Some cape-less superheroes appeared in Chatham today to show our students how they can end bullying by spreading H.O.P.E. (Hold On, Possibilities Exist!) during the 2022-23 school year and beyond.
The District invited Sweethearts & Heroes, a student-empowerment and empathy-activation team, to put on school-wide presentations at Chatham Middle School and Chatham High School on October 6.
During the presentations, co-founder Thom Murphy inspired students to take action when they witness bullying. Along with fun challenges designed to get students to step outside of their comfort zones, he shared how when someone, a hero, intervenes in the first ten seconds of a bullying situation, they are successful at stopping it 60 percent of the time. Being a hero, he said, is as simple as following the ABCs: A- away, get the victim away from the situation; B – be their buddy; and C - confront the bully with something as simple as letting them know what they are doing is not OK.
Murphy, who is a former professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitor, also introduced the students to one of his heroes, retired U.S. Army Sgt. Rick Yarosh. Yarosh was severely burned while serving in Iraq when a roadside bomb destroyed the armored vehicle he was riding in. After months of painful recovery, he was depressed and frustrated with how others would react to his appearance. While eating at a diner shortly after getting out of the hospital, he noticed a little girl staring at him and whispering to her father. Her dad told her to go talk to him and she did, but then she turned and ran back to her family. Yarosh’s heart sank. But then he overheard the girl say to her father, “He’s really nice.” At that moment Yarosh knew he was going to be ok. “She came over and dumped a bucket of H.O.P.E. over me,” Yarosh said. “She changed my life forever.”
Nowadays, Yarosh has dedicated himself to bringing that profound message of H.O.P.E. to others and says he wouldn't change his situation even if he could. “You all have the power to change and save lives with the H.O.P.E. inside of you," he told the students.
“Choose to give H.O.P.E., choose to become a sweetheart, and choose to change lives,” Murphy closed with.
Sweethearts & Heroes will be back at CMS on October 7 to work with our students on Circle. In this activity, which is based on the ancient ritual of sitting in a circle and talking, students will build empathy by getting to know more about themselves and each other.
“We are excited to have Sweethearts & Heroes back here in Chatham. They are always well received by our students and staff as we collaborate to bring these most important topics to the forefront,” said superintendent Sal DeAngelo.
Sweethearts and Heroes was last in Chatham in the spring of 2022 for a staff development program.
