"You Belong" at Bigelow Hill Elementary, and so does disco

Apparently, disco will be making a comeback at Findlay's Bigelow Hill Intermediate School, 300 Hillcrest Ave., only this time, it will be silent. The school was recently awarded $4,785 from the Hancock County Cultural Humility & Health Equity Delegation as part of its "You Belong" campaign. Findlay City Schools Board of Education voted to accept the grant on Monday. Angela Dittman, a student and family advocate at Bigelow Hill, penned the grant. Dittman said the money will be used to purchase 100 "silent disco" headsets, along with three transmitters. During a silent disco, people dance to music being transmitted to wireless headphones, instead of a speaker system. "Besides using the equipment for rewards, an actual dance party, we will also be able to use the headphones for students as a calming device," Dittman said. She said music has many benefits in helping students cope with stress and anxiety. "Music therapy helps people of all ages with a variety of medical issues, ranging from autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or social anxiety disorders. Students could have access to these headphones and music throughout the school day when they need time to decompress," said Dittman. "... The greatest benefit of this proposed grant is to give all children a sense of true belonging. All students will be given the opportunity to participate in, and at some point assist in planning silent dance parties." Last school year, students were sent to the principal's office 274 times for behavioral issues at the elementary, and the school had 70 suspensions or emergency removals and eight expulsion hearings, according to the grant application. "Our goal is to cut behavior referrals in half and have 75% fewer suspensions and zero expulsion hearings this year," said Dittman. The Hancock County Leadership Class of 2022 and the Hancock County Cultural Humility & Health Equity Delegation have teamed up for the annual "You Belong" project. The delegation is collected of local community members committed to establishing a "community of belonging" in Findlay and Hancock County, and to help Hancock County meet "this new challenge and embrace diversity and inclusion." A recent local survey found that most participants appreciate the community. Participants, however, also expressed concerns about its ability to meet its goals, according to the You Belong project. According to the project, those surveyed said there is an "outright animosity toward both the concept of diversity and individuals who are out of the norm, and feared that the failure to embrace diversity and inclusion will directly cause the community to shrivel."