September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and Whitney Point students opened their new school year with an amazing team of superheroes sans capes, learning how to activate compassion, empathy and HOPE in their classrooms — and beyond.
The Sweethearts & Heroes team of Tom Murphy, CEO/Founder, and Rick Yarosh, a HOPE expert, Purple Heart recipient and motivational speaker from our area who was severely burned while serving in Iraq, was in Whitney Point CSD on September 18 and 19. They engaged students at Whitney Point High School, Tioughnioga Riverside Academy, and Carryl E. Adams Primary School with their signature presentation on HOPE (Hold On, Possibilities Exist), Empathy and Action. The interactive assemblies also encouraged students to build compassion and empathy. Finally, presentations to the older students included elements of the B.R.A.V.E. Youth Leadership Program, which trains older students in bully drills that they, in turn, teach to students in lower grades.
