Lynbrook Students Build Bonds of Understanding

By Rosemary Leonetti

On Character Education Day, seventh-graders at Lynbrook South Middle School looked inward and outward to examine their own behavior and build new bonds of friendship and understanding.

Principal Margaret Ronai set the tone for the day by sharing a CNN report about bullying. She then played the song "Brave" by Sara Bareilles. Students reviewed the lyrics and discussed its message. After viewing two videos about bullying called “Odd Girl Out” and “Radio,” they shared their thoughts about the movies in writing.

The afternoon began with a shared pizza lunch. Then students broke into small groups to participate in a series of five different cooperative activities that challenged them to work together as a team to achieve a common goal.

The event concluded with a presentation by guest speaker Rohan Murphy, an athlete who, as a child, lost both of his legs to a disability. He explained how he overcame the obstacles in his life by never coming up with excuses. He also spoke about the importance of mutual tolerance, and urged the students to make it their mission to stop bullying in its tracks.