ATP (Accentuate the Positive) at Breed
*See the Letter to the Editor from the Voyager Cluster

Why are we doing ATP at Breed?

We wish to celebrate the positive happenings at Breed Middle School.  We would like to shed light on the wonderful work that teachers and students are accomplishing every day in our school and community.

What is the Goal of ATP?

The goal of ATP is to improve the school climate at Breed Middle School.  We will educate students regarding the benefits of an optimistic outlook.

What will ATP look like? 

ATP will be introduced to the students in May via the morning television broadcast.  Posters will adorn the walls with positive sayings such as, “Focus on the cool in the school”, “Notice the good in our ‘hood”, and other such sayings.  Morning commercials will broadcast positive aspects of life at Breed and students and teachers will be invited to appear on TV or submit good news to share with others in the Breed community.

How long will ATP last? 

ATP will last until the end of this school year, and is expected to be carried over into next school year.

How can I get involved?

You can join the ATP committee by seeing Sue O’Connor.  We will compile good news, create bulletin boards, and come up with creative ideas to spread the word. Also let us know about any good news that's happening with you, a friend or in your neighborhood by emailing us at goodnewsatbreed@hotmail.com

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A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty – Winston Churchill

In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip – Daniel Reard

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The following is a letter to the Editor of the Lynn Item from the Voyager Cluster talking about  Accentuating the Positive!

May 18, 2007

Dear Editor,

            We have all noticed that Lynn has become a place where students are not well represented in the news.  There are constantly negative things being said about our community.  In today’s society, we see a lot of gang violence and violence over turf, and which group is better than another group.  Peer pressure has a lot to do with these issues.  One place to get away from all of this negative peer pressure is school.  At school there is peer pressure, but there are also people pushing you in a positive way.  Here at Breed Middle School, we are working to accentuate the positive in all people.

            In Ms. Knight’s English class we read “The Diary of Anne Frank” and learned about all the terrible things that happened to the Jews during the holocaust and how many people were peer pressured into turning against the Jews, even if they didn’t believe in it.  After reading the story and watching the movie, we were all inspired by Miep Gies and the others who risked their lives to help Anne Frank and her family.  We found out that, at the age of 98, Miep was still alive and well and living in Amsterdam.  We then decided to write her letters of thanks and appreciation. 

            Reading about all these things Miep and the others had done got us to start thinking about why more people couldn’t be like Miep.  Why can’t people get along with other people, without fighting and arguing?  Our cluster at school is like a small community.  We help each other and we all treat one another equally.  Of course we are not perfect, and we do fight at times, but what is so great about us is that we accept one another for who we are and try not to make anyone feel left out.  Miep loved and accepted the Frank family as they were during a very difficult time and that’s why we admire her so much.

            We were hoping to hear back from Miep, but also recognize that she receives an overwhelming amount of letters each year.  We were shocked when we recently received a letter in return from her.  She answered many of the questions we had and addressed some of us by name.  It just goes to show that her work of inspiring others is never done.

            Our cluster was truly inspired by how much Miep cared for the Frank family and all the people that were persecuted during the holocaust, and now we are hoping to carry on Miep’s message here in Lynn. 

            We decided to write this letter to the paper and ask that it be published so that people can be proud of where they live and know that not all schools, or students, are bad.  It also shows that there are kids in Lynn that are determined to go after their goals and want to make Lynn a better place.  We want people to hear good news about the students in their community and not just the bad.

            We thank you for taking the time to read our story.  Hopefully this message will inspire others.

Sincerely,  

Angelica, Jacob, Melissa, Shana,
and the rest of the Voyager Cluster

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