On Monday, September 20th, HMHS began “Start With Hello Week”. It’s a youth violence prevention program from the Sandy Hook Promise. This program was created because “just saying hello” can create an inclusive community and help prevent incidents similar to Sandy Hook. Each day, students were to follow a certain theme. For example, on Monday, students wore name tags and learned how to greet others in different languages. Tuesday was “School Spirit Day”. Our school colors, blue and white, were to be worn. Next, students wore their favorite shirts on Wednesday. Thursday was “Friendship Day”, where students went on partner walks and got to meet someone new. Lastly, on Friday was “Kindness Day” where a pledge to be kind to others was held at lunch.
Why is “Start With Hello” week so important? According to sandyhookpromise.org, it’s important because the overwhelming feeling of loneliness can cause people to pull away from society, struggle with learning and social development, or choose to hurt themselves or others. Ms. Gallagher, who was associated with the program, helped us with this question. “I think that Start with Hello week is a small, but great way to remind everyone how you can brighten someone else’s day just by saying hello!”

Source: Sandy Hook Promise — Preventing Gun Violence Before it Happens