NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Students at this Jessamine County elementary school are re-learning their ABCs. An educational and motivational group, Sweethearts and Heroes, visited to teach students to connect with others and stop bullying.
Superhero Tom Murphy with Sweethearts & Heroes says, "85% of all bullying happens in front of other people. Never addressed, never caught — by schools, teachers, administrators. It's always seen by other people, by students, and so our message from day one has never changed — it's been about student empowerment."
Murphy taught students the stop-drop-and-roll of bullying — jump into action to help, be a buddy to someone in need, and confront bullying. Students also heard from former Army Sergeant Rick Yarosh. While deployed in Iraq in 2006, he was severely injured by an IED. He explains how, in the moment, he wanted to give up. Now, his mission is to teach others not to and to be a reminder that there's still hope.
"I mean I was on fire, physically. There are kids and adults who are on fire mentally at times in their life. When they are on fire mentally, they deal with hopelessness or at least a lack of hope at times,” says Yarosh.
The Sweethearts & Heroes speakers say that the message was all about teaching students how to reconnect and giving them a more important message of hope.
"Hope stands for Hold On, Possibilities Exist. You have to be patient, you have to hold on, and you also have to recognize, that when you see somebody who is struggling with that hope, you can give it to them to change their life,” says Yarosh.
This team travels the continent inspiring students in elementary through high school. This school district's Superintendent Matt Moore says these skills are life-long for students.
"It's really gonna equip them to interact with students as they transition into middle school, high school, and just into life in general,” says Moore.
Today's speakers taught students about the power of being vulnerable and not being afraid to be different — saying even superheroes look different when they're helping others.
"Superman didn't have to throw a pair of tights on to run into public, but he did because people were gonna judge him for helping that weird, different person. People were even gonna judge him for helping the bad people. So that's the way you gotta teach young people when they're little. You gotta make it fun,” says Murphy.
This anti-bullying team is inspiring students to communicate and connect.
