Closed Captions
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[Music]
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I want to welcome our audience to this
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learn podcast it is in these podcasts
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that learn wants you to meet experts
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that can help you in your work as school
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leaders or perhaps Partners in the
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education landscape the topic for this
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podcast is health and safety with a
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special Focus On Wellness for students
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and adults and our guest is Magna
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Hernandez superintendent of schools for
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Irving ISD in Irving Texas on the learn
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website you will find on the research
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page under the Coe of health and the Coe
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of Safety Research in this are being
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discussed along with potential resources
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to access Magna I want to welcome you to
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the learn podcast it's really good to
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have you here as a friend um but more
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importantly to speak about this
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important topic and before we begin I
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have to congratulate you and acknowledge
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the great honor that you have of having
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this building named after you and and
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it's called you told me Mahi which is
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really special and you're going to
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explain why here in a second um the
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Magda a Hernandez Institute of wellness
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and professional learning Magna would
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you tell us a little bit about the
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significance of this
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name oh Dave thank you for having me I'm
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super excited to see you you know we've
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been uh longtime friends and worked you
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know as superintendent leaning together
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so uh just a pleasure and excited to be
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here just to speak about the importance
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you know of wellness and investing in it
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for um for our staff and our students
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but yes um I actually did share recently
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about the naming of this building which
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um but you and I both know that we don't
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go into these roles you know for um to
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have a building named after us right but
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the board saw the vision behind it so um
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the name was inspired obviously with my
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name and it just so happened that the
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initials um you know were able to spell
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out Mahi you know and as I started doing
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the the research behind it um uh Mah
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deres from Hawaii right and it's Earth
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so uh this building will be um right in
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the center of an outdoor learning you
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know Center actually right in the hub of
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that so it's like okay it it goes well
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with it and then also then I'm like well
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there's a fish named Mahi let me see
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what that means and you and I both know
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you know leading through covid how we
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were going through the currents you know
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and the mahi fish is known as that you
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know a fish that's able to fish through
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the currents but able to LEAP you know
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um right over over the currents and and
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continue to swim you know so I'm like
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okay it all came together and um as the
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staff you know and and our community um
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hears the name and and just the concept
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of it and they hear uh the Mahi we're
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going to the Mahi building it actually
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starting to resonate with them and they
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are saying you know we feel like going
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to a spa you know or or something like
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that because you know Hawaii uh I see it
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it's a place of Zen you know
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relaxation and um that's really you know
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uh the vision behind this building you
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know we wanted to just have um a very
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comprehension action plan uh for our
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employees and fostering that lifelong
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learning and wellness within our
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community we know um we saw it through
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Co you know I think all of that was
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already there but Co just Amplified it
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right so just very excited that um this
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Vision that I think we've had for for
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many years is now becoming a reality
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that we get to do that for for our staff
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and then turn for our students you know
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that's wonderful and it's a it's just
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such a beautiful name and and what a
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great honor um for you and and I know
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it's a unique concept you know
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professional learning is not unique
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obviously to districts but what you've
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done is is pretty unique in terms of how
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it worked and so if you would just
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you've done you had to have done a lot
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of research around this right if you
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wouldn't mind sharing just a little bit
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of what that research taught you as you
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thought about designing a wellness
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center and specifically designing it for
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Irving ISD could you just speak to that
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about the various things that you had to
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think about in this design process I
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think it wasn't that difficult Dave
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because um most of my Administration
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experience was in Human Resources so I
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remember um I was always very passionate
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about the whole well-being of our
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Educators and um even before way before
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covid we had already implemented uh I
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had hired a coordinator to oversee the
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wellness keys I was um you know I said
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we need to support our our teachers not
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just um emotionally mentally physically
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but Financial you know also financially
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as as you know especially right now uh
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the um
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the inflation is uh is awful you know
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for our teachers so we have always been
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very interested in supporting um the
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whole you know of our teacher it's like
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if we take care of our teachers they
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take care of our students so um we were
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already working on that emotional health
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and financial nutritional and physical
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aspect of all our employees so then um
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when uh we were right in the middle of
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Co I started reading and doing the
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research on um just mental health
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because we we kept hearing it so um I
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read a lot on I don't know if you're
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familiar with Dr uh Daniel aan who does
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a lot of research on brain and uh end of
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uh mental health so um I even had a
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group of our um group of people that
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will be housed at the Mahi building uh
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do a book study you know on that so way
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before even this building came to you
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know fruition um we were doing the the
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work and it was easy because then I was
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also invited to be part of the advisory
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of the YMCA advisory um mental health
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Advisory Board which is um uh I I have
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the pleasure of being surrounded with uh
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experts in the in the mental health the
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chief of Psychiatry uh from uh Parkland
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uh is part of Ed and so many other
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psychiatrists that just in conversations
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in learning from them um they share you
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know that most of their time is spent
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with the adults so it's like oh my
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goodness so we're headed in the right
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you know Direction so um so all of that
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you know inspired this um this concept
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of our building because we had that
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amazing opportunity you know uh two and
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a half years ago uh my CFO said hey we
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have $1 million in tip funds okay we can
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only use that in infrastructure and I
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believe you and I had that conversation
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how where did this money come from um
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and we could only use it and it just so
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happened there was in the north right in
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the middle of uh our Outdoor Learning
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Center so um and thinking I'm like well
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what can we do I want it to make a good
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use ofit I'm like well let's invest for
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our you know in our teachers in our
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community in um our adult education
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because we already have an adult
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education uh here in arving so um so all
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of them would be housed over there so
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it's like it makes sense so um once we
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you know started talking more about it
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I'm like okay it's doable it can uh be
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the board uh was all for it and we put
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it out you know for for bid and um and
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there there's that's how it began all
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right it's it's just exciting I can see
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it on your face you're very excited and
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and the opening of this facility is to
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be soon right
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yes yeah when when do you anticipate it
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will open it will be open for this
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coming uh school year so um our kex um
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relief that it will be completely done
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by uh the end of July so super excited
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so you'll Beed to the ribbon cutting for
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yeah I want to be there I really want to
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see it I've seen little snapshots
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because I know your architect well but
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I've seen little snapshots and I really
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want to want to see this building now as
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you thought about the building and you
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working you're working with with your
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Architects as you go about this process
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what was what were some of the elements
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in from a design perspective that were
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important to you that you wanted to see
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incorporated into this building you what
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I love about our
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Architects um W and I'll mention them
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because they have been not just the
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Architects but they have truly truly
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been a partner
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um they listen you know to just as I was
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having convers ation with them about the
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vision and what I wanted to see you know
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you could just see the writing down
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every everything I wanted um you know
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and actually they were a great thought
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partner in you know in developing it's
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that they because as you know Architects
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they come and they see the the land uh
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the space and um we were playing you
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know with different areas right around
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uh the location where we wanted it and
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then they started seeing
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hey you know what if it's placed here so
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they also helped us you know with that
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whole visioning and um so then after
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that it just grew I said great because
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then they'll be able to connect with the
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N nature because of the Outdoor Learning
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Center with this building being over
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there that we would provide
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opportunities for our students to even
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go and participate so what was very
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important for us you know they worked
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with us that every every space in the
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building is very intentional so it
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doesn't matter where um we will be in in
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in that Center they're going they're
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going to have opport opportunity for
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exploration like they will be able to
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see because it's in the out it's in the
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in nature so they'll see um Birds
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they'll you know they'll see different
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types of animals that will show up you
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know in the window lots of um lots of
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windows so them just to see the you know
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the natural light um this the the the
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rooftop so they're able to see you know
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just everything the golf course you know
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is there um so um I think when whenever
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we work with uh
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Architects it's important that we do uh
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see them as a partner you know and they
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are always just you know taking notes
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and you know when they went uh through
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the charettes you know with uh with
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everyone listening to everyone's um um
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you know conversation and okay this is
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what we this is what we like this is
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what we don't want so um it was very
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important for us to uh hire the right uh
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architect for it because
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um not only not only that but they were
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so excited because this is one of a kind
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building so they saw it as an
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opportunity like wow we've never had a
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building um such as this one so um they
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had groups of groups of their employees
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working on this because they were so so
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excited about what it can be and what it
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will be and now that they're you know on
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the finishing touches you can see Dave
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uh just deci to walkthroughs of the
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building they're so committed and even
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excit as excited as we are so uh for us
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it's important to partner with great
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architect firms that are willing to
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listen and um to the vision and make it
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even better than what we want yeah so I
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think that's what excites me about learn
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and our organization you know it was
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inspired by architect actually and it
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was all about how do we get Research
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into the hands of superintendents and
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then create the right kind of
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relationships and collaboration that
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lead superintendent to do amazing things
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like you're doing and of course one of
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those architect firms is W another is
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pbk another is white out of uh out of
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Illinois you know these architect firms
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are really partners and and when they
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partner well they hear you and they push
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you a little they give you insights you
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wouldn't have thought about it's very
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exciting and and and uh like I said I
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can't wait to see your
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facility and I know how important they
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were in helping you get to that design
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space now what was your communication
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like you know building a wellness center
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and you've acknowledged there were some
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dollars that were almost external
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somewhat to the district that you were
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allowed to spend on this you still had
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to get the community to see the value of
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this what did the communication that
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like look like both internal and
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external for
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you well I have to um be very honest um
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it was challenging
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because especially right now you know
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what we're dealing with in education so
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they're like oh okay but um they're
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spending this much money why don't we
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just get it for a wraith right right
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when when it's it's different dollars
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you know we cannot use it for that so we
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had to explain it and we had to talk so
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um you know I made sure that I
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communicated during convocation where
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everyone was there um you know and um
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and really educate them you know it took
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educating as to why we cannot use this
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money you know for salaries we can only
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use it for infrastructure and um pushing
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out like um we continuously push out the
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the wellness piece so um everything that
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we are offering them right now it's like
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okay this matters and I think with that
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started really getting uh people excited
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about it you know we still have some
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that we still hear you know the the talk
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uh the just but it's okay because then
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we have other other teachers from other
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um like the high school especially who
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have now created uh their own Wellness
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um you know U hubs you know in in their
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buildings and uh just recently one came
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to um a board meeting um she was being
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recognized and she mentioned you know
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that she runs the Hub and she goes and I
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cannot wait until the profession you
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know the Magda Hernandez um Wellness
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building opens up so I think the
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excitement now that they're seeing it
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come to life um they're get a little bit
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more excited about it because we
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continue to invest we're not waiting on
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this building to open up to do it we
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already doing a lot of this um wellness
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and uh support for them uh whether it's
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through counseling professional
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counseling or um activities free
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memberships you know to yoga so um and
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now once this building opens we the plan
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is to have um social hours for all our
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campuses to come and get to see and
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experience what what we're going to be
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offering for them and I think once they
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they step foot in that
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building my hope is that they will see
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this is why she believed in this this is
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why she's doing it and really um because
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sometimes you know they don't see it
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until they you know they don't see the
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vision until they're in it and they get
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to experience and that's my hope day
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it's like I hope that um once they get
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to experience it they will see okay now
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we get her vision now we know why she
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wanted this um I know uh from the
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student perspective um they were you
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know very excited when they were part of
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the sheds and asked are we going to be
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able to be you know to take uh part on
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this absolutely so being creative in
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ways to um ensure that they can also uh
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partake you know in the activities and
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the opportunities that we have uh for
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them um so again uh communication will
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be huge moving forward uh once it opens
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but the plan is to um have ongoing um
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social hours and not only for that but
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also for building relationships across
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uh across the district that's always
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been their goal of M too that you know
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we tend to work in our little campuses
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and we don't know uh people and you know
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we I'm a relationship Builder I love uh
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building relationships with people so we
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hope that this building will also do
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that and bring the community together
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you know it's F iina say through your
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communication you've obviously you know
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exuded your passion for this work and
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and for the people and now what you're
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telling me is people are now owning that
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themselves and building their own kind
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of Wellness opportunities and and and
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you Magda don't have to own all that no
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now now your your people can own it and
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that's probably the most powerful uh
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gift you can have as a superintendent is
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to know people own something that is
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uniquely theirs but attached to your
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vision so congratulations on that now
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how do you think this work is going to
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really impact your schools or your
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organization your community how do you
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think that's going to
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happen again going along with my mission
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I I think it's um I can only hope you
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know I can only hope that it truly
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changes our community the way they see
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um just their overall uh Wellness um
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another you know exciting thing that um
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I can probably share at the in the now
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at this time is uh the blue SS have you
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heard of the blue SS no I have not
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that's another part of research if you
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have not watched the documentary on uh
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blue s on Netflix I was very intrigued
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with that and so excited again for this
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building because uh what the blue stones
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uh they do is uh they help communities
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right with uh permanent or
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semi-permanent life uh long uh changes
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to live better and live longer um so
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what we are doing because I am part of
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this U mental health advisory but also
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the local uh hospitals um one in
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particular is partnering with us and uh
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is um put in a big chunk of money to
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start the assessment to make to start
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our our blue stone Hub there in um for
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for this building so um my hope is
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that it just um has the whole
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Community thinking better thinking how
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can I work h on on my mental health how
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can I work on my physical health
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um uh Financial whatever the case might
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be we're just starting to eat healthier
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spend more time with family because
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that's what the blue stones does you
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know they they talk about how how
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important it is to engage in
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conversations with people and the
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happier you are you live longer um so it
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kind of distresses people so this place
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will be a place for for you our parents
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to come and enjoy it and as they start
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seeing I think that concept of why we
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have to do certain things why we have to
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mo why we have to have activities why we
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have to eat healthier um and um you know
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that we will make a difference and we'll
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start spreading it across not just in
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Irving ISD but all of the city of of
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Irving so um yeah that's that's pretty
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special a word that's coming to mind as
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you're talking is Joy um and
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connectedness right so and joy and
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connectedness are attached um at the hip
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if you will if you're not connected you
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you can't experience full joy and so
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getting people to be in a place of
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Wellness um and uh you know both in
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terms of health mental health and uh I
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would argue even spiritual health puts
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them in a position of joy and that that
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brings a a completeness to life and
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that's what we want for our people right
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that's what you want for your teachers
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but you want for your community as well
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and right I love the connectedness
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you're you're trying to bring to both
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students and staff as well as Community
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you should be really proud of this now
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Magna if other districts wanted to
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explore this and and and have more
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conversation with you around this how
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would they go about contacting you and
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arranging for a deeper
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conversation well I would love for them
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you know you they can either contact me
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directly um at M Hernandez at
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irvingisd.net
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or uh my chief of staff who works very
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closely with me in this too her name is
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uh Dorian Galindo at uh so they can
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reach her at D Galindo at irvingisd net
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and we'll be happy uh to sit down and
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again even do tours uh when our building
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is open uh for sure you've been half um
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meetings there um wonderful wonderful
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well thank you Magna and really thank
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you for being a part of the important
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work of supporting our students in
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schools and thank you for participation
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in this learn podcast thanks for the
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invite
