This book changed my personal and professional life. Kevin Carroll's delightful storytelling channels his childhood passion for sport and play into an appealing blueprint for life. Drawing wisdom from the playgrounds of his youth, where he spent hour upon hour sharpening his body and his mind, Kevin shares his Rules of the Red Rubber Ball — how to achieve maximum human potential through the power of passion and creativity. (http://www.kevincarrollkatalyst.com/books/)
His simple rules inspire youth and adults alike to use their "red rubber ball" as a katalyst to :1) Commit to it
2) Seek out encouragers
3) Work out your creative muscle
4) Prepare to shine
5) Speak up
6) Expect the unexpected
7) Maximize the day
Last year COCA curated an exhibit that featured Kevin's work as an author, speaker and global connector. The exhibit displayed the balls that he had collected throughout his journey. When I learned about this event, I had to go meet Kevin.
Little did I know that this meeting would develop into a learning opportunity that I did not expect. I should have expected the unexpected! I shared this book with the gifted team and we now use it as a resource for our affective curriculum. Our students are learning how to utilize Kevin's rules to stretch their creative muscle. I also experienced the value of networking when, to my surprise, Dr. Jon Clark (WGHS Principal) attended Kevin's COCA exhibit with his wife, Vinisha. Little did I know that they would be hosting a reception for Kevin at their home later that evening . Dr. Clark invited me to the reception, which gave me the opportunity to talk with Kevin about his impact on our students. As one thing often leads to another, on November 13, 2013. Kevin Carroll visited Webster Groves High School to address over 800 students about how to chase their "Red Rubber Ball". 4th and 5th grade Project Plus students from Bristol and 8th grade GEMS students from Hixson were invited to attend.
Not only did our gifted students hear his motivational speech, but they had the opportunity to meet him in a special small group session where he answered questions and signed autographs. Many thanks to Dr. Clark for inviting our students to be a part of this special day.
