Does the past determine the future? In the middle school, the answer is YES, at least when it comes to the rewards for hard work, excellently delivered.

Eagles earned 126 of their 147 planned badges, with eleven Eagles one or above badge plan and many more only a badge away.  Bottom line – MS Eagles set big goals, held one another accountable and the results showed.

Today, the Eagles earned even more freedoms, including the  freedom for most to work anywhere they please and for some to collaborate with a wider range of partners.

To paraphrase Ben Franklin: “”You have your freedom, if you can keep it.”  In return for loosening the guardrails, each Eagle will have to maintain a minimum number of points this week, or return to their previous more restrictive Freedom Level.

Our lesson learned as guides: Rather than start MS Eagles with less freedom and ask them to earn it, it’s better to let everyone experience the sweet taste of freedom, and allow those who use it wisely to keep it.

Rewards first for all, especially when it comes to freedom.  Then natural consequences for those who need a few more guardrails to build stronger habits.

For years, Acton Academy Middle Schoolers and Launchpadders have dreamed about beating the Guides at Ultimate Frisbee, much like Cleveland Brown’s fans long for a winning season.

On Friday, following the Session One exhibitions, Launchpadders and Middle School Eagles challenged Tim “Too Tall” Nikolaev; Chase “Never Miss” Patillo; Ben “The Shack” Bazan;  Chris “Bulldozer” Fisher and Jeff “Steph” Sandefer to a basketball game.

Despite great fan support, much like the Globetrotters versus the Washington Generals, the outcome was predetermined.

After the slaughter (20-18), Eagles continued in a spirited contest with mixed teams of ES, MS and LP Eagles playing against each other, a fun end to a terrific session and keeping hope alive that one day the Guides will falter.

Acton Academy Launchpadders know it takes a cohesive culture to power a world changing organization.   But there’s a big difference between “knowing” about leadership and executing as a leader in the real world.

In the first two weeks of Session One, Launchpadders drafted contracts,  forged their tribe, delivered Next Great Adventure Boards, wrote a pitch to a magazine editor for their “My Life at 30” story and created music videos to celebrate the question: Does the past determine the future?

For the last three weeks, Launchpadders experimented with leadership tools and frameworks to see which best fit their personalities and the opportunities they want to pursue.   Last Thursday, at the Leadership Quest Exhibition, Launchpadders:

• Presented the leadership skills they acquired and tested to strengthen the ES or MS studios, inlcluding Mission and Vision Statements; Hiring Funnels; 360 Peer Reviews; Gamification, Rituals and a dozen other tools.

• Described a super-culture they had explored, like Google or the Navy SEALS, and how its main archetypal features fit (or did not fit) with their own vision, goals and aptitudes as a leader;

• Delivered their Next Great Adventure plans after Launchpad, with a focus on the mentors, heroes and industry peers they will seek out for Stars and Steppingstone interviews; and

• Presented How My Past Determined My Future at Age Thirty argumentative essays.

Which Launchpadder will lead a company culture fashioned after a pirate ship?  Who will build a non-profit with a culture that nurtures like a family?   Whose organization will hum like a well-honed machine?  Only time will tell.

But now our future leaders know how their personalities, actions and decisions can help determine the future, one world changing organization at a time.

Thursday afternoon Middle School Eagles hosted parents, aspiring Acton Academy owners and visitors for the MS Behavioral Economics Exhibition.

In the first two weeks of Session One, Eagles formed their tribe, signed contracts, delivered created Hero Boards, wrote a Hero’s Essay and created music videos to celebrate the question: Does the past determine the future?

For the last three weeks, Eagles have worked on Behavioral Economics experiments, from “The Winner’s Curse;” “Sunk Cost Fallacy;” and “The Endowment Effect,” exploring questions like:

• Do most people make rational decisions when it comes to money?

• More importantly, do you make rational decisions when it comes to money, and if not, should you?
• Are there reliable experiments to help decide when to ‘trust your gut’ and when to slow down and apply rational thinking, experiments that will lead to more happiness, satisfaction and fulfillment?

On Thursday, guests toured over Behavioral Economics experiments performed by Eagles.    One guest bested the Wisdom of the Crowds, walking away with a giant glass jar of coins; another irrationally bid $26 trying to win a $20 bill at auction.

At the end of the session, Eagles and guests shared “lessons learned,” debating whether allowing markets to work during a hurricane was moral or not.

Do rational decisions or human emotions determine the future?  Our middle school Eagles know it’s a question we’ll all be debating for some time.