Hawley Students Learn Character Traits From ‘Magic Jim’

Hawley Elementary School lead teacher Chris Breyan welcomed students into the school’s gymnasium on Monday, January 10, to learn character attributes from Jim Vagias, who provides magic and motivational presentations with the Educational Productions group of New Jersey.

The cultural arts program was sponsored by the school’s PTA, and it was the second time the performer visited Hawley to share character attributes with students through magic tricks.

“Magic Jim” showed students through “a cooperation flower” that students must work together. He asked one side of the room to clap to raise a large yellow flower from being wilted to being full bloom. The students learned that the two halves of the room must clap together to raise the flower.

Another learning moment happened when “Magic Jim” told students bullies come in many different forms.

“If you won’t let someone join you or you won’t let someone talk to you, you are being a bully,” said Mr Vagias.

A student who keeps promises and tells the truth, Mr Vagias said, is a person of trust. He shared a story about a student who stole an orange pebble from a teacher and lied about the action. The student was later rewarded with coal for the action, while the student’s fellow classmates were rewarded with diamonds.

Mr Vagias also taught students how to be good citizens through a trick where he pulled an American flag out of a bag full of red, white, and blue fabric squares.