is our Pilot School
Researcher
Catherine Kerr
Brown University
On Wed, Jan 27, 2016 at 10:24 AM
“Please meet with Catherine. You have a lot to discuss about awareness. Catherine studied with Moshe — she is the real deal …. and is a brilliant knowledgeable gem….”
Parents
Jacque Waters Grandmother
Head Trauma
Anuhea fell out of her crib on her head as an infant and was one-years-old when she saw some trouble. When Anuhea started crawling she was not using one side of her body. After three sessions with Catherine, Anuhea’s spinal movement, head lifting and rotating, limb kicking, and crawling, became coordinated. She began to grab her toes, roll back to side-side, and shift her weight on her feet. Then a most exciting change happened when she was able to sit in a healthy posture and her mood improved. She wasn’t fussy, and her confidence and emotional well-being just kept getting better and better. We are so grateful. Mahalo Catherine.
Jacque Waters
Cerebral Palsy
Erica R.
Parent
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Catherine to anyone wanting or needing to improve function on any level. She is especially indispensable to children with challenges because that is where the depth of her heart lies. Her extensive work in helping children through schools is so important and necessary. The children who experience the Feldenkrais Method – and thus themselves – will excel, as I have seen firsthand with my son.
Thank You Catherine,
Erica R.
What Children Say
4th Graders
Kohala Elementary School
I use the Homebreath when I ….
“…get confused in a new direction.”
“… am frustrated.”
“…want to get energy.”
“…do a test.”
“…am doing homework.”
“…before my reading.”
“…am mad and need to calm down.”
“…am nervous.”
3rd Graders
Parker Elementary School
“When I go see my grandma in Massachusetts it’s a 9 hour flight and I did the Homebreath to help me sleep.”
“I remember to do the Homebreath when I have a lot of energy.”
“I use the Homebreath when I get frustrated when my sister or brother are bugging me.”
“I do the Homebreath and Pancake Body when I get frustrated. It makes me feel better and hungry.”
“I use the Home Breath when I really get mad at my mom.”
“When I get frustrated and scared I do the Homebreath.”
“When my brother screams and cries I go in my bed and do the Homebreath.”
Children say About Movement
“I have to move around, if I move around it helps me remember.”
“When I can’t move around, it’s harder to think, cause I need to move to think and that’s why I appreciate the class cause we can move.”
“Sitting makes me bored when I can’t move around, like in math class. If I don’t move around, my brain can’t work correctly. When I sit around, I forget stuff.”
“When I do Panda Bear Roll and circle around, it makes me feel funny and relaxed instead of mad and sad.”
“When I do the Panda Bear Roll, it makes me feel funny and relaxed.”
“I taught my little brother Panda Bear Roll. It helps us exercise indoors on a rainy day and makes me feel kind of good in my heart.”
“I liked the stairway to heaven (rope ladder on ground) because it makes me feel still connected to my grandma that died.”
“I still do the Panda Bear Roll because it makes me feel different, each time my body keeps changing.”
Movement Teacher
Andy Russell, Movement and Fitness Coach
The Distinction of WTM Movement
After documenting the Wellness Through Movement program at the Kohala Elementary School, it is obvious that the program positively affects cognitive performance and physical well-being. What made the results from the Wellness Through Movement program unique was how each student developed personally and in the group; shy students became more expressive, boisterous students became more quietly engaged, and the entire group benefitted from the improved dynamics. This allowed for more spontaneous involvement from all the students rather than the group developing a habitual hierarchy that would have benefitted some and stifled others. For this reason, I think the WTM program is distinct from and more beneficial than most physical education programs used in schools presently and has the potential to be used in an integrated way in any situation rather than only being used as a separate and isolated practice.
Andy Russell