Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – Hip-hop artist and motivational speaker C.J. Luckey performed for students at Leadership Magnet School on Monday morning to motivate them as they prepare to take their standardized exams.

Kimberly Newcomb, Leadership Magnet principal, said the purpose of the assembly was to provide students with internal motivation to do their best during the ATLAS exams. During the assembly, C.J. Luckey provided words of encouragement and performed some of his songs, including “The Power of Yet”, “Good Morning”, and “Yes I Can.”

“We wanted to make sure that we encourage our students to do just their very best,” Newcomb told JRN. “When we were thinking about what we could do to encourage our students, we thought, ‘What better than to bring him in to perform live for our students and create some magical moments for those leaders?'”

C.J. Luckey speaks to Leadership Magnet students. (Photo by Rachel Rudd)

C.J. Luckey was at Leadership Magnet as part of the C.A.P.S Tour. C.A.P.S., which stands for Celebrating All Persevering Students, is a nonprofit the artist founded that promotes a growth mindset and encourages students to believe in themselves and persevere through challenges.

“I want you guys to know you can persevere, and you can overcome those obstacles that are in front of you,” he told students.

The students of Leadership Magnet, who are in the first through sixth grades, are no strangers to C.J. Luckey’s music. During their morning assemblies, Newcomb plays one of C.J. Luckey’s music videos to encourage students as they start their days.

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C.J. Luckey’s performance was just one of many ways the school’s administration is working to motivate and encourage students. As students entered the building on Monday, various Jonesboro Public Schools sports teams, including the football and baseball teams, greeted students and wished them luck on their exams. During the exam period at the school, students will be incentivized and rewarded for attendance, effort, and more, Newcomb said.

To help with exam motivation at home, Leadership Magnet is hosting LeaderFest tonight at 5:30 p.m. in the school’s gym, in which parents and families will learn what the next two weeks of exams will be like, the school’s goals for the exams, and how parents can help students. ATLAS exams start on Tuesday and run for two weeks.

“We want them to know that we believe that our students are capable to learning at high levels, and we have an amazing faculty and staff that pours into them every day,” Newcomb said. “We just wanted to take an opportunity to make a moment for them to remember as they get ready to start this summit of assessment.”

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