The RPMS School Safety Team, Staff, and Students participated in a week long initiative called No Name Calling Week.

This school year we have experienced a lot of negative name calling and unkind references to one another. Many of the names students are using are racist, sexist, homophobic, based on gender, one’s physical appearance, cognitive ability, religious beliefs or insulting to one’s family. This has become too pervasive and we wanted to help our students understand that making fun of these protected categories can be hurtful and offensive.

The School Safety Team asked the students to participate in a short survey to help us identify where they believe the problems lie in regards to negative name calling and the above categories. The students were honest with their responses and we greatly appreciate their help, as their data along with national statistics became part of an original RPMS School Safety Team video used to kick off the week and get the important message of speaking kindly to one another out.

Along with viewing the video together in homerooms on Monday and Tuesday,  we put together awareness activities for No Name Calling Week such as morning announcements, school appropriate videos on empathy, and a school-wide mural of positive words we can use instead.