Leading the 'Be the Change' presentation was Mr. Tom Thelan, who offered a great message; be the change in your environment and take advantage of those small moments when you can make a difference. The speaker encouraged the students to look inward before making steps toward outward change as well as identified specific strategies students can take to foster healthy change within their personal lives.
Ms. Daley, our 7th grade guidance counselor commented that, "an important point, which I think was fabulous for students to hear, was that kids aren't always bullied by students/peers as the speaker himself was bullied by his father which is what caused his pain and made him bully others". Mr. Thelan is the author of two books, Victim Proof and the Teen Leadership Revolution and more information about his presentation including video clips and his blog are available online.
Students in attendance: Jimmy McGinn, Jahzeel Edey, Mounir Kanane, Sam Mortenson, Emily Sollecito, Kiley Bertos.
This group of students will meet with Ms. Anderson and Ms. Daley one time per cycle during an Advisory Block over the next four weeks to brainstorm ways to ignite positive change within JGMS.