During the week of October 16, 7th and 8th
grade HMS students joined thousands of schools and youth organizations to be a
part of Say Something Week initiated by Sandy Hook Promise (http://www.sandyhookpromise.org).
During this week, students discussed how to recognize warning signs, signals
and threats of potential violence and the importance of taking action by
telling a trusted adult. During the week, we welcomed Judith Coffey, presenter
trainer, and Marykay Wishneski, national program coordinator, from Sandy Hook
Promise to visit so that they could experience our “Say Something” activities
and participate in a panel discussion. Our two visitors from Sandy Hook Promise
were so impressed with our students and with our school culture that they
included us in their monthly newsletter (excerpt below). Thank you to everyone who made
"Say Something" Week such a success at Hall School!
Promise Leaders in Action:
Kate
and Ken from Hall Memorial School in Connecticut, hosted a wonderful week of
Say Something activities. One of the two stand-out activities was “Foursquare.”
A large box with four smaller boxes on the inside were taped off in the
gymnasium. The four boxes read: would definitely say something, would probably say
something, might say something and would not say
something. The students went into whichever box they felt
applied to them when they were confronted with a concerning threat, warning
sign or signal. This activity opened up dialogue about why students made the
choices they did, and also helped them discuss ways to feel more comfortable
saying something to a trusted adult when they hear or see a threat.
The
second stand-out activity included an “expert panel.” The panel included the
principal, the school psychologist, the school social worker, the P.E. teacher,
the school speech pathologist and an SHP representative. The students
participated in the Say Something presentation and came up with questions for
the panel, which were asked anonymously. The students’ questions were
thoughtful and insightful. It was obvious they had concerns about their school
community and appreciated the help in finding solutions. Thank you, Kate and
Ken, for bringing a second year of this Sandy Hook Promise program to Hall
Memorial!