The huge power of words

SANDPOINT — Most people have heard at least once in their life, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

But what about those who go through their day at school and never hear anything at all, particularly something nice?

"That can be just as damaging as the put-downs and the insults," said Chris Priebe with Big Mouth Presentations.

Finding something nice to say and having a positive impact on those around you was part of the message Priebe, along with co-presenter Jesse Thomas, brought to Lake Pend Oreille High School and Clark Fork Junior/Senior High School students Wednesday.

Big Mouth Presentations was brought to the schools this week by Walk for HOPE, funded by the nonprofit's suicide awareness walk held each September. Walk for HOPE was started by Jennifer Wyman in 2016 through Underground Kindness, a nonprofit organization focused on empowering students, supporting teachers, and connecting community within public schools.

The presentations continue today at Sandpoint Middle School and Sandpoint High School, followed by a parent night in which the public is encouraged to attend.

LPOHS students heard the presentation titled, "Me and My Big Mouth," which is designed to help students think about the power of their words. It also included a few songs by Thomas, who is a rising rap star.

During the presentation, Priebe and Thomas introduced the kids to the "put up" initiative in which putting someone up is the opposite of putting someone down. Lindy Lewis, founder of Underground Kindness who attended the LPOHS assembly, challenged the kids to "#putup" by saying something kind to someone and building them up rather than putting them down. While that was her favorite part of the presentation, she was also impressed by the overall message.

"It is just cool that they are teaching kids to be responsible for their words," Lewis told the Daily Bee. "Planting seeds — which is what Underground Kindness does. It's all about planting seeds of wellness and kindness."

LPOHS students Bethany Nelson and Kendell Kurrus said they enjoyed the presentation, and Kurrus said it was nice that the presenters made it personal.

"I think it made the kids stop and think," said Leata Judd, local artist and long-time volunteer in LPOHS instructor Randy Wilhelm's art class.

While the students were responsive to the presentation, the overall message was nothing new to the teens.

"It's a message that we continuously hammer here ... be nice to each other," Wilhelm said.

The other presentation Thomas and Priebe are providing to students, which will be heard today by SHS juniors and seniors, is titled "Leaving a Legacy." Clark Fork students heard a combination of the two presentations.

The idea behind "Leaving a Legacy," Priebe said, is that every single person leaves a mark, whether it is on just a few people or, for some, it may reach to those all around the world. So the question is, "What kind of legacy are you going to leave?" Many people, particularly young people, don't think that way when they are making decisions, Priebe said.

Basically, Thomas said, it is designed to help the students think about the future as well as the present, and how their present impacts their future.

"What they are doing presently will impact what their future looks like," Thomas said.

CFHS Principal Phil Kemink said the message of the presentation was ironic in that there has been a lot of focus on the subject at the school. The students recently completed a school climate survey, Kemink said, and the "number one" thing they brought up in their answers had to do with character. They all know the difference between right and wrong, Kemink said, so if the kids see someone doing something wrong, they need to step up and do the right thing.

"And that's a hard thing to do, especially at this age because you want to be cool," Kemink said. "It's hard to go against popular opinion."

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Parents will have the opportunity following today's assemblies to attend an assembly of their own. The workshop will focus on how to communicate with youth, with the duo providing seven tips to help parents do just that. Priebe said parents and their kids speak a different language. For example, when a parent tells their youth something and they feel it should be coming across one way, but the teen is receiving it in a completely different way.

"So it is about trying to understand your youth a little bit better, and also trying to find new ways to communicate without just resorting to what we can do as parents, which is just behavior modification," Priebe said. "... There still needs to be discipline, but also a level of understanding with each other."

Parent night begins at 5:30 p.m. in the SHS gymnasium, and Wyman has been collecting lots of "awesome" prizes to give away as well. Prizes are all family-oriented and include a family yoga session from Enliven, Broadway tickets to "The Sound of Music," compliments of Let Your Color Out, a Pottery Bug gift certificate, five movie tickets for Bonner Mall Cinemas, several dinner gift certificates from local restaurants, bowling at Huckleberry Lanes, assorted board games and more.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.