ELIZABETH — Members of the SkillsUSA chapter at the Thomas Edison Career & Technical Academy hosted a Bullying & Teen Suicide Prevention assembly at Mabel G. Holmes School No. 5 on Monday.
The SkillsUSA members conducted the assembly, in conjunction with Sgt. Michael Hoose of the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, who presented information to fifth through eighth grade students.
The SkillsUSA members hosted the assembly to help raise awareness in their own community of the often devastating effects of bullying. Providing information to pre-teens and teens about the effects of bullying and ways to identify and report bullying is a positive step in dealing with the problem.
Following Hoose’s presentation, SkillsUSA students discussed bullying and teen suicide and asked students questions based on a questionnaire they developed for the presentation.
Following the discussion period, the over 600 students in the audience were asked to take a pledge to combat against bullying and teen suicide. Small teddy bears with anti-bullying slogans were given to students who answered questions and bracelets bearing similar slogans were presented to students who pledged to combat bullying.
“Although the students were young, they were aware of the bullying problem and wanted to take a stand,” said Nedjee Corriolan. “They did this by taking the pledge to combat against bullying and to be the force of change.”
Elizabeth Board of Education member Carlos Trujillo commented, “It is inspiring to see our high school students taking the initiative to serve as role models and become part of the solution to these far-reaching problems of bullying and teen suicide.”
For more information on Elizabeth Public Schools, visit www.epsnj.org.