International Bowl Bound!

It's the big day! Today members of Project P.E.A.C.E. of Mind will embark on a plane to represent Mahwah High School and the State of New Jersey in the 2015 Future Problem Solving International Bowl. The competition will be held at Iowa State University!

We thought we would give you guys a sneak peak of what will be on display in Ames:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3usBoIwnxZkSGU0c2FnR1hSRW8/view?usp=sharing

The link above is a PowerPoint presentation that recaps our project in its entirety. The song that should play during the presentation is called Collide by Built by Titan and Jonathan Thulin.  Let us know what you guys think! 

Project P.E.A.C.E. Mindful Monday #18: Positive Reinforcement

Good morning, Mahwah, and happy Tuesday! Hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. Anyway, we are back with another “Mindful Tuesday” and on this segment, we are going to be talking about being rewarded or rewarding yourself after doing something great (in Mrs. Rosen’s psychology class, we call this positive reinforcement).  Positive reinforcers serve as a stimulus that fosters positive results. For example, if your mother makes your favorite dish when you get an A, you will be more inclined to push for that A because you want to have some more of your favorite dish! Even just a simple “good job,” or a pat on the back can go very far in preserving efficiency and making someone feel better about themselves. Try it, Mahwah!

With that being said, this will be the last Mindful Monday of the school year. It has been a pleasure sharing these mindfulness tips with you all. We cordially hope that you all can take something away from these tips and execute them into your everyday life. On behalf of the entire team, we thank you so much for your support. Have a great rest of the week and best of luck to all of you during final exams and in future endeavors!

Project P.E.A.C.E. Mindful Monday #17: Confidence and Good Posture

Good morning, Mahwah, and happy Monday! On this segment of “Mindful Monday,’ we are going to be talking about the correlation between good posture and confidence. Some people think the people who are confident and energetic are those who are enthusiastic in conversation and those who walk in a room looking self-assured. As it turns out, it works the other way as well: If you try to relax your shoulders, have good posture when sitting, and smile more in conversation, you will find that you feel more confident and more awake. Try it sometime, Mahwah!

Thank you, Mahwah, and have a great week!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/03/good-posture-benefits_n_5914018.html

Project P.E.A.C.E. Mindful Monday #16: Altering Perception of Stress

Good morning, Mahwah, and happy Monday! On this segment of “Mindful Monday,” we are going to be talking about altering your mindset in regards to stress.What is your mood when you are faced with hardship? Some people may look upon their multiple essays and note-taking assignments and decide that being worried and stressed is a permanent fixture in their life. Sadly, this mindset will keep your emotions bottled up, which is never a good thing. Instead of seeing hardship as a permanent struggle, try to perceive hardship as temporary. It’s important to remember that nothing lasts forever and that in a short amount of time, some of these hardships will fade away. For example, AP tests start today. A very stressful time indeed, but will the stress still be present once it’s all over? Absolutely not.

By thinking this way, any negative emotions you feel will disappear over time.Just follow the words of writer and poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox: “Whatever comes, this too shall pass away.”

Thank you, Mahwah and good luck to those who are taking AP Exams. Remember to relax and breathe: you've made it this far in the year, and are well prepared to excel!

Project P.E.A.C.E. Mindful Monday #15: Weighing in on Your Decisions

Good morning, Mahwah, and happy Monday! On this segment of “Mindful Monday,” we are going to be talking about the thought process of making a huge decision. Often times, with big decisions comes a huge load of stress. A number of seniors who have not made a decision on his or her college destination know exactly what I’m talking about. But by following these tips, one can make this once stressful decision a cool and collective one.

The first tip is to weigh both sides of the spectrum. Look at the pros and cons of both and using that, decide which one best suits you. Which decision will bring out the best in you? Once you find that out, make your decision and don’t look back.

Thank you, Mahwah, and have a great rest of the week. As for the seniors, congrats!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/03/28/6-tips-for-making-better-decisions/

Project P.E.A.C.E. Mindful Monday #14: Procrastination

Good morning, Mahwah, and happy Monday! Okay, so we were going to have another Mindful Monday for you, but we procrastinated. Instead of buckling down and getting it done, we put it off and focused more on the planning and minute details rather than putting our work on the paper in front of us. That is the wrong way to do things, ladies and gentleman. Don’t be us. We did it all wrong. In order to enhance productivity and beat procrastination, it’s important to make a working schedule.Prioritize what needs to be done. and get to it.

Thank you, Mahwah and good luck to everyone taking the second round of PARCC!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexmcclafferty/2014/10/24/beat-procrastination/

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm

http://www.inc.com/welcome.html?destination=http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/5-scientifically-proven-ways-to-beat-procrastination.html

Project P.E.A.C.E. Mindful Monday #13: Needless Worrying

Good morning, Mahwah, and happy Monday! Hope everyone had a wonderful spring break! Anyways we are back with another Mindful Monday and on this segment, we are talking about needless worrying.. A wise man by the name of Leo Buscalga once said, “Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, its only saps today of its joy.” Worrying is a double edged sword, in that on one hand worrying now will allow one to take action in the future and on the other hand, worrying about something that is out of your control only causes stress. To help avoid needless worrying you can step back and look at the situation, does you worrying serve a purpose, and if it does not, move on.

Thank you, Mahwah, and enjoy the rest of the week!

LINKS:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/5-ways-to-instantly-rid-yourself-of-needless-worry.html

http://www.healingwell.com/library/anxiety/article.asp?author=mccoy&id=1