Last week marked the annual Week of Respect for New Jersey, and Lakeland Regional High School joined in on the celebration by encouraging students to be kind and stand up to bullying.
This year the week spanned from October 2 to October 6, 2023 and was celebrated by all schools in New Jersey. The Week of Respect also occurs during National Bullying Prevention Month, also in October.
Throughout the week, Ms. Brenda Ferguson, advisor to the Service Club, posted on the Lakeland Live Feed, putting forth interesting facts and useful tips, so the Lakeland community could observe the importances of the Week of Respect now and continue to do so in the future.
According to NewJersey.gov, The Week of Respect is observed during the first Monday of October every year. During the week, schools must provide lessons and instruction to students about finding ways to prevent harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB). This is not only important in order to put a stop to HIB, but also to spread awareness for others to recognise these topics.
In honor of participating, the writers of the Lancer Ledger provided our own ideas of how as students, we can help others or ourselves in instances of HIB.
We can show each other respect by…
…giving out kindness towards our community. You never know what a person is going through, so it is important to always be kind.
… listening when speaking and engaging with those around you. Try and notice when a friend feels off, or seems like they have something important to say, and give them room to talk about whatever it is they need to. To listen attentively, you as a person need to give eye contact, display appropriate body language, and give accurate feedback to the conversation you’re having.
…treating others the way you want to be treated and not holding double standards.
…helping those who are or just have been picked on or bullied so they feel less alone.
…standing up to bullying without the use of violence.
…acknowledging that sometimes people have bad days, and treating each other with respect and kindness everyday.
…diminishing the power of bullying by not fighting back. Get help from a trusted adult – all teachers, counselors, and staff at Lakeland can help you report bullying. However, do not deny or suppress that bullying can hurt – going to a friend or anyone trusted to talk helps. If that is not an option, find ways to express it yourself. You can write it down, then rip the paper. You can do something you enjoy. You can simply rant to yourself. It can be any of these ways or more that can help you.
