Greenwich High School’s Roots & Shoots Club and House Assistant Deans, in partnership with Sandy Hook Promise, participated in the National Say Something Week to bring awareness to the importance of promoting and protecting the well-being and safety of students, while simultaneously doing good for their school community.
Say Something teaches students how to look for warning signs, signals, and threats – especially on social media – from individuals who may want to hurt themselves or others and to “say something” to a trusted adult to get help.
The program is based on research conducted by Dr. Dewey Cornell and Dr. Reid Meloy, two of the leading national experts in threat assessment and intervention.
In the spirit of the District’s Norm of “Care for Self and Others,” the Club’s week-long Virtual Book Drive resulted in over $2,200 raised for the purchase of new books and the collection of 50 high-quality books, both of which will go to the benefit of our Greenwich elementary schools. In addition, several of the donated books in the Young Adult category will be donated to the Greenwich Boys & Girls Club by Roots & Shoots Club Leader and GBGC Team Member Paige Pray; Roots & Shoots Club Leader Gabby Mendoza personally dropped off a large bag of books to Hamilton Avenue School; and GPS District Instructional Coach Valerie Bolling donated a signed copy of her children’s book Let’s Dance! to the Media Center at Hamilton Avenue School as well.
“Research shows that having access to high-quality books, particularly at a young age, is so important for a child’s development and self-image,” said GHS Social Studies Teacher and Roots & Shoots Club Advisor Kathy Mendez. “I continue to be blown away by the generosity of our GHS community and the success of this Book Drive. The Roots & Shoots Club members were so excited to share their joy of reading with the next generation and we hope this is a great jumpstart to creating a partnership with the elementary schools. The GHS Roots & Shoots Club has a vision to make this Book Dive an annual event, just like our Thanksgiving Food Drive collection.”
To commemorate this week-long campaign, GHS Freshman Fallon Martin created a mosaic of students and staff who wore green in recognition of “Keep the Promise,” and participated throughout the week in the ongoing engagement events.
Below is a calendar of events from the week-long Say Something campaign.
· All Week: GHS Virtual Book Drive
· Tuesday: Read Across America
· Wednesday: Wear Green on Remote Wednesday (in Honor of Say Something Week and Sandy Hook Elementary School victims)
· Thursday: Say Something Shout Outs (virtual shout outs using FlipGrid to celebrate the trusted adults and peers in our lives)
· Friday: Feel Good Friday – Wear Cardinal Gear
Sandy Hook Promise is a national non-profit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. Based in Newtown, CT, their intent is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning tragedy into a moment of transformation by providing programs and practices that protect children from gun violence. For more information about Sandy Hook Promise, visit: www.sandyhookpromise.org.