Since its release in 2014, our book What Do You Do With an Idea? has inspired thousands of people—kids and adults, students and educators, entrepreneurs, and creative minds all around the world. And we have loved hearing about all of the different ways new ideas have been brought to life because of this book.
This year, the students of Centennial Elementary in Olympia, Washington, created an inspiring song based on our book!
In January, Centennial students read and discussed What Do You Do With an Idea? in connection with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and were encouraged to think of the dreams and ideas they had that would make the world a better place. Each class shared their ideas and talked about ways to make them grow. The biggest idea they came up with was to write a song based on our book and about their individual ideas. After writing the song, they created an amazing music video to go along with it. With the help of music and P.E. teacher Jana Gedde, the students wrote the verses, came up with their own choreography and artwork, and recorded all of the singing. “These kids are so inspirational!” said Jana. “I am constantly moved by their amazing creativity and their passion for changing the world.”
Click below to watch the video and hear the wonderful voices of these incredible students.
We were so inspired by these students that we visited their school to congratulate them in person for their work. We joined them for “Friday Sing,” a biweekly celebration where the entire school gathers together to sing, dance, be silly, and recognize special achievements. Nearly 600 students and staff members welcomed us, each wearing gold crowns to represent all of the creativity and unique ideas that each person brings to the world. The hallways were decorated with beautiful artwork representing each student’s ideas, and many colorful welcome signs made us feel special.
This particular “Friday Sing” was especially exciting, as the school was celebrating the end of their Reading Month. “We just wrapped up our reading month, and we had a goal of reading 200,000 minutes as a school,” said Shannon Ritter, Centennial’s principal. “And we blew past that goal—we read over 300,000 minutes, which is amazing!” It also happened to be Character Day, so many students and teachers were dressed as their favorite book character—and we even saw some Idea eggs come to life.
During the assembly, we were honored to hear a live performance of their original song, and Kobi Yamada, author and Compendium president, had the opportunity to do a Q&A with the students. “Thank you all so much. That was such a beautiful song—you don’t know what it means to me,” said Kobi. “It gives me hope to know there are kids like you in the world working to make it a much, much better place.” To thank them for their song, Kobi presented the school with signed copies of What Do You Do With an Idea? for every student, teacher, and staff member.
We are always thrilled to hear about how our products are inspiring others, and it was such an honor to be a part of this special day. Centennial Elementary’s music video is an amazing example of how a single idea can turn into something much bigger. Thank you, Centennial Elementary, for making the world a better place, one idea at a time!
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