(La Porte, IN) - Over two days, all seven elementary schools in the La Porte Community School Corporation took part in an event led by a hip hop recording artist and motivational speaker.

 

C.J. Luckey is founder of the Celebrating All Persevering Students group based in Texas.

 

Since founded in 2017, Luckey has impacted over 100,000 grade school students and educators nationwide with his unique approach to teaching growth mindset concepts through music.

 

"My students respond so positively to C.J. Luckey's music and message in the classroom that I knew we had to find a way to bring him here in person," said Katie Talbert, a Project Lead the Way teacher at Crichfield Elementary School.

 

Talbert regularly incorporates Luckey’s videos and songs into her PLTW lessons.

"Watching our students experience that energy and encouragement live was even more powerful than I imagined,” she said.

 

Luckey’s work is grounded in Dr. Carol Dweck’s research at Stanford University, which focuses on changing the way students think about struggle, failure and their ability to persevere under challenging circumstances.

 

One of his signature songs, "The Power of Yet," encourages kids not to give up by embracing the idea that just because they can't do something now doesn't mean they never will.  They just can't do it yet.  All of his presentations in La Porte were at the Educational Services Center.