CREST HAVEN – With a gym decorated and filled with game booths and an outside dunking station, students at the Cape May County Special Services School were concluding a year-long anti-bulling campaign with their third annual Kindness Carnival May 27.
The Special Services School District is comprised of three schools, two of which exist to educate special needs students. The Cape May County High School and Ocean Academy, grades K to 8, share a facility in the Crest Haven Complex.
Students are exposed to a year-round program aimed at discouraging bullying or harassment and rewarding acts of kindness toward others, especially fellow students.
The Kindness Carnival, in its third year, is the culmination of the program. Much of the organizing of games and booths was done by students for students, but the carnival was well staffed with teachers, case workers, administrators and one-on-one staff.
The message at every table or display was not just anti-bullying, although that message was clear; it is equally about kindness to others. Teachers brought classes of students in shifts to the gym for games and social interaction.
Throughout the year, students can earn rewards of paper money for an act of kindness that is seen by a teacher or staff member. At the carnival, the paper money translated into attempts at the dunking booth where a student’s ball that hit the right button dropped a school administrator into water. It appeared to be one of the most popular spots for students.
The county Sheriff’s Office provides the School Resource Officer Andrew Raniszewski. Raniszewski’s booth bore the legend “Be Cool, Not Cruel” and was loaded with prizes students could win at the various games.
Raniszewski said that bullying was not a significant problem at the school. He credited the high staff-to-student ratio with creating an environment in which someone on staff is almost always around.
“If anything does start, it is usually dealt with on the spot and quickly,” he said.
The staff at the event said that law changes have placed a great emphasis on anti-bullying programs. Addressing harassment, intimidation or bullying (HIB) is a priority throughout state school districts.
The HIB Safety Team at the school is active throughout the year helping to create a climate that is hostile to the bullying of students.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
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