This year was the first opportunity I had to implement the Pyramid of Success with my middle school students. Tim and Peanut Harper were with me every step of the way in the implementation process and made the process easy. They were gracious enough to provide THREE guest speakers for each of my block classes. The guest ranged from world-class coaches, to Olympians, to commentators, and much more. The students loved this unique experience to meet such highly respected individuals, and learn more about how to implement those same values in their own lives. I am so happy to have met Tim and Peanut Harper, and I look forward to many more years working with them and continuing to making a difference in the lives of youth.
Tim and Peanut are big favorites of our class and I! They not only teach the Coach Wooden Pyramid of Success but Tim is happy to help with art for the kids! The kids consider them friends and so do I! We always look forward to their visits. We appreciate them so much! Kris Woody, Kindergarten Teacher
Two Bunch Palms Elementary has been working with Harper for Kids for 3 years and the Pyramid of Success has played an intregal part of our Social Emotional Learning lessons. Tim and Peanut are amazing at providing support and resources for our school. They have been a beacon of light during the pandemic for our second - fifth grade students by providing monthly virtual assemblies with Olympic athletes, a DJ, a sports broadcaster, and a movie producer. This allowed our students to see how adults apply the Pyramid of Success to their everyday lives. This reinforced the lessons that our school counselor was doing weekly with students utilizing the Pyramid of Success and the book "Inch and Miles, A Journey to Success." The lessons would not have been possible without the resources supplied by Harper for Kids. Tim and Peanut are a joy to work with. They are positive, encouraging, and work hard to help children understand Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success and how students can achieve their personal best.
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Two Bunch Palms has been very fortunate to work with Harper for Kids and Tim and Peanut Harper. Tim and Peanut are so easy and fun to work with. They go above and beyond to make sure that our school has the resources and materials necessary to teach our students Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success. As we begin our second year, our students and staff are excited about working harder to achieve each of the character traits and participate in Zoom presentations.
Tim and Peanut have been awesome partners to work with for my class. They are professional, inspiring, and passionate in what they do. They have helped my students (who are from a title 1 school) meet professionals from all walks of life and have inspired many of my students to pursue careeers they didn't even know about before. My class is always excited when Tim and Peanut come to visit, whether it was over zoom or in person before. Thanks for all that you do, and I look forward to many more years of partnership with you two.
Mr Cheung from JYC
This was definitely a difficult year for students and staff. I appreciate Tim and Peanuts enthusiasm with our kindergarteners this year. Their lessons were age appropriate, friendly, engaging and filled with enthusiasm. Thank you so much for those fun days of art and learning about how to be a great citizen with the use of the pyramid of success.
From the very begining, Peanut and Tim have been involved personally with our Bubbling Wells Bobcats, teaching our children and staff about character education. Their presentations are engaging and meaningful, and they genuinely care about students and teachers. During the most difficult year in education for most educators and students, they joined my Zoom class themselves with the energy and enthusiasm of every one of the character traits on the pyramid they promote. Many thanks to the amazing art projects, your message, enthusiasm, and for all you do for our kiddos!
Sunset Elementary School has been blessed to work with Harper for Kids both in person and virtually. Tim and Peanut are amazing people with such wonderful, positive energy! Our students have benefitted greatly from learning about the character traits on the Pyramid of Success. Thank you, Harper for Kids!
Peanut and Tim were such wonderful guest speakers in my classroom! Peanut and Tim virtually visited our 2nd grade class at Scholarship Prep Oceanside. Even though we have not been able to take real field trips this year due to COVID, Peanut and Tim were able to bring a special treat to our students and make our day feel special. Thank you so much for all you do for our scholars, Peanut and Tim!
Sincerely,
2nd Grade "Clemson Tigers" at Scholarship Prep Oceanside
I have worked with Harper for Kids for three years now. They are such a caring, professional organization. They are always thinking of how they can give back to students and families. I appreciate how they find great guests to come on and speak with my students. I am very grateful and appreciative of their work. The students continually get encouraging, thoughtful messages with each meeting.
Here are some student thoughts from some previous meetings-
-'The message I heard was that we should have a positive mindset and if we do have a positive mindset we could achieve our goals, also that little steps can lead to big things.'
-'One message I heard from our meeting is that you are your own greatest competitor. This
means that you have to believe that you can do it and don't let yourself or anything else stop you from what you want to do.'
-'If you want to be successful, you need to be a good sport; helping people will make them want to help you which could possibly lead you to success! Good leadership is when you include people in what you are doing so they can help you and have a successful finish!
Second, working hard. If you work hard enough, your hard work can lead to success; you should always work hard for any other reasons too. Last, trying your best. Trying your best is a part of life, if you want success, you have to try your best; don't give up and keep trying no matter what. In conclusion, that is my definition of success.'
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Scholarship Prep, Oceanside is so lucky to get to partner with Harper for Kids each school year! Despite all of the madness that COVID-19 brought, Harper for Kids stayed consistent in ensuring that our scholars got the chance to meet with some incredible athletes and role models!
This school year, my fourth graders and I got the chance to speak with Axel - a Stanford tennis-player and student-athlete extraordinaire! Axel taught my class about the important of time management and study habits. Another wonderful speaker we got to hear from was JoAnne Russell - an unbelievable former pro tennis player! JoAnne taught my kids about the importance of positive self-talk.
Tim and Peanut are so wonderful and we love every time we get to speak with them! They always bring a lot of fun and energy! Thanks for always doing such a great job with partnering with Scholarship Prep, Oceanside! :)
We have had the pleasure of working with Harper for Kids at Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary for several years now and it just keeps getting better and better each year! As a physical education teacher I love it but it is actually a roadmap to being a better person (your Personal Best) without direct mention of athletics! Harper for Kids have provided world-class athletes, artists, musicians, tv/news personalities, etc. to provide insight on how they became successful in their particular field. They talk to our students about the Pyramid and how it can guide them to their Personal Best. The guests along with Tim and Peanut bring so much energy and enthusiasm to the student presentations, it definitely is contagious! I really enjoy how we use the Principles as a Word of the Month leading up to the top of the Pyramid, which is Personal Best. We want our students to be their Best and this program is truly helping guide them in that direction. It starts from the top with our Principle Fisher discussing the Word of the Month and reading from Inch and Miles, the book written by Peanut Harper. If you are looking for a great Character Education program, look no further, this one is fantastic!
Our school has been working with Tim and Peanut for over two years now. When we first introduced the pyramid with our kick off assembly, the students were so excited. Tim and Peanut have a way of reaching all the students with their powerful message. Each zoom meeting that we did with them and their inspirational guests was encouraging and uplifting for our students. I work at a Title One school and our students really benefit from having a program to follow so that they can achieve their dreams. I think that John Wooden's Pyramid of Success can help all learners learn and achieve their personal best in all areas of their lives. I would hear my students reminding each other about the blocks on the pyramid. It became a way for them to encourage each other to always strive for their best. And, they all loved the book Inch and Miles. They couldn't wait to see what the two characters would learn next. I think that Harper for Kids is truly a wonderful program, and it can benefit all at your school site!
Teri Fish Primary Teacher
Harper for Kids is such an amazing character development program. Tim and Peanut Harper go above and beyond in their work with schools, educators, and students. I have been so fortunate to be on the receiving end of their passion for Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success and genuine love they give to support children. They have allowed my students the opportunity to connect with athletes and professionals of all backgrounds and provide a sense of representation for students to see themselves in. Harper for Kids is unlike any other and is truly one of the greatest non-profit programs our world needs right now.
Harper for Kids is a great resource for our school (Gray Elementary)! Harper for Kids provides experiences that allow our students to meet and talk with inspirational role models. This helps our students realize they can be anything they want to be if they try. Harper for Kids and the Pyramids of Success promotes friendship, kindness, teamwork, and many other positive characteristics. Thank you for working with us to help create something great!
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Harper for Kids is wonderful! This tool helps our students and teachers reinforce positive behaviors and KINDNESS! Recently, our students were able to video conference with Dr. Flagler (an architect/engineer). They were very excited to learn about his building process. It's great that our student's are able to see student's from other states. They are able to see how other students are also following the Pyramid of Success and showing kindness towards other.
Harper for Kids is a great program to improve the overall culture and climate of your school. Using Coach John Wooden's Pyramid of Success, the program builds on positive character traits that can be used at all levels. Tim and Peanut Harper, the program's director and co-founder, walk you through the character education program step-by-step. They provide professional learning along with digital and print resources to make the implementation simple and best of all...free! The students love the virtual visits by famous athletes whose messages center around the character traits taught throughout the year. I appreciate the dedication and devotion of Tim and Peanut and all of the program's contributors who help make Harper for Kids possible.
Leslie Poythress
Principal
Jones County School System, Georgia
Tim and Peanut were excellent liaisons for us! They helped us roll out The Pyramid of Success for our Kinder through 8th grade students. They were personable, flexible, and afforded us unique opportunities to Zoom / video chat with athletes and authors who taught and inspired our students (before Zoom was a platform for our students to learn from!). They were responsive to questions and gathered our input to make their service as worthwhile as possible. We had a great inagural year with Inch and Miles and are excited to infuse the traits for Success in our school culture.
I am proud to work with Harper for Kids and their mission to bring the Pyramid of Success to schools. Their work to provide support with Character Education has been second to none. They work with both students and staff in a positive manner and offer whatever is needed to see students be successful. They have been able to do this in person and virtually, even before schools were closed. They were ahead of the curve which, but the way, has allowed them to continue to provide support during the current closing of schools. Harper for Kids is a program we want in schools support students and teaching Character Education!
Harper For Kids is a fantastic educational program that allows students to see how the Pyramid of Success is used in the lives of professional athletes and people alike. My students always share how they want to use the character traits from the pyramid to make their future of going to college and even their profession a reality after hearing from the speakers. Harper for Kids rocks!
Harper for Kids is an incredible organization that has provided our school with many meaningful and valuable experiences. Each Zoom conference that we have had over the past few years has been relevant for our students and rewarding in the important messages and lessons that are shared. Students love hearing from various figures and are able to make connections and apply the message that is being relayed. We love working with Harper for Kids and look forward to future opportunities!
While searching for a character education program to bring to our schools, I came across Harper for Kids. I was immediately impressed with their program. Not only was their messaging very positive, but through their use of athletic professionals, students were drawn to their message. Not only do these athletes and coaches act as mentors and positive role models for our students, but they also reinforce the message that everyone should strive to reach their OWN personal best. Also emphasizing that one should not measure success by comparing themselves to others. Their program is based on the John Wooden Pyramid of Success, which has helped numerous athletes for many years. Harper for Kids have helped students build upon each block of the pyramid and help students attribute it to their own lives. This creates a foundation for them to find their individual paths to their own success.
Throughout the last four years in which I have gotten to know Tim and Peanut Harper, the founders of the organization, I have been impressed with their genuine concern for helping young people reach their own personal best. They have built an organization which helps to prepare youth for the obstacles which may occur in their lives and give them tools so they can become resilient over outside situations and elements. Something which has become increasingly important in this day and age. They teach values which will be of the utmost importance as students head down the road to adulthood, such as Confidence, Determination, Self-Control. All of which are presented through the message of individuals that young people admire and look up to.
I would highly recommend Harper for Kids to anyone looking to help students build their character in a positive way. It is such an essential part of learning which will help shape our youth and prepare them for what lies ahead. If their were 10 stars, I would give them 10!!!
Over the past five years, Harper for Kids has played an extremely active and supportive role at Silver Spur Elementary. This outstanding organization headed by Tim and Peanut Harper works tirelessly to teach children the 14 blocks of Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success in order to have them achieve their personal best. Harper for Kids is a key component of our schools' Character Education program that supports our Positive Behavior Intervention Program (PBIS). Harper for Kids has inspired our students to always give their best and they have done by bringing speakers to our school, organizing zoom conferences and providing us with key materials to support our work. Tim and Peanut are beyond exceptional with children and their message resonates with students not only in elementary but as they move on in their educational careers and life. Thank you for your dedication, energy, hard work and enthusiasm. You are our cheerleaders and there are no words to express the appreciation we have for your organization. I highly recommend this organization and their mission to be adopted and followed by other schools and organizations. If we all applied the 14 blocks of Coach Wooden Pyramid of success to our own personal lives we would probably not find ourselves in the situation we find in 2020 America today but rather in a society where respect, fairness, courage, grace and hope reigns for all, no matter what your color is.
Our school has worked with Harper for Kids for the last two years, and it has been a wonderful experience. The Pyramid of Success works to promote citizenship while also encouraging students to embrace a growth mindset. Our students have enjoyed speaking with athletes, entrepreneurs, and entertainers about their path to personal success and have been inspired to take action by organizing charitable events such as a clothing drive. Tim and Peanut have been wonderful in supporting our students even during distance learning. Thank you Harper for Kids!
Harper for Kids has been life changing for my students and me. Tim and Peanut are patient, motivating, and have been such a positive influence in our community. Their energy is contagious, and they provide such rich, memorable experiences to my students by coordinating Zoom meetings with outstanding athletes. Love the pyramid of success and Harper for Kids! So appreciative of everything they’ve done for us.
Harper for Kids and The Pyramid of Success give us a framework for talking about how to achieve our best. Our students are able to articulate their goals using the building blocks of the pyramid and have begun to reflect on their efforts through this lens. The partnership with HFK helps our students best with reflecting on their behavior and drive towards success in small and big things. Whether they are trying to complete a task for school or working towards having more confidence in a group, they can use the language from the Pyramid of Success to help guide their thinking. We are so fortunate to bring the lessons to our school community. Justice St. has a Pyramid of Success mindset!
I have worked with Tim and Peanut at Harper for Kids for six years at two different schools in two different states. Their program, The Pyramid of Success, recognizes students who demonstrate positive character traits and are thriving to become their personal best. It is important because it embodies the belief that all students can achieve their own personal best. The 15 blocks in the Pyramid of Success teaches our students essential character traits helping them to become respectful citizens who are able to handle daily responsibilities and rules.
Harper for Kids has been an influential factor in implementing our Character Education program at our elementary school in Mystic, CT. We adopted The Journey to Success about 6 years ago and we pride ourselves in building foundational life long skills in young children that will help them be successful. Harper for Kids connects our young children with grown successful adults on ZOOM presentations to teach them what success is.....it is trying your personal best. It is amazing to witness young children using the vocabulary of Coach John Wooden's book. Peanut and Tim Harper has been very inspirational and motivating to help instill these livelong attributes to our children and staff. Inch and Miles are a huge hit too!!! :)
Thank you to Harper for Kids to reaching out and connecting with schools across the country!! My hope is for more school aged children to have the opportunity to connect with this amazing non-profit organization to hep them be a better individual!
~Jennifer
HFK provided a very positive and focused foundation for our inaugural year in building our character ed program. Their leadership and collaboration with us was pivotal in our success this year. We look forward to continuing our work with HFK.
Tim and Peanut are amazing, and their program has been wonderful for our students and parents. Our AVID Student Leaders share one of the character traits each week to focus on, and teachers follow up in the classrooms with different activities. During school closure I read a character trait and description every day on the online announcements so students would stay connected. Our school has a Mandarin Immersion program and they gave us the John Wooden Pyramid of Success printed in Mandarin for our students! We are so fortunate to have the very personal support of Tim and Peanut, and hope to continue working with them in the future.
Our school staff was looking for an effective character education program to implement. We were fortunate to hear of Harper for Kids from another school in our district. Tim and Peanut Harper were such a valuable resource for the teachers, and helped us to establish a cohesive school-wide character education program that was easy to implement and continues to be enjoyed by the whole school community. We look forward to continuing our work with Harper for Kids!
Having The Harper for Kids Pyramid of Success at our school has been beneficial to our entire school and student body. It's a wonderful approach to tie academic focus and excellence in character building using the blocks of success. We use the blocks of the pyramid to reinforce positive behavior, physical education, and learning focus. The Zoom presentations help teachers deliver content and rich conversations to include character building. We love the Pyramid for Success at Rancho Mirage Elementary!
We love Harper for Kids and their dedication to helping our students find success! They provide amazing support. We are grateful for their time and effort in creating meaningful experiences for our students through Zoom with successful guests who demonstrate the words from the pyramid.
Harper for Kids is wonderful! Our daughter, Emma, was introduced to the program through a tennis clinic and has really taken to it. She had the sportsmanship pledge memorized at age 4, loves reading her Inch & Miles book, and now at age 6, already understands what success looks like. I really believe that learning about the building blocks of the pyramid has been part of what makes her work hard on her spelling list each week, keep focus in karate class, and get through a more difficult than normal swimming class, even when she's a little nervous at the start. This program is a great way to instill wonderful disciplines in children in a very fun and engaging way. Anyone who has the opportunity would be lucky to be involved with such a wonderful organization.
It has been a privilege for Valencia Park Elementary School to be able to use John Wooden's Pyramid of Success to incorporate character traits into positive behavior reinforcement. As a UCLA graduate, I am proud to share Wooden's legacy with my kids in order to help them grow into emotionally-intelligent, well-rounded adults.
Harper for Kids has made a monumental impact on entire school community. Our students look to the Pyramid of Success for active guidance in their decisions and goals.
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Hello,
The staff, students, and parents at Northwood Elementary are so fortunate to be working with Harper for Kids! Tim and Peanut Harper are so passionate about helping children be their personal best and pour their heart and soul into every school they work with. We started this character education program this year, and our students have already embraced Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success and are truly engaged in it and are working hard to build every block towards their journeys to success!
Harper for Kids has been an impactful partner for Northwood Elementary. The students and staff have benefited from the inspiring stories of leaders who have worked at becoming their personal best and live their dream.
Harper for Kids does a great job of teaching kids character traits and laying the foundation with the traits kids need to become kind, hardworking, successful adults.
Many of our teachers have been teaching Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success to students because they believe that character education is the cornerstone of strong moral development. This year we have launched the Pyramid of Success Framework schoolwide at Gordon J. Lau Elementary. We want to thank Tim and Peanut for their continued support. Students see our mural and want to learn more. We look forward to reporting our progress this year.
Coach Wooden Pyramid poems have been written on poster paper with each student's signature. Every morning after the pledge, the whole class recites each poem (two so far!) and we discuss opportunities to demonstrate the qualities throughout our day.
Harper for Kids has been wonderful in helping my school implement Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success. The Harpers have been so generous in their donation of time and resources to make this program successful. Thank you for helping us teach our students how to be their personal best!
Harper for Kids has been a valuable resource for our school! We have been able to introduce John Wooden's Pyramid of Success while incorporating the book Inch and Miles. I have noticed a difference in my students' attitude, drive, and empathy toward their work and classmates. I am so thankful for this organization and excited to use it this year!
Fremont Elementary School is partnering with Harper for Kids for the first time this school year and our experience has been exceptional. They take John Wooden’s Pyramid for Personal Success and organize it in such a way that allows our teachers an easy way to teach specific character traits every month of the school year. They provided us with the lessons, charts, picture book, staff development and lots of communication. The best part, they helped us to re-design our current behavior reinforcement system to integrate the new with what already existed. They will even be providing us a school assembly in mid-September. It is amazing that they are able to support our school for free!
Harper for kids is the best! We have partnered for two years to bring Character Education to my school. John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success is easily taught to elementary aged students in my school because of the wonderful support and resources. They have provided multiple opportunities to my stidents so they could hear directly from professional athletes about the importance of Personal Best! The ability to have a common language around behavioral expectations has been hands down one of the biggest benefits of this program. Also, I cannot say enough positive comments about Tim and Peanut themselves, as they are so supportive and helpful! I am such a strong supporter of the Pyramid of Success and Harper for Kids that I brought it to my school district and made a presentation ablit this wonderful program and how it can help enhance their school(s) as well. Thank you Harper For Kids for all you do for children! You are truly making a lasting impact in the lives of children.
I am a first year principal and I have changed the schools whole Positive Behavior Plan to follow Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success. The kids love getting the Blue Devil Bucks and in return they have to tell me why they received the buck and which part of the Pyramid of Success did they do to earn the Blue Devil Buck. I recently had a pizza party for the kids that have followed the Pyramid of Success. Every one of them told me which part of the Pyramid that they have been working on so far this school year. It has been a huge success. I read Coach Wooden's quotes every day on the announcements to remind the students to give their personal best 100% of the time.
Woodland Elementary School in Costa Mesa, CA has been partnering with Tim and Peanut Harper of Harper for Kids for over 10 years! They have taken Coach John Wooden's book, Inch and Miles, the Journey to Success, and have brought it to life through sports, teamwork, art, laughter, encouragement and of course, friendship!
In first grade, we read aloud to our students all the time! Many teachers have put together Inch and Miles Libraries, based on on the Building Blocks of the Pyramid. For example, "Friendship" might include books such as Amos & Boris, Hooway for Wodney Wat or The Giving Tree, while "Determination" could include books like Wilma Unlimited, Winners Never Loose and Long Shot.
On the online Epic website or app, teachers can also create Libraries or Collections based on the Pyramid of Success. The possibilities are endless!
Harper for Kids has really helped to make these building blocks of character REAL to our students and families. It has become part of who they ARE and will hopefully remain as part of their foundation always!
Carol Gaylord
First Grade Teacher
Harper for Kids has been a tremendously positive influence on our students, staff, and overall school culture. We are especially grateful for the time they have spent with our students, explaining the foundation and importance of the Pyramid of Success and how it can help guide them towards their "personal best". Tim and Peanut have been a joy to work with and we hope to continue our partnership with HFK for years to come!
HFK has been a life saver in my classroom & school wide! It has enabled me to reach deep within each one of my students to bring out their best character from the beginning on the very first day of school! My third graders walk around representing each block of the POS & constantly spreading the positive vibes throughout our community reaching families everywhere they go! It has been a blessing partnering up with Harper For Kids & bringing Coach Wooden’s vision to life year after year! Thank You to both Coach Tim & Peanut for their friendship & guidance for the past 6 years!
My name is Korinne Kornmann and I am a Kindergarten teacher in Irvine. My school adopted Harper for Kid's character education program this past school year and I have loved every minute of it. Their Pyramid of Success, designed specially for kids from John Wooden's famous Pyramid, gives children tangible ways to work towards being their absolute best.
I love this program for all grades, including for Kindergarten ! I love the fact that as they grow, their relationships with the pyramid character traits will evolve based on their maturity and life experiences.
Their program is also easy to embed into your school day curriculum, so that you do not have to make extra time for it. I embedded my students' Pyramid of Success work into our Language Arts curriculum.
I would give my highest recommendation to anyone who works closely with children to adopt this program as part of your school wide character education. I saw a personal change in every single one of my students because of their exposure to the Pyramid of Success and Harper for Kids.
As an elementary school principal, I have proudly used Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success since 2005 at three different schools. Tim and Peanut Harper do a fantastic job of organizing their assemblies and bringing in local college and professional sports players to help bring home the importance of character education. We can never have enough of that! Our students love the Pyramid of Success and my staff loves having a program that supports character education for the entire school.
Working with Harper for Kids was one of the highlights of the year! As an elementary school teacher, I put a great deal of emphasis on building my students up and helping them to be their best self. Coach Wooden's pyramid of success and the character building program through Harper for Kids has been an extremely valuable addition to our school site. We discuss a new character trait each month and award 2 students from each class who modeled that trait with excellence, at a school wide assembly.
I was also honored to participate in a class video conference about the book "Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success by Coach John Wooden with Steve Jamison and Peanut Harper." We learned about the different building blocks and how we can apply them to our life both in and out of school.
We also got to virtually meet one of my childhood role models, the humble yet inspirational Kristi Yamaguchi! My second graders did research before hand and were able to ask her questions during an assembly with multiple grade levels. After, we reflected on her wisdom and advice, and created pic collages of what we were grateful to have learned from that experience.
Working with Tim and Peanut with Harper for Kids has been awesome! They are easy to talk to, positive, uplifting, and have a great enthusiasm to spread these helpful messages to children everywhere. I can't wait for another year of incorporating these character traits into my teaching practice and being a part of my students finding success in who they are and what they bring to this world!
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To teach our students about good character, Silver Spur Elementary, a public elementary school in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, partnered with Harper for Kids in the 2015-2016 school year. Harper for Kids helped and supported us in incorporating legendary Coach John Wooden's Pyramid of Success into our character education program. For the past 3 years, Harper for Kids have provided us with posters, lessons plans, assemblies and handouts that have allowed us to teach monthly character traits from Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success and have led us and are leading us to the highest standards for our school. This year Silver Spur has been awarded National Blue Ribbon 2017. We attribute part of our success to our close partnership with Harper for KIds. This partnership have resulted in a better education and a better school for everyone.
Marta Jevenois-Richardson
Principal
Silver Spur Elementary
Harper For Kids helps to teach children how to be successful in life and emphasizes the message that real success is putting forth your personal best in everything you do. The “Pyramid of Success” is an amazing tool to teach kids the meaning of the various positive character traits by using characters that they can relate to. My name is Cheryl Roberts and I am a kindergarten teacher at Woodland Elementary School in Costa Mesa, CA. Our school began using the “Pyramid of Success” over twelve years ago. Over the years, as the program took root, I have noticed a change in how students approach challenges, both academically, as well as socially. When students experience success in learning a new skill or concept, I often hear, “I never gave up. I showed determination.” When dealing with conflicts in the classroom or playground we talk about how, “to make friends you need to be a friend.” As part of our “Star of the Week” activities, the student who is the “Star of the Week” will sit in front of the class as their classmates come up with words that describe that student and I write the words on a Thinking Map. The first year I started this, as the year progressed and the class learned the meaning of the various character traits, I was amazed at how they began using character traits to describe each “Star of the Week.” They’d say, “He’s a loyal friend. She’s enthusiastic. He is cooperative. She’s hard-working.” When students use these character traits to describe their classmates I’ll ask the “Star of the Week” if they agree and why. It is rewarding to hear kindergarteners back up their responses with examples explaining how or why they are cooperative or determined, etc. It shows they truly understand the meaning of the building blocks. Our school has murals of the characters from the “Pyramid of Success” painted all around the walls of the school. It helps create a positive atmosphere for everyone walking around the school. They’re a constant reminder that we are all striving to become our “Personal Best.”
The Harper for Kids Foundation is an amazing program! Tim and Peanut are wonderful leaders and such a positive influence. The Foundation sends a fantastic message through the Wooden Pyramid, which is something children of all ages can relate to. Harper for Kids truly cares about each student and it shows through their heavy involvement from the start. Whether it's setting up assemblies, introducing the Pyramid, answering questions, surprising the kids with special guests, Tim and Peanut are present. Always guiding the schools through the program that best compliments the community. Harper for Kids is truly special.
- Jennifer Sicklick, Past PTA President
Silver Spur Elementary School, Palos Verdes CA
They do so much to promote happiness and success to the students. First, they help paint the Pyramid of Success on one of the yard walls. Then, they provide a copy of the Pyramid of Success for each student to take home. They also provide a bigger copy so that teachers can hang them in their classrooms. They also give each classroom a copy of the " Pyramid of Success" book. The words in the book are child friendly and the message is clear for students to understand. They really understand consistency in order for students to learn the concept and think about it throughout their day - in or out of school. In addition, they communicate with teachers to set up a time where for Kindergartners get an introduction presentation about the Pyramid of Success. Other grade levels get USF athletes to come to their classes and share parts of the Pyramid of Success and which traits they find most important to them. The students are always happy and love working with the athletes.
Harper for Kids has been instrumental to our school's success. The program has offered us presentations and assemblies that encourages and inspires our students to climb the pyramid of success each and everyday, in and our of the classroom.
Harper for Kids is the best program we have going at Gerald Ford Elementary School! Tim and Peanut come out personally and always bring a tennis pro to talk to our students! The program is a character education program that has brought the amazing Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success to our school! Harper for Kids has provided this free program for our 750 students for over a decade and we could not be happier with the results! Our attendance is up, suspension rates are down, and our test scores are rising! This has a direct correlation with the Harper for Kids foundation! They are amazing!
Harper for Kids has been supporting kids journeys to achieve their personal best at Sunset Elementary for years. Learning about the building blocks on the Pyramid to Success each year deepens student's confidence with their own skills/strengths and helps them take risks to be their very best version of themselves.
Many USF athletes have taken their time to come share their own journeys of success and instill in students the ongoing need to strive for their personal best in all that they do. Tim and Peanut are always so supportive and encouraging, they motivate us all!
As a school we have been working with HfK for over 3 years now. When I first met Tim and Peanut I had no idea what they could bring to our school. Since our first meeting we have worked together to provide field trips and assemblies for our K-5 students around John Wooden's Pyramid for Success. Our students have been provided opportunities to meet student athletes, coaches and engineers that have talked about how they are striving to reach their personal best. Tim and Peanut always bring positive energy when they are on campus. They are super easy to work with and are doing great things for kids. Our students get excited every time they come on campus and I hear all the time how great it was to have Tim do an art lesson with them. HfK helps make a difference for students!
I am the principal at Eagle Canyon Elementary School and we have partnered with Harper for Kids since last year. Our PBIS system is based off of their book, "Inches and Miles." Our students focus on each of the Wooden's building blocks every month. They present at rallies, assemblies and do in class projects based off of the monthly trait. Many of our ideas have stemmed from the Harper for Kids website. We recently received a silver award from the county for our well implemented PBIS system and we thank Harper for Kids for being a part of that. The picture is of our Safe School Ambassadors presenting at one of our rallies.
Having the opportunity to work with Tim and Peanut through their Harper for Kids program has been a great experience. Being in partnership with them throughout my teaching career, I can attest to the fact that their kid-friendly approach to spreading the wisdom of Coach John Wooden's Pyramid of Success has benefited my students greatly. I love how their connection with the USF Athletic Department allows for Tim and Peanut to bring in college athletes that my students can get to meet, and that with the teamwork and positive attitude that they are promoting, that one day my students too may find themselves giving back to the community. I highly recommend Harper for Kids to any teacher that is looking for a resource that promotes wellness, teamwork, and a positive attitude within the classroom setting.
Harper for Kids helped our school get on the right path for instituting a PBIS program. The program had been dormant and no one was left at the school who knew anything about it. Harper for Kids helped us easily develop several key portions of the PBIS program with the Pyramid of Success serving as the foundation of most components including the behavior expectations, referral and recognition areas. The students enjoy the philosophies presented in the John Wooden book and can easily relate to the character blocks based on the way they are presented. Tim and Peanut have made themselves available to answer the simplest of questions that we had and have used their vast network of resources to find us answers to things we thought about doing but had no idea. They are nice people with a great program.
Harper for Kids is one of the best youth character development programs I have ever seen in schools. I brought it to the elementary school where I was principal, and my students, parents, and teachers totally loved the program and embraced the Pyramid of Success. Every character trait builds and strengthens students' social emotional learning leading to happier children with greater success in school.
I have personally known Tim and Peanut Harper, founders of Harper for Kids, for over 30 years. It would be hard to find two people more committed to the cause of helping children build character and enabling them to live successful and productive lives. The kids become engaged through sports and other fun activities and learn that by giving their best, they will always come out on top – win or lose.
I believe so strongly in what they do, that I joined Harper for Kids as a Board Member in 2013. I strongly support their mission.
Bob Bratt
They have been very supportive and proactive in getting their character program into our school this year. We were provided with all the materials to integrate it into our school, as well as provided us with a great assembly to 'kick-off" our program for the year. We already have follow-up assemblies in the books for later this school year. Additionally, the communication has been very transparent and consistent. Great to work with.
As a teacher at Reilly School, I have seen the wonderful benefits of the Harper for Kids program. We recently had 200 parents attend a special presentation at our school, and then enthusiastically use the Pyramid of Success at home. It is the foundation of our school's behavior program, and very successful with all of our students.
Tim and Peanut are always available to motivate our kids, and we love having them at Reilly! Their program are a reason we have had parents choose Reilly school for their kids!
