Saskatchewan Roughrider and Saskatoon native Scott McHenry stopped by Sacred Heart/Sacré Coeur School on Monday to talk respect, healthy relationships and power.
McHenry said he wanted students to keep in mind that any stories he related or guidance he provided should be taken beyond the schoolyard, as well. Lessons learned in school, he said, can be exercised in daily life at home, on the field and everywhere else.
The slotback told students respect among peers is of utmost importance. He said perhaps the biggest difference between losing teams he had played on and the 2013 Grey Cup Champion Roughrider team he was a part of, was that the Riders, during that season, held a certain mutual respect for each teammate. A respectful and supportive environment played no small role in the team’s success, he said.
McHenry was in Estevan as part of the Imagine No Bullying School tour, which partners with SaskTel, the Red Cross and the Saskatchewan Roughriders to deliver school presentations featuring Chris Getzlaf, Neal Hughes and McHenry, as well as former Roughriders Luc Mullinder and Keith Shologan.
“SaskTel understands that the products and services we sell, when utilized inappropriately, can perpetuate the act of bullying and, in particular, cyberbullying and through our I Am Stronger initiative we are encouraging people to take a stand,” said Ron Styles, SaskTel president and CEO, in a press release. “As a socially responsible organization, we are extremely pleased to join forces with the Red Cross and the Riders to make a difference and provide a call to action to stop bullying and cyberbullying in our communities.”
“The Canadian Red Cross is committed to ending bullying, not only in schools, but in online spaces and in other areas where children and youth connect,” said Valerie Pearson, Red Cross manager of Violence, Bullying and Abuse Prevention in Saskatchewan. “This partnership is timely to continue building momentum from the recent Red Cross Day of Pink and it will go a long way to raise awareness of this issue and encourage schools, businesses and communities to speak out against bullying.”
“The Canadian Red Cross has instilled the trust of the Saskatchewan Roughriders to help deliver their violence and abuse prevention (RespectED) program to schools across Saskatchewan,” said Jim Hopson, Saskatchewan Roughriders president. “Our players are trained to deliver bullying prevention education and they are passionate about delivering a strong and empowering message to youth, in the hopes, that they become involved and engaged in changing bullying behavior throughout their communities.”
