Student Council and Teen Leadership classes will spread positive messages to the students, faculty and staff the week of May 19, marking the second year of Bronco BOLD week. BOLD, short for Bring Others Love Daily, was created in order prevent suicide and bullying on school campuses.
The week will include dress up days — Crazy Sock Day, Dress for Success, Pajama Day, Superhero Day, Tie-Dye/Bronco Bold Shirt Day — and activities such as chalking the parking lots and handing out uplifting notes, along with other encouragements throughout the week. Student Council and Teen Leadership sponsor, Mrs. Sarah Ausdenmoore, and her students will carry these plans out in an effort to express the importance of individuality and make the student body feel accepted for being who they are.
“Young adults in high school may sometimes struggle with bullies or the incredible stress of being a student while also trying to figure out who they are,” Ausdenmoore said. “The students in Teen Leadership and Student Council have recognized the need to remind students how special they are and how much they are loved.”
Senior Amanda Lanter, the Teen Leadership 2 and Student Council representative, feels as though there are always people who care and that suicide will never be the best choice. According to bullyingstatistics.org, suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people and at least half of those suicides are related to bullying in some way.
“It’s important to me to make sure that everyone realizes that there is someone out there that loves them and that they’re wanted,” Lanter said, “I think in high school, you can kind of forget that.”
Although there are constant efforts to make students feel protected at school, there are nearly 160,000 students who stay home from school every day because of the fear that they will be bullied. Ausdenmoore hopes that one day people will not have to worry about being bullied at school, online, at home, or out in the community.
“Everyone should feel safe, welcomed and loved, wherever they may be,” Ausdenmoore said.
Mrs. Ausdenmoore has set up a twitter account (@BroncoBOLD2014) and has encouraged students to tweet encouraging messages with the hashtag #BroncoBOLD to promote the movement.
“I always make sure to tell everyone I know how special they are and how much they are loved,” Ausdenmoore said, “This is why I love Bronco BOLD, we may never know the difference we make in someone’s life, but it is always best to let everyone know how much they are loved and appreciated.”
