The students and staff of WHHS recently took part  in the Week of Respect, a nationwide effort aimed at bringing awareness to peoples’ actions and the impact every individual person makes.

Activities planned for the Week of Respect included a quote shared via announcements, emails, and #thedailyhills. This quote served as a visible and positive reminder to students. During the week of respect, students were also able to participate in meditation for Wellness Wednesdays.  

Student Assistance Counselor Donna King took charge in the Week of Respect operations. This included how the people of Wayne Hills spread awareness and respect.

“The students had to research Week of Respect along with stats and info pertaining to bullying and wellness in order to create their various projects. For example, Marketing created the posters hung around the building, Child Development transformed the “When I graduate…” board into the “Radiating Respect” board, created the playlist for Friday, and chose all of the daily quotes, Ms. Kindler’s class researched what the food pantry needs most and then held the donation drive, the art students made the banner and blue flags you see outside.”

King believes by getting students involved in the process will increase awareness among them and hopefully it will spread.

Varsity lacrosse and football star Dan Daly emphasized the importance of respecting those involved in his life and how being a part of a team has taught him to respect and care for those around him.

“One example of the respect that I have been apart of is playing with my football team. Teams from the high school level all the way to the pros sometimes don’t respect or trust each other,” Daly says, “The Wayne Hills football program is a second family to me and the rest of the people involved in the program. Everyone respects each other no matter what their importance is to the team and we have a strong bond with each other.”

History teacher Thomas Mohan approaches the week of respect as a week of reflection that should become an adapted way of life to make students think about their actions.

“We use the word so much that it sometimes loses its meaning, generally speaking, I think respect is acknowledging that another person is a human being and they have rights,” says Mohan “as long as their opinions are based in fact their thoughts are just as valid as anybody else’s… just being aware that we are not the only people on the planet.”

Highlighting the idea of treating others with equal respect and respecting ideas in conversation Mohan proves a thought-provoking point.

Sophomore Jessica Tozzi is known at WHHS for being a kind-hearted, bubbly cheerleader and talented singer.

“The word ‘respect’ is a very powerful word to me. The meaning of respect to me is a feeling of admiration for someone elicited by abilities, qualities, or achievements,” Tozzi says, “Everyone deserves respect because being cruel creates hatred in the world. Hatred is the last thing people should give off because everyone is dealing with a lot going on in their lives.”

Her heartfelt idea on why respect is important calls for the reason of her positive involvement within the school community.

The week of respect overall promoted ideas and opinions for the students and staff of Wayne Hills to continue being respectful young adults in a crucial part of their lives.