Join us in honoring schools from across the country. Each winner receives national recognition due to their outstanding Say Something Week participation, student leadership, and enthusiasm!
Sandy Hook Promise extends our deepest gratitude to the students, educators, and administrators. They worked in virtual, in-person, and hybrid school environments to launch creative activities that celebrated Upstanders and Trusted Adults. View the inspiring videos from the award winners below.
Award Winning Schools and SAVE Promise Clubs
Canton High School, Connecticut
The Canton High School SAVE Promise Club is rising up and moving mountains! The new Club organized and ran a successful Trusted Adult identification and showcase activity as well as a tabling event involving the Say Something pledge.
Teachers got involved by facilitating Sandy Hook Promise lessons in homeroom chat sessions. They showed Public Service Announcements, practiced identifying warning signs of violence, and ran simulations of students reaching out to a Trusted Adult after identifying a warning sign. Coming soon, the SAVE Promise Club will be distributing a survey to find out the impact and effectiveness of their Say Something Week.
North Marion Middle School SAVE Promise Club, Florida
The North Marion Middle School’s (NMMS) SAVE Promise Club led a school-wide Say Something Week extravaganza and are showing they really are changing the world. In addition to awareness photo booths, banners, and a pledge wall, all NMMS students were trained in the Say Something program during third period.
Upstanders and Trusted Adults received lanyards showcasing the three steps, and students were invited to take a gallery walk down a hall with statistics and “Social media posts I should Say Something about…” The SAVE Promise Club student leaders celebrated this year’s accomplishments by hosting a viewing party for the National SAVE Youth Summit.
Palos School District 118 SAVE Promise Club, Illinois
Palos South greens-out for Say Something Week each year. This year, they included swag bags with Say Something tee-shirts and face masks. On Trusted Adult Thursday, first responders and faculty across the campus organized a welcome parade for students.
“The parade was full of Trusted Adults throughout the community, including police and firefighters, who were holding signs and cheering for our kids. That parade was featured on our local news here in Chicago. Students were also encouraged to write letters to Trusted Adults, thanking them for their support throughout the school year.” Their signature ‘Fly Together Friday’ shows that the Say Something message is supported community-wide.
Triad Math and Science Academy SAVE Promise Club, North Carolina
This was the Academy’s first-ever Say Something Week! Events were planned and produced by 6th-8th grade students trained in both Start With Hello and Say Something earlier in the school year.
These student leaders were eager to share the messages with the rest of the student body. But first wanted to know more about what their peers knew and thought about violence prevention and school safety. They created a survey to gather baseline data to gauge beliefs and experiences surrounding school violence prevention.
In addition to daily themed activities, students hosted a March Tiger Teen Summit on the topic of Say Something. During this virtual summit, leaders shared survey results, and students had a chance to engage in a student-led Town Hall. Snitching versus being an upstander was a hot topic. Great student leadership, Tigers!
Vero Beach High School, Florida
Vero Beach High School students ran a Recognize Your Upstanders and Trusted Adult Green Heart Day. The celebration included photo booth props to exclaim statements such as ‘Why I Say Something,’ and a ‘Say Something from the Heart’ activity. For Say Something from the Heart, students and staff were provided with a green heart to write words of inspiration or a positive motto to send to students and staff at Newtown High School, Connecticut.
They sought to recognize that the students from Sandy Hook Elementary School “should now be in high school and this is a way for our students and staff to let them know they are not forgotten, and our hearts go out to them from VBHS.” Throughout the week, Teachers, Counselors, and School Resource Officers were involved in the activities and festivities.
Westmont Hilltop High School, Pennsylvania
It was an all-out green-out at Westmont Hilltop High School and across the entire community! Everyone got involved in the Say Something initiative including the library, old stone bridge, banks, and women’s help center. The local steel mill showed support and solidarity by adding green to their hard hats!
The SAVE Promise Club organized the town going green initiative. The student leaders “empower others to act” at Westmont Hilltop High School. One way they did this was by training 5th, 6th, and 7th-grade students on how to report warning signs and threats on the Safe2Say Anonymous Reporting System.
“Growing the SAVE Promise Club to 18 members this year, students have truly taken ownership of the curriculum – one student sharing after their first presentation that they can’t believe they get to actively improve their own school!”
Honorable Mention
Academy for International Education Charter School, Florida
The Aviators promised to support others who need help, be non-judgmental, and care for the community during this special Say Something Week. They created a Trusted Adult display wall and spread kindness by giving one another ‘You Matter because’ notes.
Everyone was involved including the art and theater classes. The “You Matter Day” and “I am a Trusted Adult. You Can Trust Me Because…” initiatives engaged students, teachers, and school staff. Thank you, Aviators!
Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary School, California
“Say Something Week was a wonderful way to spend our last week with our original students and families before everything changed. It was beautiful to see how students and families participated as well as hear about the activities teachers created and the discussions led in each classroom.” See their presentation.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Elementary School, Florida
SAVE Promise Club Advisor and School Counselor, Cindy Bennett, presented a breakout session at the National SAVE Youth Summit on the topic ‘Anti-Violence During Covid: It Can Be Done!’ Cindy and the SAVE Promise Club led the entire school in learning the Sandy Hook Promise programs this year.
You can learn about their Say Something Week by watching their presentation.
North Broward Preparatory School, Florida
According to SAVE Promise Club student leader Izzy: “The student members of the Feltingoff SAVE Promise Club play a huge leadership role when it comes to planning Say Something Week and the activities that we organize for it.
This year during our school’s Say Something Week, students helped to decorate the school with positive messages. They presented the importance of saying something to other students of all different ages and participated in contests such as writing an essay or poem and designing a poster that represents what Say Something Week means to them.
Through these activities, the students of our club were able to help engage the rest of the students at our school in Say Something Week and educate everyone on the importance behind the week.” Watch their video.
Peekskill Middle and High School, New York
It was all about getting to know the Trusted Adults in the Peekskill Middle and High Schools for Say Something Week this year. Educators shared personalized Trusted Adult posters with all students that stated: My Trusted Adult in Middle/High School was…; You Can Trust Me Because…, and I Keep My Mind Healthy by….
The end of Peekskill’s Trusted Adult slideshow states: “You Mean the World to Us.” What a wonderful way to celebrate Say Something Week and share stories, advice, and reinforce that a community of care is available to all students! See their content on Canva.
Santa Clara Elementary School, Florida
Parents were an integral part of Say Something Week at Santa Clara Elementary School. They received posters and were invited to a special Mental Health Zoom webinar. Students wore green for the entire week. Great community involvement!
Seminole Middle School, Florida
Principal Michael Moss shares his enthusiasm for student leadership and involvement in Say Something Week. He stated, “the purpose of these activities is to foster that collaborative and caring spirit across the school.” Thanks to the SAVE Promise Club, activities were scheduled for the entire week.
According to Club members, “Our club did an activity every day at our school. On Monday, all classes viewed a PowerPoint about Say Something Week explaining the three steps, a Trusted Adult, and why it is important to be an upstander. Tuesday, the club members created the chalk walk shown in the video above. This video was also shown on our local news Channel 8.”
South Lake Middle School, California
Discussions and slideshows centered on how to keep the community safe online and after school. Students were encouraged to be leaders within their own social circles and radiate hope to others throughout the school community. Students were reminded to use the Anonymous Reporting System, go to Trusted Adults, and took a pledge that included writing down their support system. See their presentation.
South Weber Elementary School, Utah
South Weber students submitted their video for the inaugural Sandy Hook Promise Say Something pep rally and celebrated friendship! “Students showed how they can be a friend to all. How to uplift each other, how to encourage each other, and how to be there for each other. Our school is incredible at making sure everyone fits in and has a friend.”
Stranahan High School, Florida
Stranahan students shared their Say Something video with Broward General Hospital as a way to thank the health care workers. As a result of this initiative, more than 1,300 students and adults have viewed the video!
Swansboro High School, North Carolina
The SAVE Promise Club improvised this year due to COVID restrictions. Instead of the popular Meet-at-the-Fence event, the SAVE Promise Club organized a Kindness Parade for 1,000 students and 150 adults.
Teachers and students decorated classroom doors with kindness-related themes: Magnolia Award – Charm of hospitality to others; Cherry Blossom – demonstrates being future SAVE leaders; Rose Award – Show of Inclusiveness; Anthurium Award – Most Kindness; and Hydrangeas Award – Unity in Swansboro High School.
The band played and students enjoyed strolling past the decorated doors. According to a teacher, “we were so pleased by the response we got from the teachers and students and parents. We chose kindness because of COVID and everyone just needs a reminder to be kind and that kindness matters so much when we are struggling. I was so happy to see the students organize these events.”
About Say Something
Say Something teaches the warning signs and behaviors that could lead to someone hurting themselves or others. It teaches individuals how to safely report these signals and potential threats and provides tools to help promote and reinforce the training.
