With a grand total of 153 points, Beyond The Box Education captured the win of the first
Big Picture Living Challenge. Over six weeks, students in the Big Picture school located in Barbados, shared their exercise routines, meals, relaxation ideas, and overall ways to live a healthy life. We recently connected with Beyond the Box to learn more about their school and tips to incorporate the 6 measures in daily life.
Q: Can you share a bit about your school?
Beyond The Box Education (BTBE) is a small school located on a biodynamic farm on the island of Barbados. We opened our doors as a Big Picture Learning (BPL) school three years ago (with only 8 kids, we now have well over 50) and our foundation is made up of th
e BPL beliefs; that every student is an individual and should be treated as such, that our students' voices matter, that they should not only learn about the world around them, but be a part of it and that community within and outside of our walls is to be nurtured. The school strives to create a balanced and nurturing environment for the staff, students and their families, both mentally and physically and we can report that so far it is being achieved. You can feel the good vibes when you walk through the door!
Q: How did you get involved in the Big Picture Living Challenge?
Our principal, Gaby, had a call with Elliot Washor where he talked about the Big Picture Living group and the upcoming challenge, thought it was awesome and then totally forgot about it, until Week 1 when Sonn Sam posted on Instagram. She then made a point to get the seniors excited about it, turned over the reins to a group of our senior girls and the rest was history! Our kids love a good challenge and social media!
Q: Can you share a fun moment during the challenge?
I think the physical week was so fun for all of us! Watching teachers get their grooves on while exercising, the seniors going on great hikes on our east coast together (even though physical school was closed), just in general seeing everyone moving in different ways (upside down and all) was fun!
Q: What was a take-away from the challenge?
That it's easier to stay healthy if you have support and encouragement (or in our cases our senior girls threatening us). It's fun to challenge yourself to be better and live better when you have a support system!
Q: Can you share any tips or tricks for folks looking to live a healthier life?
Have a crew, get your friends and family involved in what you're doing. Share information with the people around you about why healthy lifestyle choices are important and encourage them to join in on making them with you. Also, try to listen to your body and notice the signs of what it may need, it talks, sometimes it may need you to get outside and move, but o
ther times you may need to take it easy and just nap!
6) What are you going to do with the prize?
We have sent our prize money to our friends at Big Picture Kenya. We know that no matter how bad COVID-19 has been in Barbados, it has bee n even worse over there. Our seniors know it's not a lot but BPL Kenya will be using the money to help foster four students, we only wish we could do more! Winning was all the reward we needed ;)
