Santa Fe Springs, CA – Guided by familiar animated movie characters and pop music icons, Rancho Santa Gertrudes Elementary School K-6 students received lessons on the benefits of setting goals and planning for the future during a multi-screen, multimedia film presentation titled “Ready! Set! Go!” on Feb. 17.

The 30-minute motivational lesson told how real students across the country use initiative, planning and perseverance to combat unexpected obstacles.

The message to Rancho Santa Gertrudes students: Set a goal, make a plan, don’t give up.

“Our goal is to make a positive impact on students and encourage them to have a greater understanding of the world around them and what they’re growing up into,” said Chris Pattillo, who travels the country with his wife, Conney, conducting assemblies for the Irwindale-based Camfel Productions.

“Ready! Set! Go!” uses a mix of movie animation, popular music and computer graphics to draw the students into the stories of boys and girls with high expectations of success, such as a group of teenagers working together to build a sturdy bridge made out of popsicle sticks for a university competition, and a high school student rising above her physical impediments to participate in the Rose Parade as a member of a marching band.

“Ready! Set! Go!” also presented a strong anti-bullying message, stressing to students that a kind word or gesture could make all the difference to someone struggling to achieve their own goals.

“This is the second year Camfel has visited our campus with a message of positive reinforcement,” Rancho Santa Gertrudes Principal Octavio Perez said. “It’s never too early for students to begin thinking of a future in higher education and acquiring the skills needed for their dream careers. But it doesn’t come easy. It needs planning and the ability to successfully execute the plan.”

The presentation resonated with Rancho Santa Gertrudes students.

“ ‘Ready! Set! Go!’ taught me that if you set a goal, when something bad happens you push through it,” Rancho Santa Gertrudes sixth-grader Mia Rodriguez said. “Don’t give up and follow your dream.”

“I learned that it’s important to set a goal and make a plan or you’ll never get anywhere in life,” sixth-grader Eric Rafael said.

The City of Santa Fe Springs brought the program to Rancho Santa Gertrudes as part of the city’s Family and Youth Intervention Program.

“Children are confronted every day with hurdles that challenge their capacity to think clearly and establish goals,” Los Nietos School District Superintendent Jonathan Vasquez said. “Thank you to the City of Santa Fe Springs and Camfel Productions for bringing a message of optimism and achievement to our students.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

030117_LOSNIETOS_ASSEMBLY1: Rancho Santa Gertrudes Elementary School K-6 students received lessons on the benefits of setting goals and planning for the future during a multi-screen, multimedia film presentation titled “Ready! Set! Go!” on Feb. 17.

030117_LOSNIETOS_ASSEMBLY2: Rancho Santa Gertrudes students enjoyed a “Ready! Set! Go!” Assembly on Feb. 17 which presented a strong anti-bullying message.