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The Names Day Program

    Everyone has an affiliation with the phrase “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me.” This phrase is a false portrayal of how words can deeply hurt people.

    Calling someone a name can lead them into hurting themselves.

During the training session, students brought up the issue, that in all reality words are a lot more detrimental than physical pain, because eventually that pain diminishes, but emotional pain rarely ever does diminish.

   The Names Day is a program to bring awareness to the whole student body so that everyone does not feel alone and those who bully can realize the pain they bring.

   The preparation for the names day was not just a day; the volunteers had two days of training prior to the event.

   Being a volunteer is essential for the program to run effectively due to the whole process.  

   The first day of training was breaking the ice, this is where everyone had to divide themselves into categories and present to the group how they felt to be labeled or alone, or why they are a part of that specific group.

   For example the question, are you a target, perpetrator, or bully made everyone think.

   Derek, a trainer for the names program, helped everyone elaborate on how they felt about each position and why they were in that category.

   He also brought upon the important topic that even if you are an ally you have to be able to understand where the bully is coming from and try to help them too, because they are hurting inside also.

   After that was when it started to sink in on what is going on around everyone daily.

   After the volunteers learned ground rules and were presented with several activities they were divided into teachers and students to discuss their experiences as a bystander, perpetrator, ally or target.

   This is the part of where the faculty had to pick which students were going to talk about their heart touching stories or experiences on stage.             The presentation is sorted out by an agenda where the program will run from 8:05-12:15on October 28th, in the auditorium.

   The Names presentation is in our school to bring about change because one person can change the world and it can be the same with a student body.

   In all no one is immune to being judged or hurt.

   Samantha Buzzelli, a student teacher involved in the program, said, “It is extremely important to have students and teachers seeing each other in a different way to bring about awareness and change for the student body.”

   In a student’s perspective this program and training has broken down the exterior barrier and led them into the emotional aspect of people you see daily, yet are unaware of what happens in their life daily.

   This program stands by one important rule “It is harder to bully, or judge another person when you are aware of how they were treated or what they are going through now.”