Dec 11, 2019 5 min read

This Halloween, many of Canon-McMillans’s high school students experienced a different kind of trick and treat. Initially, they may have thought a new student was walking around the halls that morning. What they didn’t know was that “the student” wearing dreadlocks, baggy clothes and an American flag backpack was actually Dr. Adolph Brown, Chief Encouragement Officer and U.S. Secretary of Inspiration.

He arrived early to get to know some of the students. Brown said he loved the kindness that was shown to him that morning. He connected with one student over wrestling and “the fireman’s hold” move. He connected with another student over hunting and later, during his schoolwide presentation, brought that student on stage. By bringing the student up, he was explaining how they couldn’t have looked more different, but they still connected for almost ten minutes about hunting. Another student he related with so well that he almost exchanged Snapchat usernames with, but he didn’t want that student to be late for class. The point he was trying to make with all of these bonds was that even though people may look very different from you, you can still connect with them over something.

At one point, he held up a paper heart to the student body. He went on to explain how bullying can affect the human spirit. He said any time somebody tweets something unkind, a piece of the heart gets ripped. He went on to say that any time somebody posts a mean comment on Facebook or Instagram, another part of the heart gets torn. He then held up the heart and asked, “Does this even look like the same heart?” He was hoping the student body would “protect their mouths from their brain” and to not believe everything they think, to challenge what they believe.

Perhaps the most surprising part of the assembly was when he asked students to stand up if they’ve experienced certain things. The first group that he asked to stand was “if any students themselves or knew of another student that was struggling to the point of their breaking point” to stand up, and a surprising number of students did. He then asked the students to stand if they themselves or if they knew of a number of students that experienced bullying and even more students stood. The most significant number of students that stood was when he asked the students if they knew other students that acted like bullies. To this, he said they should hang out with O.Q.P. – Only Quality People. He said that if you’re the smartest person in your clique, then it’s time to find a new one. He also asked the students to respond with “Real Talk” if they experienced any of the same hardships that he had endured, such as being abandoned by his father and feeling unloved, having a family member get shot and killed and more. Many students did reply with “Real Talk” to a number of the same situations, which was yet another connection he shared with the students.

Michael Daniels, Canon-McMillan’s superintendent, enthusiastically supports Brown’s message and hopes everyone who heard it embraces it because it’s not the last time they will encounter it.

“We were happy to have had Dr. Adolph Brown deliver his message to us at the Canon-McMillan Senior High School,” he said. “It is a message each of us needs to embrace. A message promoting increased awareness of how others may perceive our words and our actions as hurtful. A message emphasizing the importance of getting along with mutual respect, dignity and unconditional positive regard for one another. It was great to have students and staff members tell me, as they exited the auditorium, how much they enjoyed the presentation.”

Ken Crowley, High School assistant principal, agrees.

“The Canon-McMillan High School staff and administration would like to thank Mr. Daniels, Mr. Chambers, and the Board of Education for bringing in such a phenomenal, world-class speaker. Dr. Brown spoke with, not at our students, and got to see the kindness and respect that we know our students embody on a daily basis. The consensus opinion of both students and staff was that this was one of the best speakers that they have ever heard, and we have already heard countless examples of how our students have taken Dr. Brown’s advice and have put it into practice within our school community. We look forward to continuing to implement these ideals to ensure that Canon-McMillan High School continues to be a safe and welcoming environment for all of our students.”

This assembly, however, is not the end of the school district’s quest for kindness. This assembly is just the first step in a plan that the district has in place to ensure that the students and the school district are taking this message seriously.

The Canon-McMillan School District, administrators and the Board of School Directors are incredibly thankful and humbled to have had Brown come to speak to the student body.

The hope is that everyone learns from this experience, remembers his message, “looks in their mirror” and also “protects their mouths from their brains” before they speak, because, though they may just be joking around, their words can hurt.