Start With Hello

This year, the SOMS SADD Club worked with the guidance counselors to bring Start With Hello Week to SOMS on February 8^th-12^th.  Start With Hello is  a program run by Sandy Hook Promise to promote social inclusion and community connectedness within the school.  Young people who are socially isolated can become a victim of bullying, violence and/or depression.  The goal of Start With Hello is to teach our students to be more socially inclusive and connected to each other.  When students observe someone who appears to be alone, we are asking them to:

-Reach out and help

-Start With Hello

In 6^th grade homerooms and 7^th and 8^th grade Health classes, teachers facilitated discussions with students about how they would approach someone they see sitting alone in the cafeteria, on the school bus, or in a classroom.  Students wrote how they would spark a conversation with a another student in a speech bubble.  These speech bubbles were posted on green banners in the hallways.   Students wore green, the Sandy Hook school color,  on Friday February 12^th to show their support for Start With Hello.