Site Coordinators at Communities in Schools of North Texas go above and beyond every day to support their case managed students – but their support and services can extend to the rest of their campus in a variety of ways! At Bridgeport Middle School, Site Coordinator Jamey Carpenter makes her campus a better place for all students by heading the BMS “No Place for Hate” committee.
No Place for Hate is a self-directed program organized by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The program engages students and staff in active learning on the topics of bias, bullying, inclusion, and allyship in order to make school campuses safe and inclusive environments for all. A school that has a No Place for Hate designation must hold three campus-wide activities each school year that focus on anti-bias education and bullying prevention, and must have a committee to help design and implement the activities.
BMS has held a No Place for Hate designation for the past two years, and when CISNT came to campus, Site Coordinator Jamey Carpenter was asked to take over as committee advisor and ensure that BMS received the designation.
So far, BMS has held one No Place for Hate activity, and Mrs. Carpenter is in the process of planning the second. BMS’s first activity this year was a school-wide social-emotional-learning (SEL) lesson in which students and teachers made “Precept Pennants.”
Mrs. Carpenter writes:
“We focused on finding meaningful quotes that would help the students to make their best decisions, especially when interacting with others. Students and teachers alike made pennants with our quotes and the students really enjoyed this activity and it shows with their creativity on their pennants. The No Place for Hate Committee strung all 500+ pennants on twine to be hung around the cafeteria. It really brightened up the place, and now the students are surrounded with LOTS of words of wisdom to guide them through each day!”
Under Mrs. Carpenter’s guidance, the committee is also taking steps toward addressing food insecurity in North Texas. In partnership with Live Thankfully Wise County, Mrs. Carpenter and the No Place for Hate Committee will place food collection boxes in student homerooms and hold a contest to see which room can collect the most donations. The No Place for Hate Committee will then empty the boxes and sort the items for delivery. Mrs. Carpenter is also in the process of planning a small anti-bias lesson to tie in with the food drive.
Currently, Mrs. Carpenter is in the process of planning the final activity of the school year, and will hold a No Place for Hate meeting after the holidays to decide on something fun, effective, and safe, of course!
Mrs. Carpenter writes:
“One idea we didn’t get to do last year was a Mix It Up Lunch, where students have to sit at different t ables and have conversations with kids they might not know as well, to discover how alike they could still be.”
Mrs. Carpenter says that the initiative has generated great feedback from students in the past, and that No Place for Hate is a way to make a difference in campus culture and in the mindset of her students.
Way to go, Mrs. Carpenter! CISNT is proud to be a part of the No Place for Hate movement at BMS, and to be helping to make BMS a welcoming and safe space for all students.
Even beyond the CISNT classroom, CISNT is #AllInForKids!
