Lynbrook North Middle School: No Place for Hate

A local middle school has made efforts to instill in students that school is no place for hate.

A group of 26 sixth- and seventh-graders at Lynbrook North Middle School participated Friday Dec. 4 in an interactive workshop sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League’s “No Place for Hate” program, according to a school press release.

The workshop, titled “Becoming an Ally: Responding to Name-Calling and Bullying Behaviors,” opened up a dialogue about the impact of name-calling, bullying and other bias behaviors and helped students recognize the different roles people might play in bullying incidents.

Participants learned to use a variety of positive responses to challenge name-callers and bullies and developed skills that will help them become effective allies to those who are targeted by bullies.

The morning workshop consisted of four different activities. In the closing activity, students worked together to develop and perform public service announcements to encourage others to stand up and speak out against bias and harassment, focusing on themes such as stereotypes, rumors and cyberbullying.

When asked to describe the experience in one word, students said it was “eye-opening,” “hopeful,” “inspirational” and “fun.”

Working under the supervision of guidance counselor Alexandra Collin, these newly trained Allies will use their enhanced skills to take on a leadership role at their school, spreading the word that North Middle School is no place for hate.

[Photos courtesy of Lynbrook public schools]

[Photo 1: Anti-Defamation League facilitator Oscar Robles led Lynbrook North Middle School students in an anti-bullying workshop.

Photo 2: Lynbrook North Middle School students offered their opinions about how to stop the spread of rumors.]