#1: San Fernando Cathedral is the oldest church in Texas, and one of the oldest in the country. It is not only a spiritual center and refuge for many people around the area but it is also the geographic center of the city as well. Get your team to this uniquely special place, head inside, and quietly locate the emblem on the sanctuary floor that identifies the exact center of San Antonio. Once there, join together in a quiet moment of reflection thinking about the children of San Antonio and envision your positive thoughts spreading out from that center point and reaching every child around you. Once outside take a memorable team picture with this historic structure in the background.

#2: San Antonio has been called “Military City USA” dating back to World War II, but in 2017 the nickname was made official. It’s an appropriate name, given the city is home to one of the largest concentrations of military bases in the US. Anywhere around the area find an active military person or a veteran. Then take a video of them watching your entire team doing 10 push-ups or sit-ups at their feet to honor their strength and courage. After you’ve finished recording, spend a few minutes learning more about their time in the service before you depart, as a small gesture of appreciation.

#3: It was more than 35 years ago that Pee Wee Herman had a big adventure here in San Antonio. Head to the grounds surrounding The Alamo and find any two strangers wearing cowboy hats or cowboy boots. You could also find one wearing a hat and one wearing boots but both strangers would need to be wearing one of the required items. Once you’ve found them, take a video of your team all singing the first line of the classic 1941 song "Deep in the Heart of Texas", and then have the two strangers respond accordingly (with clapping and singing)! To see an example of this song being sung successfully click HERE. Sing it loud and proud and encourage your Texas loving strangers to do the same, or else Large Marge might find you!

#4: Not only is garlic a key ingredient in some of San Antonio’s most beloved foods, but research shows that consuming raw garlic can boost your immune system, which is especially important for those in education. So take a video of all your team members each chewing a separate raw clove of garlic for at least 10 full seconds. Team members should be actively chewing the clove and not just holding it in their mouths. Disclaimer, although healthy this will likely not be pleasant, which is exactly the point. Because a team that suffers together, grows together.

#5: Take a video of your team completing the "Paper Airplane Challenge". Basically send some team members to the 2nd level of any building or parking garage and have them toss paper airplanes out into the air in front of them (not just dropping it straight downward). The rest of your team should be on the sidewalk or grass below. Any of your team members at ground level need to catch just one plane before it hits the ground. All team members at ground level can be attempting to catch planes, but only one plane needs to be caught. To watch a team complete this mission successfully click HERE.

#6: Located somewhere in Hemisfair Park stands a pair of golden angel wings, that were given to the city as a gift for it’s 300th birthday from Mexico City to celebrate the shared heritage between the two neighboring countries. Find these wings and have the person in your group that has been working at Fusion Academy the shortest amount of time stand in between them on the highest step. Then have the rest of your team standing on the platform around the wings and get someone to take a well-timed picture of your team all jumping in the air at the same time while your “winged” team member stands there with a confident pose. Then reflect upon this picture in the months ahead as a reminder that everyone at Fusion Academy is important, and you can all lift each other up.

#7: Find someone 80 years old or older around the area. Take some time to chat with them, listen to a story they may have about San Antonio, or just ask them about their life. Then at some point take a video of your team asking them the question “What is the most important thing children should learn in life?”. Then at some point after this adventure click HERE to learn about how loneliness in seniors can be as hazardous to their health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and how a simple interaction like what you’ll do for this challenge can change that.

#8: Get to any of the walking bridges that cross over the historic Riverwalk (not one meant for cars). Get to the middle of the bridge, where it is flat, and take a video of your team all completing the Group Sit & Stand Challenge. Basically, your team members will all be standing shoulder to shoulder in a tight clump/circle with your backs all facing in and your arms interlocked. Slowly lower the entire interlocked group to the ground until you are in a seated position with your butt on the ground, and then slowly stand back up while remaining interlocked. To watch a video of a group successfully completing this challenge click HERE.

#9: Get to any outdoor fountain around the city (the decorative kind, not the kind you drink from). Once you’ve found one, take a video of any two team members both successfully completing the “Bottle Flip Challenge” at exactly the same time. Basically, take a video of both members each flipping their own standard (16 ounces or so) bottle of water onto a hard surface near the fountain, and getting it to successfully remain standing upright once it lands. The bottle can be filled with as much water as needed to improve your chances of completing the challenge successfully. What will make this challenge difficult is getting two people to make a successful flip on the same attempt. If anyone is struggling, encourage them and keep trying together as a team. Your entire team can all be attempting the challenge together, as long as any two team members land the flip on the same attempt. To watch a video of two people successfully completing this challenge together click HERE.

#10: This past weekend was National Have a Coke Day (it’s true, look it up). To celebrate this popular American drink find any vending machine that sells Coke. Buy one but instead of taking it with you, leave it in the dispenser tray with a note that says “Have a Coke on us! Love, Fusion Academy”. Then take a picture of your team so that the vending machine, the free Coke, and your note are all visible if possible.

#11: Take a video of your team successfully completing the Whipped Cream Catapult Challenge (click the link at the end of this description to see it performed properly). Divide your team into pairs. Have someone squirt a dollop (small lump) of whipped cream onto the back of their hand. Have the other person stand a few feet away from them ready to catch the whipped cream in their mouth. The person with the whipped cream on their hand will swing their arm back, palm down. When that hand gets back in front of them at about waist height, they’ll strike their wrist with their other free hand, causing the whipped cream to go flying. The second person should successfully catch the whipped cream in their mouth, or at least catch some of it in their mouth and the rest on their face. To complete this challenge at least half your team should make a successful catch in the video. To understand the challenge better and to watch a video of a team successfully completing it click HERE.

#12: Located somewhere around the city, find the life size bronze statue of the man (and his horse) who remains the youngest person ever to become US president, at age 42. Often called the “Conservation President”, he established 150 national forests, 5 national parks, and 18 national monuments on over 230 million acres of public land. Once you’ve found him, take a fun team picture with the statue reacting wildly as if you’ve just met your longtime icon. Then after this event, live each day in a way that will make people want to build a statue of you in the future.

#13: A huge part of being an effective educator is the ability to concentrate, even while surrounded with numerous distractions. Click HERE to complete the Fusion Academy Concentration Challenge. Once on the site, select the option for “Concentration” and get ready to begin the test. You will see a series of shapes. The goal is to decide whether the word inside the shape matches the color of the shape. If it does, click the check mark. If it doesn’t click on the X. Your score will be based on speed and accuracy. To complete this challenge successfully, any member of your team needs to score 27 or more points total on one test. Once someone has achieved an acceptable score, take a picture of the highly focused team member proudly displaying their score on their screen.

#14: Get every team member a large (16 ounces or so) open-top paper, plastic, or foam cup and fill it with water. Then somewhere outdoors along the River Walk trail line up shoulder to shoulder and balance a full cup on each team member’s head. Once everyone’s cups are balanced, hold hands with the team members on either side of you and take a video of your team working together to all take 10 steps forward without anyone touching their cup or having it spill. If someone’s cup spills make sure to encourage them and then refill any spilled cups and start again as a team. After your team successfully travels 10 steps together dump the cups to prove they were full, and celebrate!

#15: Find any youth (or group of youth) around the area and take a video of them teaching your team members how to “Floss”. And no, it has nothing to do with your teeth.

#16: Anywhere around the city, find a postcard that features this area in some way or a greeting card designed by a local artist and purchase it. Then click HERE to go to the Postcard Happiness Project website and scroll down to the profile for John Craig, an adult with Downs Syndrome from Oregon that loves to receive mail. On your postcard include a fun or uplifting message and sign it with your names or your group name. The mailing address for John can be found in his profile description. Stamp your card and take a picture with it to show you've completed your Act Of Kindness and then drop it in the mail along the way or right after your event.