For the next several weeks up to the end of the school year, students and staff will have the opportunity to parade compassion through the counselor-managed Shout Out Form found in the homeroom slides for the No Place For Hate campaign.
“We have to create activities throughout the year to help unite the students and reduce discrimination,” counselor and form lead Diana Moore said. “So with the form we’re hoping that students focus on the positives and acknowledge their peers and friends, and just kind of try to make them have a good day by seeing the comments, because sometimes students don’t share with their friends about how much they appreciate them.”
No Place For Hate originates from the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) anti-prejudice crusade, a national civil rights and human relations organization initiated in American education since 1985. No Place For Hate advocates kindness and respect for the sake of a closely tethered student body that works efficiently together.
“No Place For Hate is beneficial for school environments,” sophomore Desirae Smith said. “It teaches kids that no matter where you are, you shouldn’t be negative or spreading hate to anybody no matter the reason.”
When a contributor nominates a student or staff member, said student or staff member is called out during announcements in homeroom. Every Thursday, the designated messages accumulated from Monday appear on the cafeteria’s jumbo screen. Submissions are cut off every Tuesday.
“Sometimes students will focus on one little thing that will ruin their day and so we’re trying to get them to focus on one little thing that was great, that made their day, to kind of flip that mindset,” Moore said.
The school is also hosting Friday game day during lunches, where students are encouraged to partake in positive social interaction while playing non-digital games such as Uno or Checkers.
“Instead of focusing on online games where it’s just themselves, they’re communicating with other students and interacting with others,” Moore said. “And if they want to meet new friends they can play together, and it just builds up more on the community aspect of the school.”
Despite No Place For Hate being in place for over 30 years, this is the first time the movement has truly begun to promote the pro-compassion frame of mind and elimination of discrimination in public schools. The Shout Out Form simply helps propagate the care students are made aware of, encouraging a new age for unconditional goodwill.
“Kindness is important because without it, people’s mental health can be damaged, and there would be less safety or welcoming nature in the world,” Smith said. “So it’s crucial people be kind so that doesn’t happen, and everyone can feel welcome in the world.”
