On Sept. 23, Steinbrenner and thousands of other schools participated in a project called “Start With Hello.” This project was first started by a group of parents from Sandy Hook Elementary. This school was involved in a tragic shooting of there kindergartners and first graders due to a former student. This kid was socially isolated just like many other student or people involved in school shootings. That is why the Sandy Hook Promise has made it their goal to stop these types of things from happening, starting with this project.
Steinbrenner High School has about 2,600 students, making it easy to feel alone. Starts With Hello is only a week-long but during this time people participating try to spread the word of stopping social isolation. This could be as simple as saying “hello” to someone or even go farther and start a conversation or invite someone to sit at lunch with them. These simple acts of kindness are really important and will help to prevent students from feeling isolated.
During the week, the school hosts a few important events to participate in start with hello. First, they sell green t-shirts so that the school can do a green out to spread the word for this message on Wednesday, Sept. 25th. Next, on that same day, people gather around the flag in the courtyard and sing in unison for this day. One of the last things they do is use chalk to write on the sidewalk along with posters around the school. On the sidewalk there are messages such as “Don’t forget to say hello,” “Hola, Bonjour, Hello,” or “Invite someone to sit with you.” These are meant to be simple reminders to the students and teachers of how to make people feel less isolated.
The guidance staff and the school psychologist work hard to ensure that students don’t feel this type of social isolation. Sadly, they aren’t always able to fix the problem. That’s why it’s up to students to fix this. The essential thing that is also helpful to the school is attending or helping be apart of this event. That’s why during this week, Sept. 23rd – Sept. 27th, you should start with hello.
Charlese Thybulle // Staff Writer
