FHMS and Central Elementary Combat Bullying with Positivity

Posted on 10/18/2019
Central Elementary places a note in the Acts of Kindness box


In honor of National Bullying Prevention Month, students at FHMS and Central Elementary are learning how to combat bullying and replace negativity with positivity at school, in the community, and even online.

FHMS WEB leaders present to Character Connection classroomEighth graders Ava Postal and Brenley Tauphaeus were just two of dozens of WEB (Where Everybody Belongs) leaders that presented lessons on bullying prevention at FHMS this month. The students stopped by Character Connection classrooms to share videos from the Bystander Revolution website and discuss various types of bullying, including direct and indirect, cyberbullying, and gossip. “Kids have obviously seen bullying happen before in school,” said Postal. “It happens especially throughout middle school, with everyone having phones and social media.”

To show how fast rumors and gossip can spread, the classes participated in the “telephone” activity, where a student was told a phrase and then passed the message onto the next person. “In the beginning it was a specific sentence, but in the end, no one knew what was originally said,” shared Postal. The exercise emphasizes just how easily a conversation can change and facts can get distorted.

FHMS students participate in telephone activityIn addition to the activity, the WEB leaders provided solutions on what to do if someone is being bullied and tips for telling a trusted adult to prevent further bullying. “I hope they know that they are no alone. There are people here to support them,” shared Tauphaeus.

While the students at FHMS are learning how to respond to bullying, the Central Elementary community is doing their part to make a difference. Students, teachers, and staff have been invited to participate in 1,000 Acts of Kindness throughout October. If anyone has seen or done an act of kindness at home, at school, or in the community, they can write down the friendly gesture on a piece of paper and add it to the Acts of Kindness box.

“Spreading kindness is so important because we don’t know what everyone is going through or feeling,” shared counselor Jaclyn Mastroianni. “If we can make one person’s day or moment better through an act of kindness, then that’s all I care about.”

Central Elementary student stands in front of the "Be the I in Kind" signOne student, Zachary, shared in his note how he gathered scattered beads from his friend’s necklace that broke suddenly, while second grade teacher, Mrs. Allen, expressed that her student, Ella, bought her a book. “This activity teaches students to start implementing these acts in their daily life,” said Mastroianni. “It’s not just one day of being kind. It is thirty days, which will hopefully transition to sixty or ninety. Then eventually, it’s just a natural act that they are doing.”

While these lessons and kind acts are simple ways to promote positivity in the FHSD community, they can make a big difference in putting an end to bullying. As WEB leader Brenley reflected, “no one should ever be alone.”

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