ANGOLA, NY – Students at W.G. Houston Middle School spent their lunch periods this week adding their names to a paper chain and writing kind notes for Bullying Prevention Month.

School social worker Nicole Phillips set up a table in the cafeteria. Students stopped by, wrote their names on strips of orange paper, and linked them together. The finished chain now hangs across the cafeteria windows, under signs that read “Bully free starts with me!” and “It’s cool to be kind!”

Students also wrote messages on paper leaves. Some were short and simple, like “You got this” and “I’m so proud of you.” Others were the kind of thing a friend asks, like “Are you OK?” and “Do you want to talk?” The leaves now cover the wall outside the Counseling Center.

Why October Matters

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Schools across the country use it to remind students that kindness is a choice they can make every day. At Houston, the chain makes that point in a way students can see. Every link is one person, and together they stretch across the room.

Students sign their links for the chain during lunch. Kind notes and name strips pile up at the lunch table. A student fills a sheet of leaves with kind messages. Each name becomes one link in the chain. The finished chain hangs across the cafeteria windows. Kind notes from students now line the wall outside the Counseling Center.

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