Merrillville Intermediate Celebrates 2015 Anti Bully Week

MIS-You-Matter-Collage-11-25-15Merrillville Intermediate School celebrated anti-bullying week the week of November 16th. The corporation theme for the week was “I Matter, You Matter, We all Matter” which focused on understanding the negative effects of ostracism. It also highlighted the importance of teaching students to value themselves as their own unique individual. Inspiration for the theme originated from a You Matter campaign that was created last year by the online Masters of Social Work program at the University of Southern California. The mission of their campaign was to facilitate human connections to promote positive mental health. The USC Rossier online teaching degree created lesson plans and activities that strengthen students’ social-emotional skills, while focusing on social-emotional wellness as a tool for combating bullying in and outside of the classroom. The lesson plans are inspired by the You Matter campaign.

One of the most powerful activities students participated in from the You Matter campaign was the wall of caring. Each student was given a card and was asked to think about another student and write a message to them anonymously about why they matter. Cards were placed in classrooms and throughout hallways creating a collage of positive inspiration that could apply to any student who read them. It was truly moving to see and read messages students had written to one another.

The MIS S.T.A.N.D (Socially Together and Naturally Diverse) club members created a video made up of still pictures of members holding inspiration quotes aligned with the You Matter message. The entire school watched the video on the final day of anti-bullying week. This year’s anti-bullying curriculum focused on identifying positive attributes of peers, celebrating everyone’s unique qualities, and minimizing if not eliminating feelings of loneliness and ostracism.

For more information and to join in the You Matter campaign go to https://msw.usc.edu/mswusc-blog/60-ways-show-someone-you-care/