Valley View Video featured at launch of #OneMontville initiative

“Like nature itself, being respectful is a powerful force which impacts us all.” That quote, from “It’s Raining Respect,” a new Valley View Elementary School Newsroom video, sums up a world of kindness as imagined by the school’s students. Written, and performed by elementary students, the Valley View video, part of the school’s Character Education Program, was featured at the launch of the new #OneMontville initiative in Montville Township, New Jersey.

Bringing together, students, faculty, administrators, clergy, business owners, parents, politicians, and even a United Nations liaison, #OneMontville is a team of volunteers dedicated to encouraging kindness and respect throughout the community.

Spearheaded by Montville Township Public Schools Superintendent Dr. René Rovtar, the goal of #OneMontville is to encourage the daily practice of ideals such as respect, acceptance and the celebration of all individuals regardless of religion, race, sex, culture, heritage, socio-economic or academic standing, sexual orientation, special needs, or any characteristic that could be perceived as different by anyone.

“I found this video very uplifting,” Rovtar said to the group of 25 volunteers who assembled on Wednesday, November 4, 2015, to begin the work of creating a united community of respect. “I thought it would be a great way to kick-off.”

The six minute and sixteen second video imagines a world where a strong weather pattern “of kindness and respect” blows in over New Jersey, and other parts of the world. Patience and team work blanket the affected areas, and bullying is blown out to sea as a result of the positive weather pattern.

“It seems that at the elementary level, children understand kindness and respect,” Rovtar noted. “The purpose of the One Montville committee is to identify where and why that understanding gets derailed, and to initiate action items which we hope will encourage individuals of all ages -- students, families, businesses, politicians, leaders and all community members -- to incorporate respect and acceptance into their daily lives.”

Before the meeting, Rovtar had met with a diverse group of Montville Township High School students to discuss perceptions of bias or discrimination that the students may have witnessed or experienced in school or in the community. Rovtar shared a summary of that meeting with the #OneMontville committee.

Many points were touched upon in the summary including the fact that many of the students reported witnessing adults throughout the community exhibiting prejudice. Students stated that adults can be hypocritical at times with different behavior and thoughts in a public versus a private setting.

Following the video the volunteers examined that summary and tried to identify what forces lead to bias or discrimination as individuals grow older. They also shared ideas for initiatives and programs which could encourage respect throughout adolescence and into adulthood.

All seven of Montville Township Public Schools have strong Character Education curriculum components. Many of the districts initiatives, such as “Living Lessons” at Robert R. Lazar Middle School, Cedar Hill Elementary School’s “Kindness Kafe’,“ and the joint MTHS and Montville Township R.E.A.C.H. program, are award winning and serve as prototype programs throughout the state.

Last October MTHS also launched a chapter of the internationally renowned Rachel’s Challenge to encourage daily random acts of kindness throughout the school.

Despite these efforts, students who met with Rovtar reported that discriminatory remarks occur frequently and are often delivered under the guise of a joke, or in a private setting as opposed to a public setting. Often comments are made among friends, and little regard is given to the hurtful nature of the statements.

This fall, the entire Montville Township Public Schools staff and student body is embarking on the “School Culture and Climate Initiative,” a partnership of United Way Youth Empowerment Alliance (YEA), the College of St. Elizabeth, and the Atlantic Healthcare System. The aim of the initiative is to work with individual schools to gather data from students, faculty, and staff members about their perceptions of the school climate and culture.

All students and staff will take school specific surveys to assess the climate and culture within their building. Parents will also have an opportunity to participate in surveys about the climate and culture.

“Facilitators from the Youth Empowerment Alliance work closely with school teams to ensure schools have the means to improve their culture and climate holistically,” explained Rovtar in a letter to the Montville community. “They provide the expertise and resources to make this change meaningful, impactful, and sustainable.”

The “School Culture and Climate Initiative” is a three-year process tailored to the needs of each of Montville Township’s seven schools. A variety of exercises and school-wide assessments are used to review survey data, then develop and implement plans that support a school community where children can thrive emotionally, socially, physically, and academically. Students, faculty, and staff are involved in the process every step of the way.

In the meantime, #OneMontville hopes to implement additional changes and provide support for a climate of respect throughout the community.

The student’s Rovtar spoke with stated that the MTHS Student Council is currently working to provide programs that bring people together.

“We need a climate that values moral courage,” one student told Rovtar.

Open mike nights, “Girl Up,” and peer to peer discussion groups are among the student centered initiatives begin explored.

Among the #OneMontville adult team, it was recommended a hashtag be added to #OneMontville for social media purposes. The team also agreed that signs promoting #OneMontville would have a positive impact. The OneMontville Facebook page and@OneMontvilleNJ Twitter feed were also launched, and it is hoped that community members will LIKE and FOLLOW these sites, and will begin to post photos and reports of respect and acceptance tagged with #OneMontville.

From schools and clergy, to parents and students, members of the #OneMontville community are committed to encouraging respect in every aspect of the township’s community.

“True self-esteem is the belief in who we are,” said Dr. Cathy Lundquist of Cedar Hill. “This is so important. It is important to be known as a town that ‘Walks the Talk’ when it comes to acceptance and diversity.”

Mayor Scott Gallopo agreed, “’Tolerance’ is the wrong word. Tolerate is something that we do with traffic on the way to an event at the Meadowlands, it is not how we should treat people. The word tolerance has a negative/nuisance connotation to it. ‘Acceptance’ and ‘Mutual Respect’ are the goals we should be striving for.”

The committee discussed many issues, but noted that the big issue students cited seemed to be “a disconnect” between what is being taught to students and what students experience at home or in other areas of the community.

“We cannot control thought, but we can try to neutralize the negative thoughts,” Gallopo added.

More than 50 community volunteers have committed time to the #OneMontville initiative. Those who attended the November 4 meeting included: Kulsum Aamer, Carol Berman, Rachel Davis, Pastor Michael Dunne, Michele Fardo, Rabbi Mark Finkel, Mayor Scott Gallopo, Andrea Giannoglou, Denise Goldstein, Judy Gothelf, Charlie Grau, Christine Horvath, Rosalie Keech, Allan Kleiman, Cathy Lundquist, Susan Marinello, Lydia McKechnie, Terriann Mohideen, Michael O’Brien, René Rovtar, Douglas Sanford, Kerri Spitz, and Pastor Heather Valosin. The volunteers are currently researching possible initiatives to achieve #OneMontville goals. The volunteers will begin to form action committees at the next meeting, which will be held on Monday, December 7, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Montville Township Public Library Pio Costa Auditorium.

“Let’s face it,” noted one Valley View video correspondent from “It’s Raining Respect,” “We all know how to be kind and respectful. It’s just that we forget, or think that it is not that important.”

#OneMontville is dedicated to making kindness and respect important throughout Montville Township.