Fegely Middle School held a special event to remind students that despite hardships and challenges along the way, someone can be there support them. Someone can hold the rope.
Hold the Rope was started by South Haven Principal Phill Misecko, who after hearing the term through varsity basketball, adapted it for a school setting and brought it to teachers and students.
“The main message we want to send with hold the rope is that there is always someone there to offer support,” says Misecko. “Middle school is one of the most socially and emotionally awkward times for students and by letting them know that someone is there to hold the rope for them, they know that someone will be there for them.”
‘We have successfully managed to bring this message to the students at Fegely Middle School,” says Principal Tom Martin. The concept of hold the rope has built a strong relationship between students and teachers. You can go to any student and ask them if they are holding the rope and they will know what it means. Students can always choose a positive and negative outcome and hold the rope helps them see that.”
During the presentation, one of the guest speakers was former Fegely student Charles Barney, who shared his story on the difficulty and hardship he faced during his middle school years and how through the guidance of caring people in his life, was able to overcome that hardship.
“I was able to make my way through the difficult times through having caring people in my life at Fegely Middle School,” says Barney. “There were people there who were able to make me feel safe and make me feel loved. They held the rope for me.”
In addition to Barney’s speech, seven students were invited to share the teacher they will pass the rope to for the rest of the year. Each of the students gave a short speech on why they choose each teacher.
“I think it’s hard to talk about yourself, to talk about yourself and your trouble, but we want students to know that you can’t always control what happens to you. You can’t control what happens in your life. You can control how it affects you though, and prevent yourself from suffering later on in life,” says Misecko.