School Highlights

“Don’t Laugh At Me” Program

Awarded Urban Grant 2003

By: Ann McCall

Public Information Coordinator

Franklin Township Board of Education

732-873-2400 Ex.290

amccall@franklinboe.org

The National Education Association Urban Grant Program awarded Franklin Township Education Association’s School Climate Committee $5,000.00 grant. The grant was use to fund the Climate Committees unique plan to combat anti-social behaviors of intolerance and bullying. This new initiative called “Don’t Laugh At Me” is a district wide training program for faculty and students.

Diane Mazurowski and Ernest Batha, the committee’s co-chairs, explain that the goal of the program “is to help curb negative behaviors associated with bullying, student ostracism and intolerance and work towards their elimination”. The program emphasizes the skills, abilities and values of a compassionate learning community. The program was piloted at the Pine Grove Manor School (grades 2 and 3) in April 2003. Participants from Pine Grove Manor School, MacAfee Road School, Franklin Park School, Hillcrest School and Sampson G. Smith School attended the workshop, as well as representatives from the Administration Office, Franklin Township Police Department and the Transportation Department in Franklin.

Students and faculty who participated in the workshop wrote words of encouragement and kindness on quilt pieces, which were then sewn together by Diane Mazurowski. The 8 by 10 foot quilt was on display at Pine Grove Manor School and will be hand delivered to the National Education Association in Washington DC, sometime in December. Along with the large quilt, a scrapbook was kept which will also be given to the NEA in Washington. A smaller quilt was sewn with some of the pieces, and this will be on permanent display at Pine Grove School.

Franklin Township was one of only 21 NEA Urban Grants that were awarded in 2003 throughout the country. For more information regarding the NEA Urban Grant program, log onto their website at www.nea.org/grants/urban/. For more information regarding the Don’t Laugh At Me Program, you can contact Diane Mazurowski, Climate Committee Co-Chair, through Ann McCall, Public Information Coordinator, 732-873-2400 Ex.290.

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