If so, now is the time to celebrate. As you may know, the Blue Ribbon award is given to the elite schools across the country and is considered to be the highest honor that a school in America can achieve.

For this reason, there is a lot of criteria that a school must abide by in order to get recognized. Basically a school does a self assessment and then it creates a strategic plan to improve. This takes the school administration and the community working together to fill the educational achievement gap that was exposed in the self-evaluation.

Schools are to keep the U.S. Department of Education updated on its progress all through the application process. At the end after a review panel makes their recommendations, the U.S. Secretary of Education announces the schools selected to attain the blue ribbon award.

Schools who have won the award consistently every five years are considered the best in the nation. Schools that hold this award have changed the communities in which they reside. Even the housing market around the awarded institution increases with many families wanting their children to attend a blue ribbon school.

Since this award comes every five years, why not celebrate by having a pep rally or by hiring an educated youth motivational speaker to come in and get your school excited about reducing the achievement gap. Maybe you have applied and need that little extra push to get all your students on board so they exactly what’s at stake. Some students need a little motivation to keep them on track.

If your school has entered the blue ribbon program and would like to partner with us in hosting school assemblies, please get in contact with us for more information on our education speaker services.

Learn more about this goverment program here: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html

I believe that we can show kids how to respond using love and kindness, they will no longer be victims of bullying. I do this at school assemblies using humor before presenting serious information.

The Golden Rule

I help students understand the Golden Rule which is to treat others the way you want to treated. The funny thing about this approach is that it’s designed to be used on people who are mean to you. That’s why it’s so effective when implemented the right way.

So I teach by role playing. The best way that people learn is by seeing a thought in action, I mean that’s how adults learn, they are trained to do their job. So the best way that Parents and Teachers can show kids how to respond to bullies is by role playing different situations they might find themselves in at school. For example, name calling happens a lot in schools and I like to show kids how to respond to name calling. I first tell kids that fights don’t start off as fights, there is something else that happens that escalates into a fight.

So most ongoing bullying can be eliminated by harnessing the golden rule. The reason why it works is because it’s hard to be mean to someone who is consistently nice to you. The keyword is consistent. The moment kids give in to a bully by responding with hate or violence, they win, they get what they want. So I teach students to respond with love and kindness and bullies will leave them alone. Not only that, but some bullies will become friends with the people who are nice to them. We all know that hurt people hurt people and some bullies are hurting and they just want somebody to be nice to them. They are willing to push people away but if we teach kids to stand their ground and show them love and respect, it just might be what was needed for them to turn their lives around. Always remember that Love is Greater than hate. Remember to tell Principals about my anti-bullying program and to invite me to be a guest speaker at their schools.

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend. -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On this campus there are 11 members on the No Place For Hate club. At each presentation I encouraged students to be a part of the program because students are learning how to loving and respectful to each other. The more we can teach students to show love and respect, the better off we will be as a society. Emilia, the event planner who happens to be the art teacher, was telling me about two suicides that were recent in the district. One was due to a bad breakup but she mentioned that the other could be traced to bullying.

A lot of kids have been hurting themselves due to bullying and now that the Bully Movie has come out it shines light to why students are killing themselves, a term being thrown around is committing Bullycide. I don’t think there is anything better than student led organizations on campus. Adults can have programs for students but when kids can invite other kids to be a part of something big on campus, it helps develop the leaders that we need. So three assemblies took place at the middle school and each of them address the issue of bullying and how to reduce it on campus. I was able to share about how love is great than hate and I showed teens how to respond to bullies using love and kindness, basically implementing the Golden Rule. Everywhere I speak I asked teens if they know what the Golden Rule is, and so far it’s been 100% of the schools that I go to, they know exactly what it means, treat others the way you want to be treated. I just show them what that looks like in their lives.

Ramirez used the analogy of how the brain works the same way as basic operating software that a computer has. The more experiences we have in life, the more our brain develops, as if it is installing software. We grow by using our 5 senses: Touch, Smell, Sight, Taste and Hearing. Our brain develops over a 20 year period, and anything we do to stop the growth of our brain can be detrimental.

When teens use psychoactive drugs such as alcohol or marijuana, their brain could skip a step it needs to develop properly. Drugs mess with the basic functions that brains have and it causes it to go wild. Ramirez said it’s like a computer having a virus, it effects what it was created to do. Fabian used the example of smoking marijuana. When a person smokes, it doesn’t matter if they just finished eating at a buffet, their brain will tell them that they are hungry. This is why teens often get the munchies after smoking.

The scariest part of using psychoactive drugs is that they cause your heart rate to increase and if your body doesn’t know how to control your heart rate, it could stop beating. Marijuana causes the blood vessels in the eyeball to expand. What happens is arteries in the eyeball expands making the eyes to appear bloodshot and the eyelids will want to shut. This is why Glaucoma patients are prescribed marijuana to smoke. When teens abuse this drug, it causes them to have mood changes, often feeling food with constant laughter. We must continue to educate teens on why staying away from drug usage is important not only during their teens years but throughout their lifetime. If you are a school administrator, you may consider having anti-drug activities during Red Ribbon Week which is the last week of October every year.

Fabian is an energetic, humorous and very talented speaker who uses his experience to connect with young people. His message is strong and clear, and I highly recommend him! – Daniel J. Dunlap, Special Agent

They designed their own shirts which on the front say, Stop Bullying within a stop sign and underneath it they have the Like Button like you would see on Facebook. In the back of the shirt they have the slogan that they came up with, “Think before you click”. Many in the auditorium were wearing the shirts to show their support of the SADD chapter on campus. These programs help students take initiative at school and it help them take leadership positions on campus.

The chapter was created by one of the teachers on campus, but it’s really a student led program. For example, the students created a cyberbullying video and showed it to the student body at the beginning of each school assembly. The video will also be submitted into a nationwide contest where chapters from across America will submit their videos as well.

As you can see, the SADD organization has done a fantastic job at getting students and teachers involved in spreading the word on campuses about how to keep student from making destructive decisions. They also make it a point to let students know the consequences that their decisions can have on themselves, their families and the people around them.

Fabian Ramirez was the keynote speaker at each assembly at Hutto High School and he was able to talk about how Love is great than hate (Love>Hate). He basically taught students how to implement the Golden Rule in their every day lives and when they show love and respect to others, they instantly become leaders because people will want to follow them. I recommend hiring Fabian to be the next anti-bullying speaker at your next school assembly.

SADD Chapter at Hutto HS

As you know every year schools across America wear red ribbons to show their support to remain drug free.

One of the best ways to get your students fired up during the campaign is to hire a red ribbon week speaker to address the issues with drugs and alcohol. Students love to hear from others who have experience with drugs and talk about why drug prevention is so important. School assemblies are the best avenue to share information to the whole school at one time.

In addition to bringing in a guest speaker, schools can have red ribbon week activities that students can do during the week. For example, schools have done contests during the week to get everyone involved. You can see who can decorate their door the best. Another idea is to have hallway projects that each class can do.

You want the kids to take action so you may consider purchasing or creating a banner with a drug free slogan and have all the kids sign it so that they can pledge to be drug free.

If you would like more information about hiring a speaker, please contact us.

You start off watching home videos of a little boy having a good time on camera. The next scene is of a father talking about that boy and how he was a good kid. He goes on to point out how he was being bullied at school and as a result the boy took his own life. Later we get to see the closet in which the boy hung himself.

The movie did paint school administrators as weak and unwilling to put a stop to bullying. Even when questioning kids that were reported to be picking on another students, one of the school counselors told the student that if he continues to misbehave that she was going to report it and put it in his disciplinary folder. The response came off comic as many in the theater chuckled as if they were in unison for wanting a harsher action toward the kid. When kids know the consequences for their behavior is weak and tolerate, they weigh out those consequences and decide that getting in trouble is okay. They must be told how they can really be reprimanded.

For example, one of the girls in the film decided that she was going to take her mom’s gun to school and ended up pulling the gun out on the bus and waved it as the teens who were picking on her. Well her actions caused her to get 40+ accounts of kidnapping because of that incident. She ended up having all the charged dropped but she could’ve received a sentence of over 100 years behind bars because of that.

Bullying is psychological, it messes with your mind. It makes you do some crazy things. It’s no wonder that 71% of school shooters were bullied at school. Even in the film, one of the main kids said his friends choke him, call him the “B” word and his reaction is to cover for them and say that they’re just playing around. He became immune to bullying. We definately don’t want our students to think that they deserve to be hit or worse that it’s their fault that kids pick on them.

What the Bully movie is missing

The movie does a good job at showing the problem among kids and school administrators and city officials. What the movie does not do is give a better idea of how to help students. I’m a parent and it leaves me scared out of my mind to even think about sending my child to school. In fact as I was leaving the theater I overheard a lady say, “well now I’m scared that my son is going to kill himself”. So you walk away with a feeling that if my kid is being picked on, then my kid may kill themselves.

I would’ve liked to see more about how to walk kids through bullying, how to teach kids how to respond to bullies. My biggest weapon against bullying to teaching kids how to repond to misbehavior. If we can teach kids how to respond to bullies, they will be able to stand up for themselves and others.

Instead we tell kids to intervene when they see another kid get picked on and we forget to empower and equip them on how to do so. The ending of the movie was starting to get good as it showed rallies in different citites to combat bullying but again all it did was raise the fact that kids are killing themselves, and yes it said that we need to be a voice for kids, but students need techniques on how to respond to bullies. Implementing the Golden Rule is one of the best ways in which we can show kids how to respond to bullies. My hope is that in a follow-up film, students are taught how to respond and then filmed on implementing what they learn. In the meantime, kuddos to director Lee Hirsch for raising awareness about bullying in schools. Parents, Teachers, School officials, Families, it takes all of our involvement to keep schools a safe place for children.

Here is the trailer to the movie that I recommend parents take their teens to see so they can start a conversation about bullying at their school:

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I’ll be sharing a lot of information and resources with you as you look into different speakers. My expertise is anti-bullying and anti-drug prevention.For example, every year I’m asked to speak at schools during Red Ribbon Week, here is NBC News coverage from my time in Casper, Wyoming. http://www.kcwy13.com/news

Red Ribbon Speaker in Casper, Wyoming

Also, as you may know, October is National Anti-Bullying Month,

and schools across the country scramble to have an emphasis at their school to help address the issue.

The students were so excited to have me come to their school. I signed a pledge against bullying at the end of every school assembly. This day was made possible through the help of the school’s PTA. Here is the Press Release from the event.

I often get asked about the price to have me come to a school. I try to keep my integrity rates consistent.

Here’s a tip to help fund my program:

The biggest way to afford my program is to split the cost between two schools in the same district. Let’s say there are two middle schools in the same district wanting a speaker. I would work with one person to finalize a speaking agreement. On the date agreed upon, I would speak at one school in the morning and the second school in the afternoon.

red ribbon week speaker

Are you considering having Fabian Ramirez to come and speak to your school, but are not sure about when or on what topic? Here are some creative ways to utilize his expertise and motivation to help make the most of your school events.

Red Ribbon Week is a critical part of our country’s drug prevention efforts. Sadly, too many costly, inefficient efforts utilized by most schools fail to make a big enough impact because they aren’t engaging enough to the students.

How can you get your students to really feel inspired and motivated to take the pledge to be drug free unless you can get them to understand it on an emotional level? The answer is Fabian Ramirez.

Fabian’s ability to inspire youth to reach higher and lead better lives is astounding. He isn’t just motivation only, he also provides your students with the realities of the consequences that will most likely face them if they choose to allow drugs into their lives. Keep in mind that Red Ribbon Week usually takes place at the end of October so be sure to book Fabian well in advance.

Fabian also has experience speaking at schools during Cultural Awareness Week, Health Day and many other events. Some of his specialties are speaking about bullying, dropout prevention and youth leadership.

Are you worried about the costs of having a speaker come and speak to your students? You don’t need to be any longer because depending on your theme, federal grant money might be available to cover any expenses.

For example, Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA) might approve a funding request for a speaker who addresses alcohol and drug prevention, sexual abstinence, tobacco use, teen pregnancy, gangs, crime and violence prevention. All of these are topics Fabian covers with incredible effects on the students.

To start the process of getting the grant money, check with your school district or federal government office to find out who is dispensing these funds in your state. It will be grant money well spent as your student body responds and takes on a new fresh perspective. All you need to do now is simply request an application form from them and get the ball rolling.

The next time you need a guest speaker for an assembly or a youth event where you want to truly make a deep impact that will effect the lives of your students, look no further than Fabian Ramirez.

Contact Fabian today about the possibility of him coming to your school or youth event.

Thankfully you found this site, because we are here to help guide you in changing the lives of your students. In fact, that is what we are dedicated to, changing lives and making an impact.

There are many resources to help you financially accomplish your goals. Some are easier to obtain than others, so lets start with the easiest way. The very first thing you should do is contact your school administration and see if they received educational funding grants.

Many teachers turn to their local Associated Student Body fund to get the money that they need, but that can sometimes dry up too quickly leaving many teachers desperate without much needed resources. So where can you realistically turn after that to get the help you need?

You would be surprised how often this grant gets overlooked. Did you know that every September the federal government gives money to school districts in the form of Title VI funding and you can get some of it for your own unique teacher in-service programs to help you in the classroom?

Don’t worry it isn’t too difficult to get either. In order to apply, you simply need to write up a small proposal of what you will do with the grant money and submit it to your district office before the deadline. (Most district deadlines are in August.)

As long as you meet the requirements for the district funding you will be able to use that money to help inspire and educate your students in the best way possible.

If you are unsure about how to write up your grant proposal, many school districts offer classes or workshops to help you in the process. Many teachers have expressed that Title VI grants were a lot less difficult and significantly less competitive to obtain than they thought it would be.

You have great ideas and you have a vision for your students. Don’t let finances keep you from turning it into a reality. If you are in need of some additional ideas for projects to add to your grant proposal, consider bringing Fabian Ramirez into your classroom and allowing him to connect with your students. He also speaks at school assemblies across the nation. Check to see if your school has received educational grants and if so, use that funding to have an assembly.