Members of Team Rival recently participated in an Adventures in Respect training on the new baseball field. Team Rival is a program created by District Attorney Michael Morrissey, encouraging students to make healthy decisions by competing with other schools throughout the year.

Mrs. Clougher, the advisor for Team Rival, says, “Bringing schools together in friendly competition allows students to realize that others have the same concerns that they do. It facilitates empowering conversations and self-discovery.”

Adventures in Respect is typically held at the Hockomock YMCA in North Attleboro. Holbrook was scheduled to attend this event a few months ago, but inclement weather forced it to be rescheduled. Instead, staff from the YMCA came to Holbrook on June 11, 2018.

During this four-hour training, students went through team building activities, such as untangling knots in a rope while everyone was holding on to it and carrying their classmates through a ring. These games were meant to teach participants about the importance of teamwork and communication.

While some of these activities seemed complicated, Joe, one of the YMCA staff members, reminded them that “the real challenge is bringing these skills back inside.”

Students were also invited to talk about the school culture and the different factors that affect it. They were encouraged to think about how their actions could contribute to a kinder, more inclusive community.

Adventures in Respect is one of many activities the students participated in throughout the year. They also attended the annual Peer Leadership Conference, learned about distracted driving with Distractology, and participated in local substance abuse coalition meetings with Holbrook Cares. In fact, some members of this group combined their efforts with Team Rival, The 84 Movement, and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) to create Bulldogs Care, a youth-led sector of the Holbrook Cares coalition.

Clougher says, “[Team Rival] brings youth together, giving them the opportunity to have their voices heard about various issues and situations that affect their lives. It encourages students to make a difference in their community.”