2016 Week of Respect
Sunday, October 30, 2016 at 9:44 PM
By: Anna McDonough
The first full week of October is officially known as the Week of Respect in all of the school districts across New Jersey. The Week of Respect was first implemented following the ratification of the Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying Law (HIB). HIB requires that every school celebrates the Week of Respect annually to encourage anti-bullying efforts. Over the years, Biotechnology High School’s Week of Respect has been filled with a myriad of different activities, such as wearing blue to stomp out bullying, decorating the Rose Bush of Respect, and inviting guest speakers to educate the school community about anti-bullying.
This year, the Week of Respect took place on October 4th until October 7th, and BTHS celebrated with various activities. Officers of Students of Service, Project HOPE, National Honor Society, and the Student Government Association came together to plan and facilitate a successful week. The main feature of the 2016 Week of Respect was theme days in which students wore clothing related to the respectful themes posed by the officers.
Tuesday’s theme was Being a Good Friend is No SWEAT, so students wore sweatpants to show their support. The main goal of this theme was to emphasize the importance of respecting your friends, and the sweatpants represented the idea that students should respect and appreciate all of the hard work they do by relaxing occasionally.
Wednesday’s theme was Appreciating the Differences, and students wore clothes related to their culture/ethnicity. This theme commemorated the diversity among students, which is one of the most defining characteristics of the BTHS community. Students were able to visualize the diversity and appreciate the differences that make them individuals.
Thursday’s theme was Dress to Impress in conjunction with the Two River Theater Trip. Students wore formal clothing to represent the respect they have for themselves. Moreover, the formal attire showed the maturity of BTHS and demonstrated the respect students have for the efforts of people outside of the school community, specifically at the Two River Theater.
Friday’s theme was InJEANious Day, and students wore jeans to signify that they have respect in their genes and how they should thus strive to project that respect. This day also reminded students that they are ingenious and should appreciate themselves for their creativity, initiative, and intelligence.
In addition to the theme days, one of the most popular facets of the Week of Respect was the revamped BTHS Secret Admirer. Students had the opportunity to anonymously submit positive, encouraging messages about their peers that were then posted to the BTHS Secret Admirer Facebook Page, which can be found here. By the end of the week, students had submitted over 1,200 messages!
The 2016 Week of Respect was most definitely a success! While the Week of Respect only lasts a few days each year, the importance of respect is preserved in the BTHS community all year long. The students of Biotechnology High School continue to respect themselves, their peers, thier teachers, and the world around them.