Positive School Climate Grows Thanks To Barnegat Programs

BARNEGAT, NJ — October marks National Bullying Prevention Month, and Barnegat students are celebrating an increasingly positive school climate while continuing to spread kindness and empathy.

About 40 Barnegat High School students are prepared to keep spreading understanding and connection throughout the district after participating in a recent training program for Dylan’s Wings of Change, the district announced in a news release. Dylan’s Wings of Change is a nonprofit foundation organized by Ian Hockley, a father who lost his young son in the Sandy Hook school shooting. It aids positive changes in communities and promotes kindness.

During the training, student volunteers became official “Wingmen” – learning about activities that allow students to form relationships and how to facilitate these lessons at other schools in the district throughout the academic year.

Last year, the high school Wingmen visited Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School (JTDS), bringing engaging, interactive team-building activities into fourth grade classrooms. The younger students quickly connected with the high school students and the positive energy, laughter and excitement spilled into the hallways, said Samantha Burke, the elementary school’s assistant principal.

“Building on the success of last year’s collaboration, both schools are excited to expand the partnership this year,” said Burke. “We are planning additional visits to strengthen bonds and foster a culture of acceptance and belonging across grade levels.”

To further increase student connection, empathy and understanding, the high school will host Challenge Day on Oct. 16. Sponsored by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, the program uses activities and holds discussions to address topics such as bullying, harassment and conflict. The program is designed to unite students and empower them to carry out the program’s goals throughout the school year.

“Both of these programs are very different, but have the same goals,” said Tracee DuBeck, vice principal at BHS. “These goals are to break down barriers and build empathy, equality and understanding among our students.”

“The initiatives are not a magic wand," DuBeck said. “They take time, but each year they provide positive, small impacts that continue to make a big difference in how students respect each other and their teachers and staff at school.”

This is the fourth year both Dylan’s Wings of Change and Challenge Day are being held at the high school, and their impact is being reflected in an increasingly positive school climate. According to BHS Principal Patrick Magee, there has been a 25 percent reduction in reports of bullying, along with a 59 percent decline in the number of investigations being confirmed.

“These numbers suggest that the work being done to strengthen our school climate is having a real effect,” said Magee. “Students are developing stronger connections, conflicts are being addressed more constructively, and the culture of respect promoted through programming and ongoing staff and student engagement is translating into fewer cases rising to the level of a formal investigation.”

These positive changes are being seen district-wide. At JTDS, the No Place for Hate program continues to develop each year, and school counselor Jennifer Blanchard sees the effect it has on the students and overall school climate.

“We are continuing to improve our No Place for Hate program by involving student leadership and student voices, educating students on the definition of bullying, and recognizing students for displaying positive character traits,” said Blanchard. “With all of this, in the 2024-2025 school year we saw a 50 percent decrease in founded harassment, intimidation, and bullying incidents from the previous school year.”

All schools in the district will celebrate Week of Respect, beginning on Oct. 6, which focuses on character education, kindness and inclusion to prevent bullying in schools. Week of Respect aligns with National Bullying Prevention Month, held in October. The district also will participate in Red Ribbon Week Oct. 23-31, the nation’s longest-running drug-use prevention campaign.

“During our Week of Respect and Kindness Week at Russel O. Brackman Middle School, we see a large increase in the number of ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ committed by our students,” said Principal Josh Toddings. “These acts of kindness are noticed by staff and students and submitted on tickets by the witnesses to the office.”

For more information on Barnegat Township School District, visit https://www.barnegatschools.com/.