Rachel’s Challenge – Promoting Acts of Kindness
Posted by John Halbleib on Nov 17, 2016
Kim McGann (Dean), Chelsea Baird (Assistant Principal), and Michael Glover (Principal) of McHenry Middle School (Grades 6-8) presented the school’s Rachel’s Challenge – Promoting Acts of Kindness program. This program has been designed to address and reduce instances of “bullying”. The program seeks to empower students and staff to initiate a chain reaction of kindness and compassion, as well as encourage students to deliberately reach out to others with kindness”. The McHenry Middle School’s program seeks to address both in-person as well as “cyber” bullying.
“Bullying” can be described as “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.”
See for example
“Cyberbullying” can be described as “bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.
Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.”
See for example
The Bullying policy is:
“BULLYING POLICY: McHenry Elementary School District 15 has an official policy prohibiting bullying and any other form of intimidation or harassment. Anyone having knowledge of such behavior is directed to contact the building principal immediately. Bullying might include any harassing or intimidating behavior (verbal, physical or visual) that unreasonably interferes with one’s education. Examples of prohibited conduct include name-calling, using derogatory slurs, or wearing or possessing items depicting or implying hatred or prejudice toward another person. Prohibited conduct includes any use of violence, force, noise, coercion, threats, intimidation, fear, harassment, bullying, including, but not limited to all forms of cyber-bullying via any media source, hazing, or other comparable conduct. This type of behavior will not be tolerated in District 15 schools and will be dealt with by school administrators according to building disciplinary policy”.
Pictured below from left to right are Kim McGann, Chelsea Baird, and Mike Glover