Three local students from Chattanooga recently demonstrated memory feats and focus for a national Presidents Day video contest. Connor Dodson, Abby Fields and her brother, Gavin, recited from memory the names of all 45 U.S. presidents in order, while performing other tasks.
The contest is designed to encourage kids across the country to create videos that demonstrate the memory and focus skills they improved through LearningRx Brain Training. But it was Mr. Dodson who drew enough acclaim from the panel of judges to sweep the national contest.
"This is one of the first things we have students master in our brain training programs," says Michelle Hecker Davis, director of the LearningRx Chattanooga center where all three students enrolled in personal brain training programs. "It quickly strengthens long-term memory, attention and other cognitive skills, and it also gives a big boost of self-confidence. Many of these kids have struggled in school for years, so when they can quickly learn all the presidents’ names, they feel smart and confident, often for the first time ever."
Although the Fields siblings impressed the judges by reciting all 45 presidents in order while riding their hoverboards, it was 10-year-old Dodson who swept the contest by playing the drums while rapidly listing all 45 presidents … in just under 25 seconds.
“Conner came to LearningRx when his parents noticed he was having difficulty maintaining attention and motivation during homeschooling,” says Mr. Davis. “He was also struggling with reading comprehension, but after just two months of one-on-one brain training with LearningRx, his mom saw huge improvements in his motivation, focus and confidence. His dad even said he has become easier to coach in basketball. We can attest that Connor is a very hard worker at his personal brain training sessions and he is learning how much his cognitive skills can grow when he puts in the effort with his personal brain trainer.”
You can watch these videos, along with the other entries here.