Leaving a Positive Footprint
LEXI FRANCK (with the scissors) helps Sydney Lofthus cut out her footprint last Wednesday. (John Dowd/Clark Fork Valley Press)
ADDY DEAL looks for colored markers while Lexi Franck and Sydney Lofthus put theirs away. (John Dowd/Clark Fork Valley Press)
KAILEY BROWN helps a younger student place her footprint high on the wall. (John Dowd/Clark Fork Valley Press)
WYATT BROTHERTON tracing out a younger student’s foot. (John Dowd/Clark Fork Valley Press)
The Thompson Falls middle and elementary schools participated in a new anti-bullying campaign last week.
“Leaving a Positive Footprint” was started by Grimmer Elementary in Fremont, California. It is now a part of Thompson Falls schools adopted Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. This program was started by Dr. Dan Olweus, who hailed from Norway.
Olweus spent decades studying bullying and, in the 1970s started the first systematic research on bullying and published it in 1973. In 2001, Norwegian schools implemented Olweus’ anti-bullying program which proved incredibly successful.
It reported reductions of more than 50% in bullying reports and was so successful it was brought to the U.S. and now hundreds of schools across the country use this program.
“Leaving a Positive Footprint” is a program that takes middle school, or older, students and pairs them with elementary, or younger students, and has them work together.
In the process the older student will trace the younger students feet out onto a sheet of paper and the pair then will cut out the feet and inscribe a positive message that he or she would like to portray to their peers and to the community.
Some of the messages included: “help someone today,!” “You are awesome,” “Believe in yourself,” “You are loved!” and “Stand up for what is right.”
Once the feet are cut out the students will decorate them and give one to Elementary School counselor Rob Christensen or Mrs. Buchanan who brought in the supplies and is employed by Sanders County Coalition for Families. Buchanan teaches art lessons at the school every week since the art programs at Thompson Falls are no longer funded.
The foot that they kept the students were then instructed to place anywhere in the school they thought people would be able to see and to read their message. The foot they handed off would then be placed by Christensen or Buchanan somewhere in the community, either at a local business or public place.
In this manner, community members would also be able to read the students’ messages and benefit from them.
Thompson Falls Elementary tried the program last year, but a late start resulted in the footprints being placed throughout the community late in the year, so the messages didn’t get to be enjoyed for as long.
This year Thompson Falls decided to do the program early, so that the messages could be enjoyed throughout the school year.
The event was organized by Christensen and Buchanan and has been well received by the kids and the community.