12/13/13 Riverside students Fransheska Cantero, Addison Shireman, and Sophia Smith initiated a Bully Free Week at Riverside in order to unite students in the fight to end bullying.
The young ladies developed blue pledge sheets for students to sign, cut and passed out blue ribbons for students and staff to wear, created posters for the school’s hallways, and created themed days for the week like Tuesday’s “Random Act of Kindness Day.” The young ladies were inspired by bullying prevention expert Miline Jeffirs’ Connect program. Groups of students in the Plymouth Corporation participate in Connect in order to develop empathy for others and to learn coping strategies for dealing with bullying behaviors. The young ladies’ hope has been to utilize the momentum created by Connect in order to develop a more accepting, kind environment in the school.
