Tom Hopkins, who has long taught Life Management to Bolles upper school students, has taken his education in healthy relationships to a new level.

Hopkins recently completed the Escalation Workshop Facilitator certification course through the One Love Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit whose mission is to educate young people about healthy and unhealthy relationships and empower them to identify and avoid abuse. One Love has been an active outreach at Bolles over the years. The group has presented meaningful, emotional convocations on the perils of violent, abusive and toxic dating relationships between young people. In these convocations, representatives from the organization helped students identify warning signs, thwart violence from escalating and become more aware of situations their friends or family might be facing with their partners. On several occasions, these convocations would end in small group discussions about the topic all over campus – providing opportunity for students to engage deeper on the topic.

As COVID redefined much of the group’s programming, Hopkins looked for ways he could integrate the foundation’s course material into his own classroom. Healthy relationships is a topic he covers in Life Management. Hopkins achieved his first certification with One Love two years ago when he began using One Love material in his teaching. With two certifications now complete, Hopkins said the program is gaining traction. Students have a high level of interest in the subject, especially themes around social media postings and some of the unhealthy, conditional elements of the words “I love you.” During this lesson, Hopkins also makes sure students have contact information for the Bolles counselors and local organizations that can provide better insight and support.

Teachers on the Bolles Middle School Bartram Campus also are integrating One Love material and programming into health and wellness lessons on campus. Curriculum from the organization is used during the Grade 8 sexual health unit.

"It is important for our students, as they get ready to head to the upper school, to be able to identify healthy and unhealthy aspects of all types of relationships," said Bartram Health and Wellness Educator and Advisory Program Coordinator Lisa Drew. "We are all (adults and students) involved in many different types of relationships throughout our lifetime: peer, familial, teacher-student, romantic, collegial.  There are healthy and unhealthy aspects of all types of relationships. We want to educate our students so they are empowered to seek out healthy relationships throughout their lives and help those who may not be in healthy relationships."

According to the CDC,  nearly 1 in 11 female teenagers and I in 15 male teens have reported physical dating violence in the past year.

"That, of course does account for the emotional or psychological harm that many face as well," Drew said. "So it is imperative the students are able to identify the signs of an unhealthy relationships."

She said the School also is working with One Love Regional Educator Robin Graber to help advisors better navigate discussions around positive relationships in the middle school world.