THELMA JONES ELEMENTARY STUDENTS LEARN COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN JOKE-TELLING CLASS
It is not every day that an elementary school class begins with a “ knock-knock ” joke , but once a month , groups of students at Thelma Jones Elementary School gather in the library to learn how to better themselves at telling jokes .
Principal Mico Rhines said she enjoys how the class encourages the shy students to speak up .
“ Just letting them be kids and seeing other parts of their personality is always a win for me ,” Rhines said .
The joke-telling class is part of Shark Week , a special program developed at Thelma Jones and named for the school mascot , where students participate in clubs during the school day . Other activities offered during Shark Week include origami , bucket drumming , American Sign Language , Spanish and Jiu Jitsu .
Librarian Holly Riggs says her joke-telling class may sound like a barrel of laughs , but it is so much more than cracking jokes .
“ They are learning how to communicate with each other . They are building relationships ,” Riggs said .
Student at Thelma Jones Elementary School works with school staff to create a joke .
The joke teller practices public speaking skills — learning the nuances of word emphasis to make the joke funny . Audience members are encouraged to actively engage by listening carefully to the joke setup and then responding , ‘ Who ’ s there ?’ or other appropriate questions . And then , they are prompted to respond with a laugh at the end .
Fox 4 morning anchor Brandon Todd , who is known for telling dad jokes on TV each Friday visited the class in February . Watch the story at : https :// www . fox4news . com / video / 1408677 .
Here are a couple from the joke-telling class curriculum .
QUESTION : What is a snowman ’ s favorite food ? ANSWER : Brrrrr-ito !
QUESTION : Why did the dinosaur cross the road ? ANSWER : Because the chicken was not born yet !
THE BEN BARBER CULINARY PROGRAM : ONE OF THE FIRST IN TEXAS TO RECEIVE NATIONAL ACCREDITATION
Ben Barber Innovation Academy ( BBIA ) recently became the first in Texas to have an accredited baking and pastry program through the American Culinary Federation ( ACF ). BBIA is the second high school in Texas to become an ACF accredited school for its culinary program .
The accreditation assures a program is meeting standards and competencies set for faculty , curriculum , and student services . The programs have established standards , accountability and credibility , a high level of professionalism and current practices .
ACF is the largest professional chefs ’ organization in North America . The organization is made up of more than 14,000 members belonging to more than 170 chapters in four regions across the U . S . ACF offers educational resources , training , apprenticeship , competitions and programmatic accreditation designed to enhance professional growth for all current and future chefs and pastry chefs .
To view all the accredited secondary programs in the country , visit the ACF website https :// bit . ly / 3Itr4Do .
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