On October 6, 2021, Dr. Brian Ceccarelli, founder of the ItsTime2! organization will be speaking to our students about mental health awareness, anti-bullying efforts, and the alarming rate of teen suicide. This presentation utilizes a mix of powerful videos, personal stories, and factual statistics that touch upon topics which may affect many of our students. These topics include: bullying, cyber-bullying, depression, and family or friends in crisis. The overall message is a very important one: our students need to be honest with themselves and with others. If they are going through challenging times, they need to reach out to an adult, tell someone how they are doing, and get additional help if needed.
From past experience we know that hearing stories of overcoming personal challenges can be rewarding and empowering. We also know that for some students these stories may trigger difficult memories and emotions. If this is a potential concern of yours or you feel that this presentation may be too much for your child at this stage in his/her life you may opt your child out of the assembly. I would encourage you, however, to preview the website (https://www.itstime2.org) and check out the videos under the Stories tab. Please use this presentation as a discussion point with your child as we have found that many students, after hearing the program, are anxious to discuss these topics with their parents.
To opt your child out of the presentation please email Mrs. Amber Grayson, graysona@ndapandas.org, by October 1.