MS Continues Partnership With ADL

The Benjamin Middle School continued its longstanding partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, hosting a week of workshops as part of its commitment to maintaining a “No Place For Hate” designation, granted by the ADL. 

Head of Middle School Chuck Hagy, who spearheaded the partnership, said the workshops were designed to provide students with the background information and practice needed to be a good ally. 

“Students also learned how to respond with empathy to name calling and bullying. Our goals are to learn to be good allies, to promote kind behavior, and to practice advocacy for others on campus, off campus, and on-line. Our curricular theme for this year is impact: the power of words and actions, which provides many opportunities to explore our goals,” said Hagy. 

Sixth grade students explored the topic of bullying and the roles we play and the choices we make. Grade 7 students focused on online cyberbullying and safety, and grade 8 experienced activities around being an ally in our community. 

Hagy said there is nothing more important to him than this work and emphasized the importance of creating a culture in the middle school that allows students to feel cared for on campus. 

“If you don’t feel cared for here, it makes everything else more difficult and unenjoyable,” he said.