GEORGIA, Vt. –– An amazing duo of superheroes without capes has partnered with Handy Chevrolet to show Georgia students and educators how they can spread HOPE (Hold On, Possibilities Exist) in their classrooms — and beyond.
Sweethearts and Heroes will work at Georgia Elementary and Middle School (GEMS) on Monday, May 1 and Tuesday, May 2. Sweethearts and Heroes is a student empowerment and empathy activation team that aims to prevent bullying and suicide with a focus on social-emotional learning. The media is invited.
The Sweethearts and Heroes team is: Tom Murphy, director, of St. Albans, Vt.; Rick Yarosh, a retired U.S. Army sergeant, HOPE expert and motivational speaker from New York who was burned severely while serving in Iraq; and Pat Fish, an aspiring young leader who first saw Sweethearts and Heroes as a student in South Glens Falls, N.Y.
Sweethearts and Heroes offers a profound, engaging signature presentation that calls for HOPE, Empathy and Action; Circle, which is built on the ancient ritual of communicating in a circle to build empathy; and BRAVES Buddies, which trains older students in bully drills that they, in turn, teach to students in lower grades.
Handy Chevrolet, of St. Albans, is sponsoring Sweethearts and Heroes’ work in Georgia. The North Country Chevy Dealers group is sponsoring Sweethearts and Heroes two-day events at 15 schools in Vermont, New York and New Hampshire during this school year and the next one.
“We’re thrilled to be working in schools for the 2022-2023 school year, and we’re honored that our friends and colleagues in Georgia have invited us to campus,” said Murphy. “The most recent national data tells us that student anxiety and hopelessness are still on the rise — a trend that was escalating before COVID hit — so our work in Georgia is crucial.”
While in Georiga, Murphy and Yarosh will offer students and staff several of their signature presentations about HOPE, Action and Empathy.
Here is the schedule for Georgia
May 1, 2023
Presentation Day
(Middle School Gym)
7th & 8th
9:00AM – 10:30AM
5th & 6th
11:00AM – 12:00PM
LUNCH BREAK
12:00PM – 1:00PM
3rd & 4th
1:00PM – 2:00PM
May 2, 2023
Circles Day
(Back Room in Library)
5th/ 6th Mix
Group 1
9:30AM – 10:30AM
Group 2
10:45AM – 11:45AM
LUNCH BREAK
12:00PM – 1:00PM
7th/ 8th Mix
Outward Mindset Leadership Group
1:00PM – 2:00PM
Rick available for Q&A with 6th grade classes?
Meeting with GEMS staff 3:00PM – 4:00PM?
For more than 15 years, Sweethearts and Heroes has presented what Murphy calls “‘the ‘stop, drop and roll’ of bullying” to more than 2 million students in school districts from New England to Hawaii. Murphy, Yarosh and Fish also tailor their presentations and workshops for businesses, non-profits and civic groups. Murphy said, “We go where we’re needed. That’s what heroes do.”
In 2021, Sweethearts and Heroes released 13 Pillows For Affective Teachers, a novel that covers the themes of HOPE, Empathy and Action in the Sweethearts and Heroes curriculum. 13 Pillows is based on real students and teachers that Sweethearts and Heroes has encountered. Murphy cowrote the book with Brian McKeon, of New York. 13 Pillows is available on Amazon. Digital or printed copies are available upon request. The audiobook is on Audible. (On Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/13Pillows)
For more information on Sweethearts and Heroes, visit:
sweetheartsandheroes.com.
Or watch these short, impactful trailers:
•https://youtu.be/SWY6Lr3LWaY
•https://youtu.be/RnNW42RPhpQ
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetheartsandheroes/
On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChmbRNNgpGWkMRIUxSS-bGg
United States