Area middle schoolers participated in Red Ribbon week assemblies today hosted by Harrison Schools. Students from Alpena, Bergman, Harrison, Omaha, and Valley Springs joined together at Harrison High School's Performing Arts Center to hear a program by Jess Angelique and Mike Dawson of NextEra band.
The duo's "NextGen" assemblies deliver a positive message emphasizing each student's self-worth and the importance of being kind. The message, woven between pop style songs, encourages treating peers with respect. Students were encouraged to value the opinion of people who love and care about them - rather than searching for their worth on social media.
Defined to be Different, one of the presentation's key songs, communicates the message that a person is not defined by what they see in social media or what a classmate may say. The catchy song tells kids they are defined to be different and make a difference. It ends with the lyric, “We are all originals.”
Harrison Middle School team members Ashlee Brothers, Julie Gilbert, and Sandra Keele organized the event, in cooperation with Sherri Hinrichs, and Kyle Evatt from North Arkansas Partnership for Health Education (NAPHE) and Tawanna Manning from Project Prevention.
