Former "Rugrats" CEO Addresses Student Body at Okmulgee High School Auditorium on Tuesday at 9am on How the Habits of Mind and Story Maker Help At-Risk Students

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Jan 09, 2017, 08:32 ET

OKMULGEE, Okla., Jan. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In the aftermath of the tragedies within the Okmulgee community over the holidays, the Okmulgee School District has invited Terry Thoren to address the Okmulgee student body on Tuesday at 9:00am at the Okmulgee High School Auditorium.

Terry Thoren was the former CEO of Klasky Csupo, Inc., the company that produced the Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys and Rocket Power for Nickelodeon. He is now the CEO of Wonder Media, whose flagship product, Wonder Media Story Maker™, has had transformational effects on students within Okmulgee School District since its implementation this summer.

Renee Dove, Superintendent of Okmulgee School District, says that, "Mr. Thoren was originally scheduled to travel from Hollywood, California to personally train 25 elementary school teachers on the implementation of the Institute for Habits of Mind's Instructional Animations. But when I realized how magical it would be for the students to hear a message about how such habits like "Managing Impulsivity," "Persisting," "Listening with Understanding and Empathy" and "Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations" would help them find ways to be in control of their own lives, I asked him to present to the entire student body."

Thoren dedicated his career to producing character-education content for any child - especially those with literacy skills at risk. Schools use Story Maker™ to provide an authentic experience in which students write scripts, edit their work, and produce an animation for public consumption. Thoren's mission is to provide educators and parents with animation solutions that engage children in the classroom the same way they are entertained outside of the classroom. Students are so engaged with Story Maker™ that they do not want the school day to end. Thoren recollects a student saying, "I forgot to take time out to eat or use the restroom I was so excited about making an animation."

Why are kids getting so excited to learn? Story Maker™ transforms classrooms into animation studios where students assemble teams to take on roles in creative, technical, and managerial functions. In addition to literacy, participation in a Story Maker™ project develops 21^st century skills including collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving. Using animated characters to create a genuine product for a real audience is a research-based education approach which uniquely appeals to students and, most importantly, ignites a hunger for knowledge that is unique in the classroom.

Upon accepting to speak to the Okmulgee student body Thoren says, "the irony of this situation is that, in the beginning, we produced the 16 Habits of Mind animation series with the intent to teach young children the skills necessary to manage the social issues arising in this unstable world we live in today. The vision was to help avoid the very tragedies that have shaken this community." The hope is that the Story Maker™, with the 16 Habits of Mind, will give the district tools to address these key issues.

Press Contact: Alyson Dutch, 310.456.7151, [email protected]

SOURCE Wonder Media