Southside Academy Charter School Partnered with Rachel's Challenge in Recognition of National Bullying Prevention Month

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Oct 17, 2019, 15:57 ET

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Oct. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Southside Academy Charter School, a free public charter school, managed by National Heritage Academies, partnered with Rachel's Challenge, a nonprofit organization that aims to bring hope to schools across the nation by sharing the story of Rachel Scott, the first person whose life was taken at Columbine High School in 1999.

This partnership comes in time to recognize National Bullying Prevention Month, which takes place every October. According to the National Center for School Engagement, 160,000 students skip school every day for fear of being bullied.

"We are honored to bring this impactful and vitally important program to our school," said Dr. Jeff White, principal of Southside Academy Charter School. "Rachel's Challenge shares a moving story that resonates with students and families."

Students participated in two age-appropriate assemblies during the day, and families attended a community event in the evening that encouraged participants to examine their own lives in the following five challenges: look for the best in others, dream big, choose positive influences, speak with kindness, and start your own chain reaction.

In the 19 years since Columbine, Rachel's legacy has touched over 25 million people and is the foundation for creating programs that promote a positive climate in K-12 schools. Her vision to start a chain reaction of kindness and compassion is the basis of the organization's mission, to "make schools safer, more connected places, where bullying and violence are replaced with kindness and respect; and where learning and teaching are awakened to their fullest."

Throughout October, schools and organizations across the country join in observing National Bullying Prevention Month, to encourage schools, communities, and organizations to work together to stop bullying and cyberbullying by increasing awareness of the prevalence and impact of all forms of bullying on all children of all ages.

View photos from the student assemblies, here.

About Southside Academy Charter School:
Southside Academy Charter School, managed by National Heritage Academies, is a free public charter school serving students in kindergarten through eighth-grade in the Syracuse area. For more information, visit southsidecharterschool.org.

SOURCE National Heritage Academies