Saddle Brook Schools Celebrate Week of Respect

Throughout the week of Oct. 1, Saddle Brook students participated in various activities and assignments through which they discovered more about the meaning of respect. The week was appropriately named “The Week of Respect.” Students as young as 5 and as old as 18 discussed what respect means to them and how they can demonstrate it in their everyday lives. This effort is in direct response to the Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying policy adopted in all New Jersey public school districts.

Students from Long Memorial School read stories like “Buzzy the Bumblebee,” “Me I Am,” and “Miss Nelson is Missing” to understand the definition of respect and  the various ways to demonstrate it in their daily lives. Lessons also focused on the meaning of “compromise” as students discussed situations in which they may need to compromise with others. The older students of Long Memorial School watched films pertaining to the meaning of respect and why it matters to them. Students discussed how they respect their friends, families, and teachers. The videos showed various scenarios where teens were being shown disrespect and students discussed whether the subjects presented were being respectful towards each other’s feelings, the law, and to other cultures.

Franklin School started off the week by dressing up as “Superheroes of Respect." Participants explained why their super powers make them superheroes. During lunchtime, the students watched anti-bullying videos and signed pledges intented to help create a bully-free environment. Also at lunchtime, the students were asked to sit with students of different grade levels and interact with new people in order to create new friends.

At Saddle Brook Middle/High School, Ms. Zeevi’s computer classes completed a mini-unit on cyberbullying and created anti-bullying posters as their final project. These pieces were entered into a school-wide contest and placed on display where the student body could observe them and vote which poster effectively conveys the dangers of bullying. 

In Ms. Kline’s Spanish classes, students watched peer-created PSA’s  which spoke out against bullying. Observers discussed the video and journaled about their reactions.

Students at the Middle/High School also got a special treat when the club “S.P.A.R.K” (Students Practicing Random Acts of Kindness) based at Bergen Community College put on a presentation at an assembly. S.P.A.R.K. shared their personal stories as victims of bullying and discussed some serious repercussions of bullying. At the conclusion of the presentation, students were asked to stand up if a certain circumstance of bullying (intelligence, appearance, ethnicity) pertained to them. This drew a stark image of the many ways in which children can feel threatened or intimidated.

Finally, all students were invited to sign the "Unity board" which is still displayed in the school lobby; whomever signs it promises to make a stand against bullying and to promote tolerance and respect.