Seneca Valley teachers paint positive thoughts
JACKSON TWP — When the girls of Seneca Valley Middle School returned to school on Tuesday, they found their bathrooms had been redecorated.
Teachers came in at the end of their summer breaks to adorn six girls' bathrooms with positive messages. The idea is to inspire, motivate and spread positivity to the seventh and eighth grade girls.
“Positive words equal positive actions,” said Tracy Richards, learning support teacher at the middle school. “Middle school years are hard for kids. If we can give them as many positive messages as possible … it'll help them.”
Inspirational quotes and positive affirmations like “I am smart. I am strong. I can do anything,” “You are loved. You are smart. You are important. You are capable” and “One woman can make a difference, but together we can rock the world” are painted on the walls of the bathrooms throughout the school.
The idea came from Richards after she saw a middle school in Atlanta do something similar to great success. She brought up the idea to guidance counselor Jennifer North and they took it to the principals, who loved the idea.
Middle school is a transitional time when students move from childhood into adolescence, said Principal Robert Ceh. It can be just as important to focus on the emotional aspect of a student's development as the academic side, he said, adding that seeing and reading the messages each day in the bathrooms may help them sink in even more.
More than 20 teachers volunteered their time and money in mid-August to decorate the bathrooms near their classrooms.
Organizers said the boys' bathrooms may get the same treatment
