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CRARYVILLE, N.Y. –– The current and last school years have presented students across the U.S. with tremendous social and emotional obstacles, but a nationally renown program is coming to Craryville, N.Y., to help.

Sweethearts & Heroes, a student empowerment and empathy activation team, will bring its powerful messages to the Taconic Hills Central School District on Thursday, March 10 and Friday, March 11.

“What did students lose during 2020?” said Murphy, now of St. Albans, Vt. “Developmental windows were disrupted. That’s why Sweethearts & Heroes is going to schools this year to focus on the human skills, such as empathy, compassion, and the other relationship skills that cause struggles for so many students. Our students need help with their social and emotional health — now more than ever. We like to say, ‘You can’t be a teacher of literacy without being a teacher of humanity first.’ That’s the focus that needs to happen for our children during this school year.”

Sweethearts & Heroes will spend its time in Craryville presenting its signature program to students. Murphy’s original Sweethearts & Heroes presentation focuses on “Empathetic Fitness” and HOPE (Hold On, Possibilities Exist!) with an aim at preventing bullying and suicide. For 15 years, he has presented what he calls “‘the ‘stop, drop and roll’ of bullying” to more than 2 million students in thousands of schools from New England to Hawaii. Murphy will be joined by Rick Yarosh, a retired sergeant with the U.S. Army — injured in Iraq with burns over most of his body — who gives messages about overcoming adversity.

“Just talking about awareness doesn’t fix anything,” said Murphy. “What separates us from other anti-bullying presentations and projects is that we give each student a plan to activate their innate superpowers — to empower them to help others that are struggling with bullying or other challenges that all students face. Our message and strategies go way beyond bullying. We are about humanity, giving HOPE to the hopeless and making the world a better place.”

Taconic Hills students will also be treated to Circle, which is based on the ancient ritual of sitting in a circle to communicate and build empathy. Sweethearts & Heroes teammate Pat Fish leads Circle efforts. He first saw Sweethearts & Heroes as a middle school student in South Glens Falls, N.Y., a decade ago. (For more on CIRCLE: )

“Circle is about building a support network for students in all grades, so that when they are struggling with social and emotional obstacles, they will have the resources necessary to manage those struggles,” Murphy said. “If you dedicate to Circle, if you commit to Circle on a regular basis, an entire culture can change. We’ve seen it happen thousands of times.”

In late 2021, Sweethearts & Heroes released 13 Pillows For Affective Teachers, a fictional and inspiring allegorical novel that covers the themes of HOPE and Action found in the Sweethearts & Heroes curriculum. 13 Pillows is available on Amazon. Digital or printed copies are available upon request. (On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/13Pillows)

13 Pillows is based on real students and teachers that Sweethearts & Heroes has encountered over the years. Murphy cowrote the book with Brian McKeon of Fort Worth, Texas.

For more information on Sweethearts & Heroes, visit: sweetheartsandheroes.com.
Or watch these short, impactful trailers:
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