Schools
What is all the Excitement about at OLHMS?
Every year, OLHMS hosts a SADD Event where students from local high schools come and talk about making good, positive decisions.
On Wed., Jan. 28, under the direction of Ms. Stangel, high school students from the Richards, Mother McAuley, and Oak Lawn High School S.A.D.D. Clubs came to Oak Lawn Hometown Middle School. For the past nine years, students have discussed themes such as bullying, body image, peer pressure, and drug/alcohol abuse.
This year’s topic was about internet safety. The high school teens discussed how just simple information or comments about yourself on-line could be found by a predator. The high school students also discussed that what you post on-line can impact the college you choose or a job you may want in the future.
Their goal was to teach 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students how to make good decisions and better choices in their future. S.A.D.D., which stands for Students Against Destructive Decision, aims at getting students to say “NO” to drugs and alcohol and “YES” to leading a successful life.
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The activities brought by the S.A.D.D. students included a presentation about the importance of being safe on-line and games that promoted trust and teamwork. The games included two truths and a lie, guide the person through the obstacles, and building a house of cards.
Matt Wilhelm, winner of the X-Games and a District 123 Alumni, also came to promote self-confidence and the importance of chasing your dreams. He told a story about how he got last place in the first X-Games he was ever in but didn’t give up so that the next time he went back, he won first place. He also demonstrated his prize-winning tricks for the student body.
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Carl Olson, a magician, also came to teach kids about the importance of being a leader and always trying to do your best. Carl Olson did this with partner arm exercises and by showing magic tricks that promoted trying your hardest.
All of these activities showed the OLHMS students that teamwork, perseverance, and making good decisions really pay off in your life.
Contributed by: 8th graders, Alexandria D. and Ashely L.
To view full photo gallery, please visit d123.org.
