Character building is central to the mission of Byron-Bergen Jr./Sr. High School, and it is particularly important for ninth-graders as they make the transition to high school. The school held a special orientation session on August 31 for freshmen students and their families that included a presentation on character and responsible social media use.
“Now is the time to increase student awareness of the potential pluses and minuses of having an online presence,” said Principal Patrick McGee. “We want kids to take advantage of the valuable connections social media can put at their fingertips. But we don’t want any of our students to make costly mistakes that might affect their futures.”
At the center of the school’s orientation was guest speaker Scott Fitch, a respected expert on social media and cyberbullying as well as the varisty basketball coach at Fairport High School. His message, “Pause before you post” serves as a strong warning to young people who often do not consider the consequences of their actions on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and other social media platforms.
Fitch challenged his young audience to share their unedited posts with him and with their parents. He asked them if they would feel comfortable doing that: if they were proud of how their posts represented them. He reminded students that nothing is ever private online.
Fitch told of experiences his own students had, of being turned down for valuable scholarships or job opportunities because decision-makers had looked them up online and felt they did not represent the values of the organization. Even top high school athletes have missed college recruitment opportunities because of a single ill-advised post, discriminatory statement, or cyberbullying activities.
Students gave positive feedback and many parents told McGee they felt the message was something every student at the school would benefit from hearing.
The Byron-Bergen Central School District’s emphasis on educating the whole student earned it the designation of New York District of Character from Character.org for 2015-2018. BBCSD’s district-wide framework for character education teaches students about leadership, ethics, decision-making and respect.
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