IL: Mentos, Guinness and SBS Awareness

The Danville Commercial News reports on a school board meeting that involves Mentos, Guinness and SBS Awareness. Sounds like these middle school students in Danville and Reagan's Rescue are doing a great job of raising awareness!

So, how often do you get a chance to support a Guinness world's record AND increase awareness of SBS...

Board members also heard from a long line of student Problem Solvers from North Ridge Middle School. One by one, students told of their “I Will Prevent It” campaign for Shaken Baby Syndrome, which was awarded first place in state competition.

The students announced they would have another fundraiser for Reagan’s Rescue with a second attempt to break the Guinness World Record for Mentos geysers. An attempt at the 1,900 person record failed in January as 500 showed up in poor weather, but the students have taken their second try a step further by aiming for 2,500 geysers.

Students said in January they were disappointed they didn’t make the record but were buoyed by the fact they had raised awareness for their cause.

Geysers are created when a Mentos tab is dropped in a soda bottle with the ensuing fizz directed 10 feet into the air through a tube.

Organizers hope to employ area school districts to help with the record and the cost has been dropped from $10 to $2 in the second go-around due to leftover supplies from the first attempt.

The new world record attempt will take place at 1:30 May 13 at the WDAN radio station, 1500 N. Wabash St. Participants are asked to arrive at least an hour early and a rain date of May 17 has been set.

The Problem Solvers are also hoping the community supports a fundraiser to help the group attend an international competition in June.

To make a donation or participate in the geyser event contact sponsor Lori Woods at lwoods@danville.k12.il.us or 444-3456

http://commercial-news.com/local/x1687712297/D118-board-spotlights-students.

Deliberate Calm

Heard an interview with Jonah Leher last week, talking about "deliberate calm."

It's part of the emergency training doctrine for pilots. In an op-ed, Leher wrote about its manifestation in the Hudson River splash-landing:

What, then, allows people like Sullenberger to make effective decisions in harrowing circumstances? How do they keep their fear from turning into panic? Scientists have found that the crucial variable is the ability to balance visceral emotions against a more rational and deliberate thought process, which is centered in the prefrontal cortex. This balancing act is known as metacognition -- a sort of thinking about thinking.

Pilots have a different name for this skill: They call it "deliberate calm," because staying calm under fraught circumstances requires both conscious effort and regular practice

I suspect those "visceral emotions" are the prelude to many inflicted injuries.

Suddenly awakening in the still of night to deal with the challenge of a crying baby isn't the same as landing an airplane in the Hudson, of course.

However, a bit of training that reminds parents of the importance of conscious effort and practice in retaining that balance when they awake couldn't hurt.