Middle and high school students at Morristown Central School are making a difference in the lives of their elementary school peers, as part of an ongoing partnership with Sweethearts & Heroes.
“What I hope for is that everyone becomes a little bit better version of themselves as a leader and as a teacher of younger students,” explained BRAVE Program Director Pat Fish, when describing what he hopes students will take away from this six-week program.
BRAVE is a self-directed leadership program designed to connect middle and high school students with elementary students. The program is based around play. Through playing, students implement many other life and social-emotional skills, such as negotiation and conflict resolution.
When older students visit elementary classrooms, each student is paired up with a small group of younger students. They start by playing games and getting to know each other, then older students lead younger students through bully drills, where they are taught ways to intervene in bullying situations.
“It’s allowing students to figure out conflicts on their own, with the opportunity to review and talk about it after playtime is over,” added Fish. “For the younger students, it’s a great way to learn some things from older students, who they already look up to.”
For older students, Fish said he hopes it makes them think when they might see similar situations in their own peer group, and encourage them to step in and help.
“Bullying makes kids not want to go to school every day, and it’s not good for our community,” said Owen, an older student participating in the program. “I thought it would be a nice way to talk to kids about helping them with bullying and making a positive impact.
“I wanted to learn how to help kids and be a leader,” added Craig, another student participating in the BRAVE program.
Students participate in the program on Mondays, with six total sessions planned. It kicked off on Jan. 6.
“We are incredibly proud of our students’ continued commitment to the BRAVE program and the values it fosters,” Superintendent of Schools Staci Vaughn shared. “The partnership with Sweethearts & Heroes empowers our school community to build empathy, practice compassion, and lead with HOPE. These are lifelong skills that positively impact not just our classrooms, but also our entire community. Programs like this reinforce that every student has the potential to be a leader and make a difference.”
Morristown also hosted Sweethearts & Heroes to run its BRAVE program during the 2023-24 school year. To watch a video showcasing this year's program, click here.