PARISHVILLE. – An amazing squad of superheroes without capes recently visited Parishville-Hopkinton Central School and St. Lawrence Central School in Brasher Falls to help students and educators kick off their school year with HOPE (Hold On, Possibilities Exist).

The Sweethearts & Heroes team worked at Parishville-Hopkinton Central School on Monday, Sept. 18 and Tuesday, Sept. 19. The team also worked in the Brasher Falls Central School District on Wednesday, Sept. 20 and Thursday, Sept. 21.

Sweethearts and Heroes is a student empowerment and empathy activation team that aims to prevent bullying and suicide with a focus on the basic components of social-emotional learning (SEL). Sweethearts & Heroes offers a profound, engaging signature presentation that calls for HOPE, Empathy and Action; Circle, which is built on the ancient ritual of communicating in a circle to build empathy; and BRAVES Buddies, which trains older students in bully drills that they, in turn, teach to students in lower grades.

The Sweethearts & Heroes team is Tom Murphy, Director and Founder, of St. Albans, Vt.; Ret. U.S. Army Sgt. Rick Yarosh, a HOPE expert and motivational speaker from New York who was burned severely while serving in Iraq; and Pat Fish, BRAVES and Circle Leader.

While in Parishville, Fish concentrated on Circles with students and educators. (For more on Circle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q286yIL9L1E)

“Circle is an opportunity for amazing stories to be shared and heard,” Fish said. “Amazing isn’t good or bad. Some amazing stories I’ve heard are heartbreaking, others are heartwarming, and others are hilarious. But every single one of us has an amazing story, because we all have unique experiences. Circle allows everyone the chance to share those stories and, more importantly, to practice listening so that we can learn from others’ amazing stories. Also, there are various social-emotional skills practiced in Circle. What sets us apart? We make it fun! Everywhere we go, there’s a thirst for Circle from students of all ages, social groups, and backgrounds. They want to connect further with the people around them. Circle is a vehicle for that.”

While in the Brasher Falls CSD, Murphy and Yarosh offered several of their signature presentations to students at St. Lawrence Central Elementary School. Yarosh followed up with elementary students, while Murphy spent the day spreading HOPE at St. Lawrence Central High School.

Sweethearts & Heroes worked with Parishville and Brasher Falls CSD students and staff several times during the 2022-2023 school year.