Madeline Diamond
Reporter
NCHS hosted its annual “Names Can Hurt” Assembly on Thursday, Oct. 18, which focuses on the issue of bullying among children and teens.
As the title suggests, the program highlights the seriousness of name-calling in a school setting.
Students, teachers and administrators worked to create a plan for NCHS to promote respect and tolerance among students.
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which sponsored the “Names” program along with the Parent-Faculty Association, the assembly is meant to explore diversity and bias in school communities.
Over 100 sophomores, juniors and seniors, nominated by teachers, have undergone rigorous training to become facilitators, and were accompanied by faculty in leading the event.
Senior Will Hennessy, Student Body President and a leader of the Student Advocates, emphasized the goal of this year’s program. “It’s about making everyone comfortable at NCHS and teachers and students working together,” he said.
Student facilitator and senior Michelle Halpert worked with other trained staff to lead small group discussions after the original presenation.
Halpert noted the importance of bullying awareness. “We need to be more aware about people’s feelings,” she said. “We make jokes all the time about our friends but sometimes what we say can actually hurt and we don’t even realize it.”
The “Names Can Hurt” program places people linked to bullying into four categories: targets, bystanders, perpetrators and allies.
Targets are described as the people who are being bullied. Bystanders are people who witness bullying who choose not to respond. Perpetrators themselves are bullies. Lastly, allies take action to help targets of bullying.
According to School Psychologist Sandra Warkentin, the message of the assembly is to “not be a bystander.”
NCHS and the ADL emphasized the need for students to become “allies.”
To promote this message, teachers and students involved in the assembly wore neon shirts emblazoned with an image discouraging the “bystander effect.”
The “Names Can Hurt Assembly” has been presented at NCHS for four years. Last year however, the program did not take place.
“We are so excited to bring the “Names” program back to the high school” counselor Lori Keen said.
To conclude the all-day program, those involved in “Names Can Hurt” articulated the importance of remembering the message of the assembly throughout the school-year by sharing overall lessons learned from the day.
