For a week starting Nov. 6, students and staff will be participating in Breaking Down the Walls, a program designed to unify school campuses and spread positivity. The week will kick off with an all-school assembly Monday. Classes will follow an adjusted schedule which can be found here.

“Phil Boyte, who created Breaking Down the Walls, is going to speak at the kickoff assembly for the whole school to understand the purpose of the week,” activities director Mr. Travis Mougeotte said.

After cleaning up the Spooktacular soccer games Friday, leadership students set up for the assembly.

“If you look in the big gym, there’s 300 chairs set up on the floor at their request so Boyte can engage more with those students while still talking to everyone else in the gym,” Mougeotte said.

Following the assembly, the pre chosen student leaders will be trained by Boyte the rest of the day in preparation for the small group workshops taking place Nov. 6-9. During the workshops, students will participate in activities and facilitate conversations about sensitive subjects.

“The purpose of the week is for everyone to understand we all go through the same crap, for lack of a better word, but in the end it is the same so we need to be more compassionate since a lot of people have been through what you have. The goal is to open doors and conversations,” Mougeotte said.

For each of the three days, around 180 students were predetermined to participate in the workshops based upon Breaking Down the Walls guidelines.

“They asked for 15 percent freshmen, 35 percent sophomores, 35 percent juniors and 15 percent seniors; our numbers aren’t perfect but they’re close. Seventy percent of the chosen students were nominated by teachers who felt they would benefit from being involved, maybe they needed a push to engage in conversation or are leaders on campus. The other 30 percent were some people who applied themselves but also some random to make sure there was a diverse mix,” Mougeotte said.

Since so many are participating in the workshops, many classes will have students absent, but otherwise there will be no impact on the normal schedule or classes after Monday.

Student life commissioner Marissa Lewis said, “Students should most definitely be excited for Breaking Down the Walls this week, whether they are just at the assembly or a part of the workshops because it can be absolutely life changing if you allow it to be. Breaking Down the Walls will teach students that they’re not alone, and they will learn many new things about others that they did not know before. It will be an overall amazing experience for both students and staff.”

by DANICA TRAN