LVTI begins anti-bullying program

LYNN-Lynn Vocational Technical Institute is welcoming The Kick-Off Transition Program into their classrooms and hallways in an effort to make incoming freshman more comfortable in their new school.The program is a comprehensive transition, orientation and mentoring program which trains upper-class mentors to run an interactive orientation day on the first day of school, which is geared towards creating a positive, year-long connection between upperclassmen and incoming students.?There has been a lot of research about kids who have positive relationships within their school are much more likely to stay in school and graduate and not participate in bullying and to be a more positive school community member,” teacher Johanna Smith said. “We would like to foster more relationships between our freshmen and our upper classmen. We are hoping it will improve our school climate; we are interesting in decreasing incidents of bullying.”Smith said she spoke with representatives at North East Technical High School in Wakefield, where the program has been successful. It has been implemented in suburban, rural and inner city schools all over the country and has reached approximately 100,000 kids. For the first year, students were hand picked to become mentors, but this method may be changed in the future.?We are hoping as the program grows in coming years we can have kids apply,” Smith said. “This first year we wanted to make sure they were going to be positive role models. It wasn?t necessarily important they have a 4.0, but that they are in school everyday, they are outgoing, good listeners and they are going to be good role models for the new freshmen.”Fifty juniors and seniors went through training to learn about goals for the program, legal and ethical issues involved in mentoring and rehearsed activities for the Kick-Off Orientation Day which Smith said would be held on the first day of school in September.Each student mentor will be teamed up with five incoming freshmen, who they will meet with twice a month to check in with them. Smith said it will be helpful for freshmen to have peers who notice and care when they are absent or seem to be having trouble, or simply to show them the ropes of LVTI.?We see so many kids who are depressed and if they had another kid to reach out to them, they are way more likely to stay in school and be positive members of our school community,” she said.The program promotes school safety and creates positive and meaningful connections for every incoming student and opens up the lines of communication that make new students feel more comfortable and, according to program organizers, has proven to reduce bullying and violence in schools.