After visiting Walt Clark Middle School in Loveland, CO, I am very encouraged. The students on the campus were well behaved and they welcomed me like a celebrity. I admire when students take the time to listen and reach out to me because I want to then give them more than what they ask for.
On this campus there are 11 members on the No Place For Hate club. At each presentation I encouraged students to be a part of the program because students are learning how to loving and respectful to each other. The more we can teach students to show love and respect, the better off we will be as a society. Emilia, the event planner who happens to be the art teacher, was telling me about two suicides that were recent in the district. One was due to a bad breakup but she mentioned that the other could be traced to bullying.
A lot of kids have been hurting themselves due to bullying and now that the Bully Movie has come out it shines light to why students are killing themselves, a term being thrown around is committing Bullycide. I don’t think there is anything better than student led organizations on campus. Adults can have programs for students but when kids can invite other kids to be a part of something big on campus, it helps develop the leaders that we need. So three assemblies took place at the middle school and each of them address the issue of bullying and how to reduce it on campus. I was able to share about how love is great than hate and I showed teens how to respond to bullies using love and kindness, basically implementing the Golden Rule. Everywhere I speak I asked teens if they know what the Golden Rule is, and so far it’s been 100% of the schools that I go to, they know exactly what it means, treat others the way you want to be treated. I just show them what that looks like in their lives.
