House assembly at Franklin Elementary

Tyler Graef

Friday, January 10, 2020

At Franklin Elementary, students are grouped into one of four "houses" as part of a program designed to foster leadership and teamwork among students. The "houses" convened for a special assembly to recognize outstanding achievement Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, at Franklin Elementary in Cape Girardeau.

Grethel Padilla, left, and Johana Salinas-Garcia ascend a set of stairs hand-in-hand before a celebratory assembly for the four "houses" of the student body Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, at Franklin Elementary in Cape Girardeau. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)
A student fiddles with the sign of his house, "House Urafiki," during a celebratory assembly for the four "houses" of the student body Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, at Franklin Elementary in Cape Girardeau. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)
K'morian Dodds, 7, screams with delight as "House Urafiki" is recognized during a celebratory assembly for the four "houses" of the student body Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, at Franklin Elementary in Cape Girardeau. Urafiki, which is Swahili for friendship, and the other three houses are part of a program to promote leadership and teamwork among Franklin students. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)
Zeyang Feng, center, stands with other winners of the "Kindness Award" during a celebratory assembly for the four "houses" of the student body Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, at Franklin Elementary in Cape Girardeau. Amber Walker, Instructional Coach at Franklin, said of the award winners, "these are your role models. These are people you can look up to." (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)

Tabatha Johnson, a reading teacher at Franklin Elementary, high-fives fourth-grader Zeyang Feng for winning a "Kindness Award" during a celebratory assembly for the four "houses" of the student body Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, at Franklin Elementary in Cape Girardeau. "Points for the house!" Johnson exclaimed to Feng, who belongs to "House Liberalis." "Points for the house!" (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)
Even Teli the dog was assigned to a house - "House Onesta" - and receives some attention from students during a celebratory assembly for the four "houses" of the student body Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, at Franklin Elementary in Cape Girardeau. (Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian)