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It’s a remarkable thing to behold the enthusiastic dynamism of a 6-year old. And so, it was an honor to meet Presley Childress and to see, up-close, how her fearless confidence and high-spirited spunk manifests in almost everything she says and does!

Presley
Childress
Fearless Confidence

One of her top priorities in life is to always have fun and enjoy whatever it is that she’s doing, and we think that’s a well-tuned set of priorities. For that reason, Fun Fridays are her favorite part of school, since she gets to play with toys and her friends. Landon and Ruby are among that friendship crew, and one thing they all enjoy doing during recess are cartwheels – no matter how surprising it may be that a 6 year old is already capable of doing cartwheels!

Presley explains how she learned to do this magnificent feat by putting her legs up near the ceiling, and then just taking it from there! But when learning is bundled with play, play becomes a portal for learning, and at VES, Landon, Ruby, and Presley are learning — and playing — by leaps and bounds.

It comes as no surprise that Presley demonstrates a spirited athletic prowess in other activities as well, including ice skating and swimming. In fact, Presley has been swimming like a fish since she was 4 or 5 years old – and just as she does on land, she shows no fear in the water. After all, during the summers, she spends practically every day down at the pool, so it makes a lot of sense that she’s as confident in the water as she is out of it! Confidence plays such an important role in growth of all sorts, whether social, intellectual, or athletic, and it’s exciting to see this 6-year-old’s acquisition of this trait playing out in high-gear.

 

Presley also enjoys spending time playing games – especially the latest craze among kids her age — Roblox. When she gets the chance to play the game on her grandma’s phone, she especially enjoys how she can use her imagination to create an avatar – so much so, that for her birthday in March, she wishes to receive a bunch of Roblox bucks, to create the most animated and well-dressed avatar around Vandalia! And that Presley shares a birthday with Dr. Seuss helps explain her seemingly boundless imagination.

 

However, the similarities might end there, as Dr. Seuss was fascinated by one famous cat (who liked to go around wearing a hat). By contrast, Presley shares her home with two dogs – Nazboo and Blue. Of the two, Blue has the advantage in size, and perhaps for this reason, he also shares his name with Presley’s favorite color (blue, of course!).

 

Presley’s smarts are immediately apparent to anyone who has the privilege of chatting with her, so the fact that she does well in school is no surprise. During our interview, she’s quick to answer all sorts of questions, which shows how quickly her mind processes inputs. For example, her favorite animal at the zoo? Panda. Her favorite type of food? Spaghetti with Parmesan cheese. What does she want to be when she grows up? A teacher, of course! After all, how better to put her amazing mind to work and play than by helping others to learn and grow.

 

Any student who would be lucky enough to have Presley as a teacher one day would, no doubt, be the beneficiary of her buoyant enthusiasm, because with Presley’s energy and imagination, it couldn’t help but rub off on anyone around her. This young dynamo will be fun to watch, and will certainly make all of us Vandal proud, as she shares her infectious enthusiasm for life in the years to come.

Confidence plays such an important role in growth of all sorts, whether social, intellectual, or athletic, and it’s exciting to see this 6-year-old’s acquisition of this trait playing out in high-gear.
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