The school was proud to host the Respect My Red Leadership Training Institute for area high-school students on preventing sexual misconduct, healthy relationships, and peer leadership the evening of Mon., Apr. 8. Concurrently, Holton also hosted the Respect My Red Policy Institute for educators.
Respect My Red is an educational outreach program that promotes respect as the foundation for all relationships. The organization's Development Director, national student safety expert Katie Koestner, has a longstanding relationship with the school, having served as a guest speaker on sexual assault over the years. When she approached Holton about offering workshops for local schools this year, Upper School Counselor Annette Levitine-Woodside was enthusiastic about how well it dovetailed the school's existing health and well-being programming.
More than 40 area independent schools were invited to the simultaneous workshops, as were Holton educators and students in grades 10 through 12. Through lectures and small-group discussions, the student Leadership Training Institute covered topics such as the differences between sexual harassment, misconduct, and assault; gender-based discrimination; signs of unhealthy relationships; what constitutes consent; and ways to intervene as a bystander.
"The program was a great complement to the education we are already providing students," said Mrs. Levitine-Woodside. "It gave students more in-depth and additional content, with a lot of emphasis on the nuances that exist in relationships and in potentially abusive behavior. It was also great to be able to have conversations about these critical issues in coed groups of students from different schools across the area, so students could connect with one another and hear more perspectives."
The Policy Institute for area teachers, school staff, and administrators covered many of the same topics, and also shared detailed information about best practices for drafting school policies, responding to incidents, and more.
Learn more about Respect My Red here.