#change starts with us

Assisted by the Student Leadership Team, Year 8 Mentors and Mr S Quinn, the Pastoral Team have had a busy November on the theme of anti-bullying. This year’s NIABF theme is ‘change starts with us’ and that was the constant message that pupils heard at assemblies, Form Teacher time, workshops and in the LLW Christmas assessment.

Our Student Leadership Team delivered excellent assemblies to each year group, discussing the issue of bullying; challenging the pupils to think about their action – and indeed inaction; advising on who to contact if they feel they are being bullied and reminding our young people that change must start with us. Our pupils were very engaged in what the Student Leaders had to say and were keen to answer questions.

Our Year 10s also accessed the CARA Friend Shout Out Workshops. This was delivered by Jo McParland, from CARA Friend, and LGBTQ issues were discussed in a sensitive manner with pupils reminded about acceptable language and behaviour. Our pupils thoroughly enjoyed these workshops and the ‘walking debates’ they participated in on anti-bullying.

Several Year 12 pupils applied to NIABF to be accepted to participate in a Stormont event on the issue of anti-bullying. Three of our pupils, Shane Malone, Harry Collins and Cara Hoey, were successful and the November postponed event will now take place in February. These pupils are looking forward to sharing their ideas with the commitees to which they have been allocated.

Mr Quinn’s Year 8 Mentors also organised some anti-bullying themed activities, to share the message of change starting with us. These activities included a Year 8 balloon launch, to disperse any negative thoughts towards others. There also have been Year 10 workshops, delivered by the mentors, during LLW class.

Our Year 8/9/10 LLW Christmas assessments consist of entries to the NIABF Competition. Entries will be internally judged, by Student Leaders and Year 8 Mentors, and then the ‘best’ entries will be submitted to NIABF mid-December. Pictures of the outcome of this competition will follow.