Penn Manor High School students were tasked by Invent2Prevent to create a campaign that could reduce targeted violence. The leaders in Penn Manor High School’s Aevidum club rose to the challenge. Aevidum, a mental health club, originated in the state of Pennsylvania when a neighboring school, Cocalico High School, lost a student to suicide. In addition to a focus on preventing suicide, Aevidum seeks to reduce mental health stigma and increase the care students show one another.
For their campaign, the leaders in Penn Manor High School’s Aevidum decided to address targeted school violence. The single most protective factor in violence prevention is social connectedness. The student-created campaign was called “Friday Fun: Flexin’ to de-stress and check-in on our mental health.” Activities included door decorating; a “Fast Friends” BINGO where students shared personal information to build closeness; a visit from pet therapy dogs; the creation of friendship bracelets; interactive games like the “human knot,” where students collaborated to untangle themselves; and other group games.
Invent2Prevent requires students to use psychological science to support their work. One empirical concept that students used as the basis of their campaign was the broaden and build theory (Fredrickson, 2001). This theory suggests that experiencing positive emotions can broaden behavior and thinking and help people build needed skills and resources (Fredrickson, 2001). Students hoped that the inherently fun activities would bolster prosocial relationships and reduce the risk factor of social isolation. Relationships were enhanced when students used the self-disclosure questions in “Fast Friends” (Chopik & Oh, 2022; Sprecher, 2021). For door decorating, students encouraged the use of person-first language (APA, 2023) to increase a sense of belongingness among students and staff.
Through a pre- and post-survey, the leaders of the campaign were able to show that after “Friday Fun” there was a 35% increase in student self-reported feelings of inclusion and a 35% increase in student self-reported willingness to seek help from an adult.
Penn Manor’s “Friday Fun” was chosen as one of three finalists out of 37 participating high schools in Invent2Prevent. Each team of finalists could send up to five students and two adults to Washington D.C. for the final competition. This was an all-expenses paid trip sponsored by EdVenture Partners and the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) of the Department of Homeland Security.
Student finalists had to give a presentation in front of a prestigious panel of judges, including three members from the Department of Homeland Security and a staff member from APA. The presentations took place on June 26, inside the Council on Foreign Relations building.
Penn Manor students were thrilled to learn they were awarded first prize and $5,000 to maintain the program and expand it to other schools. The director of the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3), William Braniff, presented each school with its award.
Is your school interested in doing something similar to address targeted violence? Reach out to Maria Vita for materials to host your own “Friday Fun: Flexin’ to de-stress and check-in on our mental health.” Teachers can visit the Invent2Prevent websiteopens in new window for information about future competitions. For photos of the winning team and students participating in Friday Fun, visit Penn Manoropens in new window or X accountopens in new window.
References
American Psychological Association (2023). Inclusive language guide (2nd ed.) Retrieved from: https://www.apa.org/about/apa/equity-diversity-inclusion/language-guide.pdfopens in new window
Chopik, W.J. and Oh, J. (2022). Implementing the fast friends procedure to build camaraderie in a remote synchronous teaching setting. Teaching of psychology, 51(2), pp. 227-233. https://doi.org/10.1177/00986283211065746opens in new window
EdVenture Partners. (2024). Invent2Prevent. https://www.edventurepartners.com/invent2preventopens in new window
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218opens in new window
Sprecher, S. (2021). Closeness and other affiliative outcomes generated from the Fast Friends procedure: A comparison with a small-talk task and unstructured self-disclosure and the moderating role of mode of communication. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38(5), 1452–1471. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407521996055opens in new window
About the author
Maria Vita is a social studies and psychology teacher at Penn Manor High School in Millersville, Pennsylvania, where she started the Advanced Placement Psychology program. She maintains a laboratory with live rats for ethical research in learning and has expanded the program, requiring additional staff. She has served on the TOPSS Committee as chair and is currently serving on the College Board's Test Development Committee. She is a recipient of the APA TOPSS Excellence in Teaching Award (2012), a finalist for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year (2019), and a recipient of the APA STP Mary Margaret Moffett Memorial Teaching Excellence Award (2023).
