National Heritage Academies Schools Promoting Compassion, Respect During National Bullying Prevention Month

One NHA school is pairing anti-bullying lessons with Moral Focus™ curriculum to inspire scholars to kindness

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- October is National Bullying Prevention Month and National Heritage Academies® (NHA) partner-schools are teaching students not only how to stop bullying in the classroom but also providing them tools to grow their character. Keystone Academy in Belleville, Michigan, is connecting with students through its annual Anti-Bullying campaign.

Kindergarten Teacher Jessica Walczak and Fifth-grade Teacher Aimee Lowe teamed up to create this year's campaign, getting everyone at school involved in preventing bullying. Walczak said she experienced bullying as a young student and wants to keep kids from feeling how she felt.

"I want to do everything I can to help our current youth be able to work through problems and be the bigger person, so bullying doesn't continue happening," Walczak said. "We've got to break the cycle. Instead of turning a blind eye, if I can help our students, I feel like that's very important."

Walczak and Lowe are actively engaging students through a variety of anti-bullying activities. In a main hallway at the school, Walczak and Lowe constructed their own anti-bullying board game, "The Game of Kindness," for classes to play as a group. To begin the month, classes signed their names on a board game piece, signifying their commitment to curb bullying in the school.

As classes played the game, they were presented with different scenarios and had the chance to discuss what they would do in each one. This allowed for students to collaborate and share how they would approach bullying situations. With these kinds of engaging activities, it's no wonder Keystone has outperformed the local district since it opened in 2007.

Students also participated in bingo games throughout the month, completing tasks that promoted encouragement and kindness. Students were eager to participate and complete a bingo. This activity paired perfectly with NHA's Moral Focus™ curriculum and October's virtue of the month: respect.

Moral Focus™ virtues are the foundation of NHA's character-based curriculum, focused on building good humans and preparing students for the future. Walczak said parents notice how Moral Focus™ is embedded in Keystone's culture.

"Our families come to us for a reason," Walczak said. "They like Moral Focus™. They like that we're working on the whole person. Yes, academics are important, but one of the big things with NHA is that we're helping students learn to show compassion. I think our parents are looking for that and they are big supporters."

Walczak and Lowe are also encouraging students to use Moral Focus™ virtues online, pairing cyberbullying education with other informational videos they provide classes. This piece of anti-bullying messaging is more relevant every day, so ensuring students practice safety and kindness online was a priority.

With a wide variety of ways for students to engage in Bullying Prevention Month, Walczak and Lowe are helping Keystone remain a positive and encouraging environment for all. While October may be National Bullying Prevention Month, Walczak and Lowe are hoping students' mindsets are changed for a lifetime.

"We want to keep building a positive mindset," Walczak said. "We try and help them look at how to keep going and be positive. We want to give them more tools to help them in the world. In my mind, it's just helping make the world a more kind place."

About National Heritage Academies:
National Heritage Academies® (NHA) is a network of 103 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 68,000 students in kindergarten through 12^th grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com. To find the nearest charter school near you, use the NHA school finder.

SOURCE National Heritage Academies