page background

Unity in Huron Valley Schools

Helping Kids Feel Connected - One Student at a Time

Unity in HuronValley SchoolsHelping Kids Feel Connected - One Student at a Time

OCTOBER IS NATIONAL BULLYING PREVENTION MONTH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLhvTcEWbEg

Bullying Prevention & Finding Ways to Unify Our Students

It's hard to believe our middle school counseling teams are heading into their 18th year working with students, parents, & staff with anti-bullying curriculum & initiatives. Although many of the activities surrounding bullying prevention will take place or begin in the month of October, our counselors work with students and families year-round to ensure our students feel safe and supported.


HVS Counseling curriculum activities begin in the 6th grade and range from whole school/community activities to small group/individual interventions. Whole school/community activities include comprehensive caring community lessons, whole school/grade level assemblies, mentor programs, & parent presentations such as cyber safety. Small group/individual interventions such as mediation, small group participation, short term solution-focused individual counseling, & advocating for students/parents occur on a daily basis.


Let's take a closer look at just a few of the things happening at the middle school & high school levels to create a stronger sense of unity for our students...

Oak Valley MS: Real Talk

This is a one-day interactive experience for our 8th grade students at Oak Valley MS. Students work with leaders from the "Real Talk" team to break through feelings of oppression that include teasing, bullying, peer pressure, & harassment. Students will hopefully leave this experience with new tools on how to combat feelings of oppression and explore ways to bring awareness back to their classmates and work on creating an culture of acceptance within the school.

Muir MS: Defeat the Label

Each semester, Muir MS is working with approximately 30 eighth grade students through the Defeat the Label initiative. These students will receive direct instruction on ways to empower themselves against bullying and how to raise peers up to change from the mentality of being a by-stander to an up-stander who actively challenges students who display bullying-type behaviors. Our 6th and 7th grade students will receive kindness lessons taught directly from 8th graders in the Defeat the Label program.

White Lake MS: CSI Presentation

White Lake Middle School hosted an assembly for each grade on October 24th, which also happened to be Unity Day. 6th graders learned to be up-standers after seeing, "Don't Be a Monster" presented by Erebus. 7th and 8th graders learned how to keep themselves and others safe online after learning about OK2SAY, Michigan's Cyber Safety Initiative through the Attorney General's office.

Milford HS: Communications Camp

This two-day retreat is held off-campus at the Walled Lake Outdoor Recreation Center and is designed to help open up the communication lines between staff and students. By participating in teacher-led, small group dialogues students are encouraged to share personal stories & struggles they have experienced inside and outside of the classroom. The goal of the experience is to help students feel a stronger sense of connection and support from staff and peers.

Lakeland HS: Start with Hello

The Start with Hello program was an initiative that came as a result of the tragedy and violence that occurred at Sandy Hook elementary. Students and staff at Lakeland wore name badge stickers to prominently display to others their first name. The small, kind act of starting a conversation with someone whom you have never met simply by starting with a hello can truly make a difference in a student's life. This activity is geared at eliminating a student's feelings of isolation and help the student view themselves as visible & valued by others.