MHS Students Attend Anti-Bullying Conference

On Thursday, November 29^th, seven Melrose High School students, accompanied by school psychologist Rebecca Henry, joined nearly 5000 middle and high school students and teachers from across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island at the Tsongas Center in Lowell for a one-day program designed to help students take a stand against all forms of bullying. STAND UP 2012 was created to educate, motivate and empower young people to actively promote positive social change in their schools and communities.

The STAND UP 2012 program was developed in partnership with renowned bullying prevention authorities to ensure the most effective messaging and call to action for the students and their educators.

Throughout the course of the day, MHS students Maeve Moriarty, Julia McDermott, Sarah McGowan, Sarah Ried, Kendyll Chapman, Francesca Rizzo, and Carlos Vivas received educational information, heard presentations by bullying victims and anti-bullying advocates, and saw performances by celebrities designed to motivate students to stand up to bullying in their schools and communities. They also had opportunities to engage in dialogue about their own ideas and opinions about bullying and how to create positive change.

In the next several weeks, the Melrose High School community as a whole will participate in a series of activities, including an all-school assembly, addressing bullying in general and cyber-bullying specifically. Henry and the students who attended the STAND UP program will be instrumental in facilitating those events.