The local public school board’s School Violence Prevention Team recognized district students for their efforts to promote anti-bullying with a ceremony last Wednesday afternoon at Fort Frances High School.
While the SVPT held a poster contest for district students the previous two years, this year they asked them to write essays or poems expressing what they think of bullying in schools.
SVPT chairwoman Patti-Jo Reid said the change this year was due to the Rainy River District School Board’s renewed focus on literacy and in connection with the anti-bullying curriculum it implemented just this school year.
“We were a little disappointed with the number of students that participated,” Reid noted, but stressed that those who did certainly should be commended, along with their teachers.
Three classes from schools participated—Sturgeon Creek (Barwick), St. Francis (Fort Frances), and Crossroads (Devlin)—with three winners from each one.
Kaylee Heyens, Sara Gerber, and Kelsea Hunsperger were the winners from Dave Ogilvie’s Grade 4 class at Sturgeon Creek while Kimmy Lafleur, Annika McTavish, and Kaiya-Leigh Sutherland were tops in Charlene Gustafson’s Grade 6 class from Crossroads.
St. Francis students Lauren Gurski, Whitney O’Donnell, and Jamie Petrin were chosen as the winners from Darlene Rousseau’s Grade 7/8 class.
They each received cheques for $30 and ribbons for their winning efforts. As well, their classes all received pens and bookmarks.
Brad Herbert, co-ordinator for the district Substance Abuse Prevention team, also announced he would donate $100 in the name of each winning students for anti-bullying kit for each of their schools.
These kits—which will have the winning students’ names on them—will be used for years to come at the respective schools.
Thanks to an agreement with the Fort Frances Times, the essays and poems also will be published in future editions of the newspaper.
Last Wednesday’s ceremony, which was attended by all the students and their teachers in the Fort High cafeteria, was followed by a pizza party catered by Kathy Cuthbertson.
Fort Frances Times
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