At the beginning of October, North Arlington High School celebrated “respect.” To kick off this campaign, we began with the Week of Respect on October 5. School districts all over the state of New Jersey participated in this movement to distinguish the importance of character education. This week-long celebration was dedicated to spreading positivity and educating our community on how to prevent harassment and bullying.

Our goal as a school was to work together to make NAHS a community where every student feels comfortable and safe. In order to do this, the students were reminded that they need to respect themselves, their peers, and their teachers. The primary message of the campaign was that together we can combat all forms of bigotry, hate, and violence.

In an interview, NAHS student Alyssa Mattia described what respect week meant to her. Alyssa stated, “Well in my opinion, respect week was all about remembering the importance of being kind to others. Everyone, whether it’s a loved one or even just your peers, deserves respect. Remembering that everyone has feelings is a very important part of this week and the whole year in general.”

Showing respect comes in all different forms. We all need to take a stand and make sure we celebrate respect not only for one week, but throughout the year. What does respect mean to you? Personally, I believe respect means to treat others the way you’d like to be treated.