Frederick Smith School named “The Olweus School of the Year”

The Frederick Smith Secondary School has won “The Olweus School of the Year” award for 2016/2017, for its efforts at denouncing bullying, as well as other forms of youth violence.

The award was presented to Deputy Principal Clyde Collymore and Chairman of the school’s Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee, Simeon Nicholls by Jane Riese, Associate Director, Safe and Humane Schools of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Programme at the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, Clemson University, USA.

She was in Barbados to join in Supreme Counselling for Personal Development’s Celebrate Kindness Week of Activities, under the theme, “Creating a Bully Free Barbados”, and the actual award presentation was made on Friday, designated as “Celebrate Kindness No Name Calling Day”.

“How we treat each other matters,” Riese told the students of Frederick Smith.

Shawn Clarke, CEO of Supreme Counselling for Personal Development and Certified National Olweus Bullying Prevention Trainer & Consultant, who runs the Olweus Bullying Prevention programme in schools, meanwhile noted that Frederick Smith holds a special place in his heart, as it is the school where he got his education and his foundation for life.

“It made something of Shawn Clarke and it can make something of each and every one of you,” Clarke told the students, as he encouraged them to work to make their school one of the best in the island and to continue to step up and speak out against all forms of bullying.

Chairman of the Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee, Simeon Nicholls also encouraged the students to speak out against bullying and to work to eliminate it.

“Don’t be afraid to say no, that is not right, that isn’t nice, even if you are the only person saying so,” he advised.

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Programme was initially launched in February 2013. Supreme Counselling and the Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committees of the participating schools, have since continued to educate and raise awareness about the different forms of bullying, while focusing on empowering bystanders.

During SCPD’s “Celebrate Kindness No Name Calling Day” on Friday, a mural against bullying was also unveiled at Frederick Smith, and student Reynardo Wickham as rewarded for his artistic contribution to that mural. The unveiling was witnessed by Jane Riese and her husband Don Riese; Julie Sorenson, Vice President of Customer Relations with the Sprigeo Online Reporting App in the USA, who officially launched the anti-bullying app here in Barbados, as well as her husband Greg Sorenson.

Ambassador against bullying, Peter Ram, as well as other entertainers Marzville, spoken word artiste Adrian Green, the Multifarious Dancers and Lava Lamp later entertained teachers and students, before the SCPD team moved on with its tour of two other schools, Wesley Hall Infants and Grantley Adams.