Rejecting the R-Word

A look into the Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign

Rejecting+the+R-Word

On April 4th, Best Buddies held their annual Spread the Word to End the Word celebration during lunch in the cafeteria. During the event, Oakton students signed the campaign created by the Best Buddies organization dedicated towards spreading awareness to end the use of the R-word in schools. Tommy McFly and Ledo’s pizza made an appearance at the signing, attributing to an overall successful event.

The Spread the Word to End the Word campaign was created in February of 2009 by participants of the Special Olympics Youth Activation Summit at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. The movement was launched as a team effort between those with and without intellectual disabilities. According to the Special Olympics, “The motivation for the campaign was driven by a united passion to promote the positive contributions people with intellectual disabilities make to communities around the world combined with a simple call to action that also symbolizes positive attitude change and a commitment to make the world a more accepting place for all people.”

On March 31 of 2009, the 1st Annual Spread the Word to End the Word Awareness Day. On this day, students nationwide created pledges to seek the end of the use of the word R-word. This signing represented a new step forward into the movement towards an overall accepting and caring atmosphere.  

The campaign; however, is an annual tradition at Oakton. Since its arrival, the campaign has invoked the ideals of inclusiveness and acceptance, promoting an overall embracing and accepting environment at our school. According to Jessica Marshall, the Social Media officer of Best Buddies, “The campaign has been going on for longer than I can remember. Before I took part in the annual event, I remember my sister participating in the signing of the pledge.”

Shannon Geerdes, a current peer buddy of Best Buddies, thinks that the pledge is a vital part of the Oakton community. She states, “It affects the lives of the students at Oakton, because they are pledging to terminate the R word out of their everyday vocabulary.”

All in all, the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign is leaving a mark on the student body and staff of Oakton. Promoting the exclusive use of only positive and encouraging word choices, the pledge has helped create an accepting atmosphere at our school. Hopefully, the event will remain an important part of the school year in the future, and will continue to influence the students nationwide.