City students construct towers, build team skills

YOUNGSTOWN — City school elementary students Isabelle Hyson, Jose Figueroa, Diasia Mercado, David Conrad, Wanda McKeithen and Hannah Streb folded, crumpled, rolled and taped pieces of paper together, trying to assemble a tower.

“We’re trying to build the tallest tower we can in five to seven minutes,” Jose, 10, a fifth-grader at Paul C. Bunn Elementary School, explained.

Isabelle, 9, a fourth-grader at Williamson Elementary, and Diasia, 10, a fourth-grader at Discovery at Volney, worked on the bottom of the tower, attempting to stabilize it.

“You should make supports for it, like things hanging from the sides,” David, 11, a fifth-grader from Bunn, offered.

The students from the city’s elementary schools gathered today at William Holmes McGuffey Elementary School for team-building exercises with the Quaglia Institute for Student Aspirations. This is the third year the Maine-based organization has been working in the district to try to improve school climates.

Each school has a Q Team comprised of students and those team members attended today’s event.

For the complete story, read Thursday's Vindicator and Vindy.com