October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. Each year WSWHE BOCES students come together for several Unity Day (and week) activities. A walk, wearing orange, team building, outside activities and more occur to come together united to help stop bullying. Wearing orange is a way to signify being together against bullying, and united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. This year, Wednesday, October 18, 2023 was the day of celebration.
Sanford Street Teaching & Learning Center hosted a full Spirit Week to show unity. Each day they wore fun colors, got together to talk about bullying and made their pledge for “No Place for Hate.”
The F. Donald Myers Center celebrated by orange wear, standing together against bullying together and other activities to show unity. They set up a Unity Tree where staff and students signed a leaf to hang on the tree. Boys Town skills focused on Kindness, Acceptance, and Inclusion.
Southern Adirondack Education Center (SAEC) celebrated Unity Day with their traditional walk, which was the beginning of several activities that are intended to get the SAEC community thinking about kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Students held posters around the track to remind everyone that it wasn't just a “break,” it was a time to think about and reflect on the messages on the posters as they walked with current and new friends. Throughout the remainder of the week, students will be asked what they can do or say to display the key messaging. They will also write affirmations on sticky notes that will be displayed on a mural as a "Sea of Affirmations." Next week they will be asked to sign the "No Place For Hate" pledge, promising to commit to making our school NO PLACE FOR HATE.
One classroom representative stated, "It's not a one-and-done activity. We're actually going to make a change."
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