Anti Bullying Pledge Signed by All Students and Staff

As part of our Anti-Bullying month activities, every student and adult signed our anti-bullying pledge.  Each person who signed the pledge received a stop bullying bracelet.  Our message is clear, we all must work together to combat bullying, and to ensure that every student feels physically and emotionally safe while at school and at home.

Oliver Visits The Willets Road School During Anti-Bullying Month

As part of our development guidance program and anti-bullying program efforts, Mrs. Mary Harrison, Director of Guidance for the East Williston School District presented a workshop to our 5th grade students entitled Oliver.  The workshop is designed around a fictional student named Oliver (you can see him taped to the board in the picture above) who is the victim of incessant teasing and bullying.  Through a series of guided discussion questions, real-life scenarios, and student experiences, students learn how to recognize signs of bullying and develop personal strategies to combat this issue.  The primary strategies that the students learned was how to be an empowered bystander.  Simply put "If you see something....don't be afraid to say something."  More often than not, if a student who is bullying or teasing another student is challenged in a polite and meaningful way by a fellow student to stop the untoward behavior, the bully will comply.  Mrs. Harrison also encouraged our students to seek the help of their teachers, counselors, and parents if they feel they need help in dealing with this type of inappropriate behavior.

Thank you Mrs. Harrison!!!

Ryan's Story Comes to Willets Road

The Willets Road School was very fortunate have hosted renown speaker Mr. John Halligan.  Mr. Halligan presented Ryan's Story. The tragic story of his son who committed suicide due to depression caused by bullying.  Mr. Halligan's message to our students and staff focused on how we can prevent tragedies like this from happening in our community.  Throughout Mr. Halligan's presentation he stressed the importance of letting someone you trust help you in the event you are feeling lonely, isolated, and depressed.  He also urged our students to not be a bystander to bullying, but to speak up through whatever means possible to help someone who they feel are being victimized by a bully.  At the conclusion of Mr. Halligan's presentations to our 6th and 7th grade classes, he fielded questions from our students and encouraged them to reach out and apologize to someone who they may have bullied in the past.  Mr. Halligan also spoke at special parent workshop on Tuesday evening offering parents strategies on how to assist their children when they feel they are depressed and at risk for dangerous behaviors.