Anti-Bullying Campaign Comes To Solon Schools

SOLON, OH — School districts across Northeast Ohio, including Solon, took part in Start with Hello week, an anti-bullying campaign that promotes inclusiveness in school communities. Students at Solon Middle School chalked out their messages of kindness to one another, heard speeches from the Sandy Hook Promise organization and more.

The district said that students also wrote Compliment Cards to their peers, with each card highlighting that person's positive attributes. Those cards will be distributed to students as a way of reinforcing their self-image and boosting their confidence.

The school district also brought in Alex Smith, an educator with Sandy Hook Promise, an organization that trains students and parents to look for signs of potential gun violence. Smith spoke with students about reaching out to peers that may be isolated. He shared concrete examples of how to break the proverbial ice and get to know someone.

Over the course of the past year, Patch has been examining the specter of bullying and how school districts across the nation confront the issue. October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and many school districts are implementing anti-bullying programs over the next four weeks.

Read more about bullying in the U.S. and what Northeast Ohio school districts are doing to counter it by clicking here.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. And like Patch on Facebook!)

Photos from Solon Schools