A couple weeks ago Fruita Monument High School had some visitors who talked to the students and teachers about the importance of saying something. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or yourself who is struggling with anything, it’s important to take action. It could ultimately prevent a lot more damage and pain from happening in the future. “It’s unfortunate we need to talk about those issues, but since we do I thought it was great that the school took the initiative to have this group speak to us,” said student teacher Curtis Metcalfe.
The assembly opened up with a speaker from Fruita. Multiple speakers followed and shared their personal experiences and stories. They were able to get the students involved by playing cool music and talking about things that a lot of people have most likely been through. One woman talked about her experience as a drug addict and the struggles that she had to face in order to become better. She is living a good happy life now and is recovered.
Another man talked about his experience with obtaining his dream of music. He was met with a lot of negativity and setbacks and started to believe the unsupportive things that people were telling him. Without the help and courage from his friend, he wouldn’t be here today and able to speak to so many people.
Towards the end of the assembly, the speakers began to lay long sheets of paper across the gym floor. They placed markers on the paper and then told the audience that anyone was welcome to come write anything down on the paper. No one would laugh or try to look over your shoulder. It was a safe place to let go of past experiences and trauma. They then invited the teachers to stand in the middle of the gym. They told all the students that they would be able to come down from the stands to greet their teachers and tell them how much they appreciated them. As soon as the speakers gave the ok, everyone immediately began to come down off of the bleachers, write on the paper and thank and hug their teachers. “…When the “meet and greet” portion started I was a little anxious, because as a student teacher I didn’t know what to expect. However, several of my students did come talk to me and thanked me for being their teacher (and I got to tell them that I appreciate them, too!), and it turned out to be a really cool experience…” Said Metcalfe.
It was a very cool experience and it felt safe to be vulnerable and express those things. Some people were crying and others were just smiling uncontrollably. “It was a good assembly, I saw a lot of people crying which was fun and different. I thought it was cool that we could all come together,” said sophomore Macy Slack. Overall it taught the importance of finding support and being able to speak about your past and what you are going through. Everyone is going through hard things and the Say Something assembly sent the message that it’s acceptable to find help and get better.
